
I was deeply concerned to hear the latest announcement by the Israeli authorities to advance settlement plans once more in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, said Catherine Ashton in a statement on Sunday.
She called the settlements as illegal under international law and warned that they would constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make the two-State solution impossible.
She also underlined that on 16 December, the 28 Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the European Union unanimously warned against actions that undermine the current negotiations and deplored Israels continuous expansion of settlements.
Ashton also called on the Zionist regime to stop all settlement activities.
The statement also said the current peace talks represent a unique opportunity for both Israelis and Palestinians and that the EU is ready to provide its full support to a peace agreement.
At this delicate moment of the negotiation, I call on all the parties to act now to build trust not undermine it and to work together for a lasting, just and final settlement of the conflict, read the statement.
By Nasim Online
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