Spain has expressed its strong opposition to the Israeli plans to build more than 5,700 new housing units in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, calling them a “serious obstacle” to the two-state solution.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said it “rejects the Israeli government’s decision to approve the construction of 5,700 new homes in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.”
The statement added that the settlements are “illegal under international law” and “undermine the viability and territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state.”
Spain also condemned the recent violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and their property, especially in the villages of Beita and Burin near Nablus.
The statement said that Spain “deplores the attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinian civilians and their property, which have caused several deaths and injuries in recent weeks.”
The statement urged the Israeli occupation to “ensure the protection of the Palestinian population” and to “hold accountable those responsible for these acts of violence.”
Spain also reiterated its support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the 1967 borders, with mutually agreed land swaps, and Jerusalem as the capital of both states.
The statement said that Spain “reaffirms its commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on the two-state solution, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions.”
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