Rabat – The five largest European nations have released a statement urging Israel to halt its illegal settlement expansion plans in the West Bank. The foreign ministries of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK released the statement on May 6, in which they “urged” Israel to halt its settlement plans.
The five nations described Israeli plans as “illegal under international law” and warned that further expansion into the occupied territories of the West Bank would “threaten prospects for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
“If implemented,” the statement warns, “the decision to advance settlements in Har Homa, between East Jerusalem and Bethlehem, will cause further damage to the prospects for a viable Palestinian State, with Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and a Palestinian State.”
Encircling Palestinians
The brief statement, published on the websites of the countries’ foreign ministries called on Israel to “reverse its decision to advance the construction of 540 settlement units in the Har Homa E area of the occupied West Bank.”
On April 7, Israeli authorities approved plans for massive construction efforts in Har Homa, a small town perched on a hill in East Jerusalem. The area, called “Jabal Abu Ghneim” by the native Palestinians, already features an illegal Israeli settlement, with the government planning to expand the existing settlement by another 540 illegal housing units.
The expansion of the Har Homa settlement effectively links the already illegal housing units with those in Gilo, encircling the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Safafa.
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Since 1967, the state of Israel has slowly chipped away territory from the neighborhood that is home to over 5,000 Palestinians. With plans approved for further construction, the neighborhood will be completely encircled by illegal Israeli settlements, cutting it off from the rest of the occupied territories.
The Israeli expansion plan “undermines efforts to rebuild trust between the parties, following the positive resumption of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation,” the five nations highlighted in their statement opposing the continued illegal construction of settlements on occupied Palestinian land.
UN warns of possible war crimes
Israel’s illegal expansion plans are also impacting families in northeastern Jerusalem, the UN warned on May 7.
“For four of these families, the risk is imminent,” warned Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Local families “are facing a risk of forced eviction due to a legal challenge by the Nahalat Shimon settler organization,” Colville highlighted in his press briefing.
If Israel proceeds with forced evictions in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, it “would violate Israel’s obligations under international law,” the UN emphasized. Colville highlighted how 218 Palestinian families are facing eviction cases, attempting to dislodge them from their family homes.
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The UN spokesperson highlighted the clear plans by Israel to expand into the Palestinian capital of East Jerusalem. “In practice, the implementation of these laws facilitates the transfer by Israel of its population into occupied East Jerusalem,” Colville stated. He described Israel’s efforts as “the transfer of parts of an occupying power’s civilian population into the territory that it occupies.”
The Israeli practice in the occupied West Bank territories is “prohibited under international humanitarian law and may amount to a war crime,” Colvile emphasized.
“Given the disturbing scenes in Sheikh Jarrah over the past few days, we wish to emphasize that East Jerusalem remains part of the occupied Palestinian territory,” Colville stated, adding that in these territories ”International Humanitarian Law applies.”
“We call on Israel to immediately halt all forced evictions, including those in Sheikh Jarrah,” Colville announced in his OHCHR press briefing while “calling” on Israel to stop the local use of force and limitations on the freedom of expression of those protesting their forced displacement.
What effect the protestations by European powers and the UN’s human rights office will have, remains to be seen. Israel continues to ignore international law and UN resolutions while claiming antisemitism contributes to a global bias against the continued advance of Israeli settler colonialism.
