Europe calls on Israel to stop settlement construction.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea - Agencies: The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, on Thursday called on Israel to "reverse" its continuation of a project to build settlement units in the occupied West Bank, which is supported by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right extremist. Kallas said in a statement that "the decision of the Israeli authorities to proceed with the E1 settlement project constitutes a further undermining of the two-state solution and a violation of international law." She added that "the European Union urges Israel to reverse this decision and points to its far-reaching repercussions." Earlier on Thursday, Britain also condemned Israel's settlement plans in the West Bank, which would separate East Jerusalem from it, and called for them to be stopped immediately. British Foreign Secretary David Lamy said that his country strongly opposes the new Israeli settlement plans. Lamy stressed in a statement that "these Israeli plans to build a settlement that would divide the West Bank and separate it from East Jerusalem represent a flagrant violation of international law and must stop now." Smotrich had approved plans to build a settlement that would separate East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, in a move his office described as eliminating the idea of establishing a Palestinian state.