German government criticizes settlement plans in the West Bank

"The construction of settlements violates international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions," said a spokesperson for the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. "It makes a negotiated two-state solution and an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, as demanded by the International Court of Justice, more difficult."

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently announced plans to build around 3,400 residential units in Area E1 between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim. The area is considered one of the most sensitive points in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Its development would effectively divide the West Bank into a northern and a southern part and make a contiguous territory for a future Palestinian state considerably more difficult, if not impossible.

EU: Settlement plans violate international law

The European Union and Turkey also criticized the settlement plans. Such unilateral decisions "exacerbate the already tense situation on the ground and further undermine any possibility of peace", said EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas in a statement. According to her, they also violate international law.

"We condemn the Israeli approval of the settlement plan for the E1 area", said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement. "This step, which will separate the West Bank from East Jerusalem, disregards international law and UN resolutions and attacks the territorial integrity of the state of Palestine, which is the basis for a two-state solution and the hope for a lasting peace."

Finance Minister Smotrich threatens annexation

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Smotrich also threatened to annex the West Bank if a Palestinian state is recognized next month. "You have no chance, there will be no Palestinian state," Smotrich said during a press conference addressed to several countries planning to announce recognition at the United Nations General Assembly in September. "If you recognize a Palestinian state in September, our response will be to assert full Israeli sovereignty in all areas of Judea and Samaria (the Hebrew name for the West Bank)."

In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem, among other territories, where more than 700,000 settlers now live among around three million Palestinians. According to international law, the settlements there are illegal. "The German government calls on the Israeli government to stop building settlements and will only recognize changes to the borders of 4 June 1967 that have been agreed by the parties to the conflict," said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson. "The German government clearly rejects any annexation plans by the Israeli government."

Israeli settlers attack Palestinian villages

Meanwhile, according to media reports, Israeli settlers attacked two villages in the West Bank. Several Palestinians were injured in an attack on the village of Susya in the south, as reported by the newspaper "The Times of Israel". In Atara in the center of the West Bank, settlers hurled incendiary devices at houses and cars. There are repeated attacks by radical settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank. The perpetrators are rarely brought to justice.