Overview
- Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement condemning the decision as a breach of international law.
- The signatories urged Israel to reverse the approvals and referenced UN Security Council Resolution 2334 while reaffirming support for a negotiated two-state solution.
- Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar rejected the criticism as discriminatory, saying the plan addresses security needs and that all sites are in Area C on state land.
- The security cabinet approved 19 outposts on December 11, including two evacuated in 2005, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying the goal is to prevent a future Palestinian state.
- Peace Now reports the government’s tenure has raised the number of recognized settlements by nearly 50% since 2022, as the UN warns settlement expansion has reached its highest level since at least 2017.