France affirmed its "strong" condemnation of Israel's decision to allow the construction of housing units in the East Jerusalem settlements, considering that this matter jeopardizes "the possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian state in the future."

French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Lugandre reminded on Friday that "settlement is illegal under international law."

She continued: “By approving new settlement construction projects, the Israeli government undermines the possibility of establishing a future viable, contiguous Palestinian state and jeopardizes the horizon of a two-state solution, which is the only solution capable of meeting Israel’s right to security and the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians to establish a state.”

She added, "We call on the Israeli authorities to reverse this decision."

It is noteworthy that in its Resolution No. 2334 issued in 2016, the United Nations Security Council reaffirmed that “Israel’s establishment of settlements in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and a major obstacle to achieving the two-state solution and establishing A comprehensive, just and sustainable peace."

Settlement has also continued under all successive Israeli governments since 1967.

About 300,000 Palestinians and 200,000 Israelis currently reside in East Jerusalem, according to the anti-settlement NGO Ir Amim.

It is noteworthy that the United Nations General Assembly yesterday adopted, by an overwhelming majority, a number of resolutions in favor of Palestine regarding aid and property of Palestinian refugees and UNRWA and investigations into Israel’s practices and Israeli settlements.

The fourth resolution among these resolutions, regarding Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan, received the support of 149 countries, 6 countries objected, and 17 countries abstained from voting.

Source: Sama News