International condemnation is mounting after Israel approved the creation of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank on December 22nd, a move widely seen as a further obstacle to a two-state solution. Fourteen countries, including key European and North American nations, have jointly denounced the decision, citing violations of international law and concerns about regional stability following the october 7th attacks. The settlements, home to over 500,000 Israelis, are considered illegal under international law and represent a important point of contention in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Fourteen countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan, have condemned the recent approval of new Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The move, announced by Israeli authorities on December 22, is intended, they say, to “block the establishment of a terrorist Palestinian state,” amid a surge in settlement activity since the October 7th attacks. This development raises concerns about the future of peace negotiations and regional stability.
“We, representatives of Germany, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Ireland, Iceland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom, condemn the approval by the Israeli government’s security cabinet of the creation of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank,” according to a joint statement released by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
The countries stated that this unilateral action “constitutes a violation of international law.” They added, “This action risks undermining the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, as efforts are being deployed to move to the second phase [of this plan], and it harms the prospects for lasting peace and security throughout the region.” The statement calls on Israel to reconsider its decision and cease the expansion of settlements, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, while reaffirming their “determination to support the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”
The Palestinian Authority criticized the plan on Tuesday, calling it “a direct continuation of policies of apartheid, colonization and annexation, which undermines the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and destroys any real prospect of stability,” according to a statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The statement continued, denouncing “an acceleration of the theft of Palestinian land” and the “escalation of settler terrorism,” and asserting that the decision “cannot be separated from Israel’s systematic policy…aimed at preventing any real possibility of establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.”
Over 500,000 Israelis Currently Live in the West Bank
Settlement construction has continued under all Israeli governments, both left and right-wing, since 1967, and has significantly intensified under the current executive, particularly since the start of the war in Gaza, triggered on October 7, 2023, by the attack from the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel.
Aside from East Jerusalem, which is occupied and annexed by Israel, more than 500,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank in settlements deemed illegal under international law by the United Nations, among some three million Palestinians.
Recently, a report by the United Nations Secretary-General raised concerns about a record increase in Israeli settlements in 2025, since the beginning of monitoring in 2017. Antonio Guterres “condemned the relentless expansion of Israeli colonization in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” threatening “the viability of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian state.” He also expressed concern over the “alarming” increase in settler violence, citing attacks sometimes “in the presence or with the support of Israeli security forces.”
