Israel is defending its recent approval of new settlements in the occupied West Bank against widespread international condemnation,arguing that objections constitute discrimination. The expansion, authorizing 19 new settlements, has drawn criticism from 14 countries, including key European nations and Canada [[1]], as well as the United Nations, who maintain the settlements violate international law. Israeli officials claim the construction is a response to security concerns and a right to Jewish self-determination in the region.
Jakarta –
Israel has responded to criticism from 14 countries condemning its plans to expand settlements in the West Bank, occupied territory, asserting that those voicing objections are engaging in discrimination against Jewish people.
“Foreign governments will not restrict the right of Jewish people to live in the Land of Israel, and such calls are both morally wrong and discriminatory towards Jews,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Thursday, December 25, 2025, according to AFP.
“The cabinet’s decision to establish 11 new settlements and authorize eight existing ones is intended, among other things, to address the security threats facing Israel,” he added.
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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich previously stated that the settlement construction plans were designed to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, welcoming the Israeli cabinet’s approval of the expansion.
“In the field, we are preventing the establishment of a Palestinian terror state,” Smotrich said recently.
The condemnation of Israel’s plans for new Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied by Israel, came from 14 countries including France, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The nations criticized the Israeli security cabinet’s decision to approve 19 new settlements.
“We, the countries of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom, condemn the Israeli security cabinet’s approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank,” a joint statement released by the French Foreign Ministry said, as reported by AFP.
“We reiterate our clear opposition to any form of annexation and expansion of settlement policy,” the statement continued.
The United Nations also voiced criticism of Israel’s plans. The UN maintains that expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank is illegal under international law. The development underscores the ongoing complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the international community’s response.
Palestinian authorities based in Ramallah also condemned the latest approvals, accusing Israel of tightening its control over Palestinian land. They described the approvals as a continuation of “discriminatory, settlement, and annexation policies that undermine the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”
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(zap/idh)
