Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Wednesday blasted Western countries that issued a statement criticizing Israel’s approval of new communities in Judea and Samaria.
“Israel strongly rejects the statement issued by foreign countries regarding the Cabinet decision on settlements in Judea and Samaria,” said Sa’ar in a statement.
He stressed, “Foreign governments will not restrict the right of Jews to live in the Land of Israel, and any such call is morally wrong and discriminatory against Jews.”
“The Cabinet decision to establish 11 new settlements and to formalize eight additional settlements is intended, among other things, to help address the security threats Israel is facing. All of the settlements are located in Area C and are situated on state land,” added Sa’ar.
“Israel acts in accordance with International Law. The incorporation of the 1917 Balfour Declaration into the Mandate was explicitly agreed upon at the San Remo Conference in 1920. According to the Mandate, the right of the Jewish people to establish its national home extends over the entire territory of ‘Mandatory Palestine.’ These rights were preserved in Article 80 of the Charter of the United Nations.”
“In the aforementioned statement, the blatant silence of foreign states regarding the Palestinian Authority’s illegal construction in Area C is extremely striking,” concluded Sa’ar.
Wednesday’s statement, issued by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom, described the decision to approve new communities as a unilateral action and claimed that such steps "not only violate international law but also risk fueling instability."
According to the statement, the decision risks undermining "the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan for Gaza amid efforts to progress to phase 2" and could harm "prospects for long term peace and security across the region."
The signatories reiterated their opposition "to any form of annexation and to the expansion of settlement policies," including specific reference to "the approval of the E1 settlement and thousands of new housing units."
They called on Israel "to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements," citing UN Security Council Resolution 2334.
The statement further declared support for "Palestinians' right of self-determination" and reaffirmed an "unwavering commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the Two-State solution," in which Israel and a Palestinian state would live side by side in peace and security within recognized borders. The countries concluded by stating that "there is no alternative to a negotiated two-state solution."