Foreign Secretary condemns Israeli announcement on settlements
Foreign Secretary has condemned the announcement by the Israeli Government to publish tenders for 1,028 additional housing units in the settlements of Har Homa, Beitar Illit and Givat Ze'ev and of its plans to expand the settlement of Efrat.
Speaking today the Foreign Secretary said:
“I condemn the latest Israeli announcements of plans to expand its settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. These are only the most recent in a steady drip of announcements of new or expanded settlements - all of which are illegal under international law and which make it ever harder to achieve the common goal of international efforts: a contiguous Palestinian state living side-by-side in security with Israel with Jerusalem as a shared capital. I strongly urge the Israeli Government to revoke these decisions which are wrong and deeply counter-productive.”