No: 283, 1 September 2014

We condemn Israel’s decision to expropriate a large swath of land belonging to the Palestinian villages in the West Bank in order to carry out new illegal settlement activities. The said decision which is apparently Israel’s largest land seizure attempt in terms of its size for the last thirty years in the West Bank, has once again revealed the practices of Israel in contravention of international law in the occupied Palestinian territories.

It is imperative to avoid any steps that might have negative repercussions on the environment of ceasefire established in Gaza between Israel and Palestine following extensive efforts and that might undermine the ground for lasting peace and two-state solution. In this respect, we expect Israel to reverse its decision by complying with its obligations arising from international law.