Switzerland rejects new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory
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Switzerland rejects new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory
Switzerland says it rejects the announced construction of thousands of housing units in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank, settlements east of Jerusalem planned by the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
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“These projects violate international law, jeopardise the two-state solution and fuel tensions,” the Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement posted on Friday evening on the platform X.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently announced plans to build around 3,400 housing units in the area between East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement.
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The area is considered one of the most sensitive points in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Its development would effectively divide the West Bank into northern and southern parts and make it considerably more difficult, if not impossible, to create a contiguous territory for a future Palestinian state.
In 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem, among other areas, where more than 700,000 Jewish settlers now live among around 3 million Palestinians. Under international law, the settlements there are illegal.
Translated from German with DeepL.com/gw
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