EU Urges Israel to Halt Settlement Expansion After Attacks on Children

The European Union has reiterated its demand for Israel to cease settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, warning that such actions undermine the viability of a two-state solution.

An EU spokesperson on Friday urged Israel to halt the legalisation of outposts, land appropriation, demolitions, forced evictions and other measures that “undermine the viability of the two-state solution”.

The statement was issued days after Israel’s security cabinet approved 1.3 billion shekels ($427.8m) to establish 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. The funding package is one of the largest recent investments in settlement expansion and has drawn criticism from Palestinian officials and international partners.

The United Nations, the International Court of Justice and most countries consider Israeli settlements in territory occupied since 1967 illegal under international law. Israel rejects this view.

The EU has long stated it does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the territories occupied in 1967, but the 27-member bloc remains divided over imposing stronger measures. This week, EU foreign ministers failed to reach consensus on proposals that could restrict trade with settlements.

Meanwhile, violence continues in the West Bank. On Friday, two Palestinian children were hospitalised with head and facial injuries after Israeli settlers allegedly threw stones at their family’s car in the Wadi al-Sha’er area, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. In another incident, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy was shot by Israeli forces and remains in hospital.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of talks in Brussels on Monday: “Everybody agrees that the situation in the West Bank is really intolerable.” She added that events there make the two-state solution increasingly impossible.