BERLIN, July 25. /TASS/. The EU three (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) spoke against Israel’s attempts to impose sovereignty on occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, E3 leaders said in a joint statement on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank published by the press service of the German cabinet.
"We firmly oppose all efforts to impose Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Threats of annexation, settlements and acts of settler violence against Palestinians undermine the prospects for a negotiated two-state solution," the document noted. "We are committed to working together with our international partners including at the United Nations to develop a specific and credible plan for the next phase in Gaza that will put in place transitional governance and security arrangements, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid at scale," the EU three emphasized.
"This must be accompanied by the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the removal of Hamas leadership, as key steps towards a negotiated two-state solution," the E3 leaders noted. "We stand ready to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political process that leads to lasting security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region," they stressed.
Earlier, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a resolution on applying the Jewish state’s sovereignty to the West Bank. Knesset lawmakers voted 71-13 in favor of the motion. Israel has been regularly carrying out military operations in the West Bank and announcing plans to expand Jewish settlements in the region.
Israel’s ongoing construction in the West Bank is considered one of the main barriers to resolving the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In December 2016, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2334 demanding that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel responded by stating that it would not comply with the order.