The European Union criticised Israel's plan of building new settlements in East Jerusalem as "highly detrimental" to the peace process with the Palestinians, warning that the settlement plan put future Israeli-EU ties at risk.
"We condemn the recent Israeli decisions to approve a plan for new settlement activity in Givat Hamatos and to allow for further settlement expansion in the neighbourhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem," the European Union's External Action Service (EEAS) said in a statement Friday.
"This represents a further highly detrimental step that undermines prospects for a two-state solution and calls into question Israel's commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians," the EEAS said, adding that it would not recognise any changes to pre-1967 borders other than those agreed by both parties.
"We stress that the future development of relations between the EU and Israel will depend on the latter's engagement towards a lasting peace based on a two-state solution."
"We condemn the recent Israeli decisions to approve a plan for new settlement activity in Givat Hamatos and to allow for further settlement expansion in the neighbourhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem," the European Union's External Action Service (EEAS) said in a statement Friday.
"This represents a further highly detrimental step that undermines prospects for a two-state solution and calls into question Israel's commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians," the EEAS said, adding that it would not recognise any changes to pre-1967 borders other than those agreed by both parties.
"We stress that the future development of relations between the EU and Israel will depend on the latter's engagement towards a lasting peace based on a two-state solution."