A group of five European countries condemned the Israeli government today for its “counterproductive” decision to build thousands more settlement units in the occupied West Bank. 

In a statement, the foreign ministries of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain called for an immediate halt to settlement construction, as well as a pause in evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. 

“The expansion of settlements violates international law and further imperils the viability of a two-state solution to bring about a just and lasting peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” they said. “As we have emphasised directly with the government of Israel, this step furthermore undermines efforts to rebuild trust between the parties with a view to resuming dialogue.”

During a meeting this week, Israel’s West Bank Civil Administration, which approves settlement planning and construction, signed off on 4,948 more settlement units. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, a majority of the new units will be located in the area between the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Nablus.