Holy Land: William Hague condemns fresh settlement building

Apr 5th, 2011

William Hague

Foreign Secretary, William Hague, today urged the Israeli authorities to reconsider their decision to build more illegal housing units in an area which does not belong to them. He said such action "undermines the prospects for peace."

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Tuesday, Mr Hague said: "I condemn Israel's decision to approve more than 900 settlement units in the East Jerusalem suburb of Gilo and the retrospective approval which has been given for construction in five West Bank settlements.

"This is not disputed territory. It is occupied Palestinian territory and ongoing settlement expansion is illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and a threat to a two state solution. We call on the Israeli authorities to reconsider this decision, which undermines the prospects for peace. All those who support a secure future for Israel and a future Palestinian state should be working urgently to restart peace negotiations, not taking steps which make this more difficult."

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