UK condemns Israel’s approval of 22 new illegal settlements in the West Bank
29 May 2025, 14:06 | Updated: 29 May 2025, 15:22
Twenty-two new settlements in the occupied West Bank represent “a deliberate obstacle to Palestinian statehood” by Israel, a Foreign Office minister has warned.
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The settlements, which are illegal under international law, will include outposts already built without the permission of the Israeli government.
Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer said the government condemns the decision, calling it "deliberate obstacle to Palestinian statehood".
"The UK condemns these actions," he said.
"Settlements are illegal under international law, further imperil the two-state solution, and do not protect Israel"
Israel’s occupation of the West Bank began in 1967 and has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice.
Around 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has seen the building of settlements accelerated, with attacks on Palestinian civilians commonplace and on the rise since the launch of Israel’s assault on Gaza.
Labour last year in its general election manifesto committed to "recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution".
Read more: Four killed as Palestinians storm UN Gaza aid warehouse in search of food
Ministers have repeatedly committed to recognising a Palestinian state, but Mr Falconer has previously said the Government "will make a judgment about when the best moment is to try and make the fullest possible contribution" to a peace process.
It comes as four Palestinians died after hundreds stormed a United Nations warehouse in Gaza in a desperate search for food supplies.
Two people were crushed while two others died from gunshot wounds, health officials said.
The Palestinians were part of huge crowds that descended on a World Food Programme warehouse in central Gaza earlier on Wednesday.
Women and children also sustained injuries from gunshot wounds, a Red Cross field hospital said.
Large parts of the crowd could be seen carrying large bags of flour while tried to force their way into the warehouse.
The Foreign Secretary announces new measures against Israel
A UN envoy compared the limited aid being allowed into Gaza to “a lifeboat after the ship has sunk”.
Sigrid Kaag, the acting UN special coordinator for the Middle East, told the UN security council that people facing famine in Gaza “have lost hope”.
Israel had previously blocked any humanitarian aid, including food, water and medical supplies, from entering Gaza for three months.
It has faced numerous accusations from the UN and rights organisations that it is deliberately causing a famine in Gaza, and using starvation as a weapon.
It comes just days after Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Israel in a joint letter with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French president Emmanuel Macron.
The letter opposed the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, and said the level of human suffering in Gaza is "intolerable", marking a significant change of tone from the Labour government.
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