UK condemns proposed settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt: "It is deeply disappointing that the Government of Israel continues to ignore the appeals of the UK and other friends of Israel"
Commenting on the publication of tenders for 1213 settlement units in East Jerusalem and 72 in Ariel, the Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said:
“I condemn yesterday’s provocative decision to advance settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank through the publication of tenders for 1285 settlement housing units. The UK has been consistently clear that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and by altering the situation on the ground are making the two state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, increasingly hard to realise. It is deeply disappointing that the Government of Israel continues to ignore the appeals of the UK and other friends of Israel.”