Switzerland describes planned Israeli apartments in the Palestinian territories as “illegal”. Probably no charges against Republican troublemaker Matt Gaetz

Switzerland is demanding that Israel refrain from building about 10,000 new homes in occupied Palestinian territory. These projects are illegal under international law, the Foreign Ministry in Bern explains.

Switzerland is concerned and calls on Israel to refrain from these unilateral measures, which could further exacerbate tensions and jeopardize a negotiated two-state solution, according to a Twitter post from the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on Thursday.

There is an urgent need to restore the political horizon towards a lasting peace based on international law, it said. The Israeli security cabinet decided on Sunday to legalize construction projects for nine Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy, Britain and the US issued a joint statement rejecting Israeli settlement projects.

Israel’s settlement policy is controversial. In 1967, Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In total, more than 600,000 Israeli settlers live there today. However, the Palestinians claim the areas for an independent state of Palestine with the Arab-influenced eastern part of Jerusalem as its capital.

Israel distinguishes between settlements created with government approval and “wild settlements”, which are intended to be legalized retroactively. From the point of view of international law, all settlements are illegal. In late 2016, the UN Security Council called on Israel to completely halt settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including annexed East Jerusalem.

(jam/sda)