Finland urges Israel to reverse settlements expansion decision

Finland on Friday urged Israel to reverse its decision to expand settlements in the West Bank, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Terming all settlements as illegal under the international law, the ministry in a post in the social media platform X also said that the decision will increase tensions ahead of the religious festival.

“We urge Israel to reverse the decision to expand settlements in the West Bank. This increases tensions and runs counter to international efforts to de-escalate ahead of the upcoming religious festivities. All settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace,” the ministry wrote in the post.

Earlier, the European Union condemned Wednesday’s approval by the Israeli High Planning Committee of plans for advancing over 3.426 housing units, further expanding illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank particularly in this charged environment.

Israel's Supreme Planning Council approved on Wednesday the construction of the new housing units in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, reported Xinhua, quoting authorities.

The houses are located in the settlements of Efrat, Ma'aleh Adumim and Kedar, according to a statement released on behalf of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right settler leader who is responsible for the construction in the settlements in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Since last March, Israel has approved 18,515 housing units in the settlements, Smotrich said in the statement. He added that the government "has made huge investments in the development of transportation infrastructure, employment and quality of life" in the settlements.

The settlements are considered by the majority of the international community as unlawful and a major hurdle to peace, as they are located in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories where the Palestinians wish to build their future state.