EU strongly condemns occupation’s plan to “legalize” five settlement outposts

The European Union on Saturday slammed in the hardest terms a recent statement by the Israeli occupation's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich "legalizing" five settlement outposts in the occupied Palestinian territories. Smotrich's move is an intentional bid to jeopardize peace efforts, said the EU spokesperson for external affairs Peter Stano in a statement. He noted that the EU states' leaders, during their meeting in Brussels on Thursday, condemned the Israeli occupation's decision to expand illegal settlements in the West Bank and urged Rel Aviv to back down from this scheme. Stano affirmed the EU commitment to non-recognition of any borders other than the 1967 borderline, "unless the two parties reach an agreement on something else." He re-affirmed the EU commitment to lasting peace according to the Security Council resolutions based on the two-state solution. The occupation's mini cabinet approved on Friday schemes presented by the finance minister to legalize the new outposts for the settlers and sl ap curbs on the Palestinian Authority. Source: Kuwait News Agency