EU chides Israel on planned construction

BRUSSELS, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Israel's decision to expand settlements in East Jerusalem in the face of international criticism also drew a sharp rebuke from the European Union.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Swedish EU presidency said, "The Presidency of the European Union is dismayed by the recent decision on the expansion of the settlement of Gilo," EUobserver.com reported Thursday. "The presidency recalls that settlement activities, house demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem are illegal under international law."

The Jerusalem municipal planning committee Tuesday approved construction of about 900 housing units in Gilo, claimed by Israel as a Jerusalem neighborhood but described by the United Nations as an Israeli settlement, the publication said. About 40,000 Israelis live in Gilo, built on West Bank land Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed as part of Jerusalem.

The EU said the decision endangers the chance of achieving peace between Israel and Palestine.

"Such activities also prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations and threaten the viability of a two-state solution," the EU statement said. "The presidency recalls that the European Union has never recognized the annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967 nor the subsequent 1980 basic law."