BRUSSELS: The European Union expressed dismay yesterday over Israel’s plans to build settlements in a highly sensitive part of the West Bank, but spelled out no punitive measures in response. After meeting in Brussels, foreign ministers of the 27 EU states said the Israeli plan would seriously undermine the prospects of successful peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
“The EU is deeply dismayed by and strongly opposes Israeli plans to expand settlements,” they said in a statement. “The EU will closely monitor the situation and its broader implications, and act accordingly.”
The statement made no mention of what European governments could do to pressure Israel over the settlements, and diplomats said no concrete plans for sanctions were brought up during the discussions. Deep divisions over how to tackle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict mean sanctions or other concrete steps by EU states appear unlikely for now. reuters
