BRUSSELS
EU’s new foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has denounced the Israeli government’s construction of 500 new housing units in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo.
Mogherini said in a statement released on Wednesday that the construction in Ramat Schlomo, a neighborhood previously occupied by Jordan but later captured by Israel in 1967 during the Six Day War, risked jeopardizing on-going efforts to resume a diplomatic process.
She said the international community was engaged in providing assistance for the rehabilitation of Gaza and help the parties to restart a peace process.
''But this decision [to construct settlements] represents yet another highly detrimental step which undermines the prospects for a two-state solution and seriously calls into question Israel's commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians,'' Mogherini said.
Pleas by the EU and other members of the international community to end the construction of settlements have remained ignored, according to Mogherini.
The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law.
The EU condemned Israeli plans to build 2,610 settlements in Givat Hamatos located in southeast Jerusalem on October 2.
www.aa.com.tr/en
