European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has confirmed that the European Union considers the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank "completely unacceptable".
Von der Leyen warned that the situation on the ground is deteriorating steadily, undermining the chances of achieving a two-state solution.
In a speech delivered alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Cork, as part of Ireland's rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, von der Leyen said that "the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is completely unacceptable."
She added that "the violence used to achieve this expansion is appalling," stressing that these practices "undermine the future of the two-state solution, which we still see as the only viable path to achieving lasting peace."
She noted that "the situation is clearly deteriorating," referring to developments on the ground in the Palestinian territories.
In a related context, von der Leyen addressed the measures taken by the European Union against Israel, explaining that the European Commission had proposed 10 months ago to suspend the trade privileges granted to Israel under the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
She said that this proposal "will have a significant economic impact," but it is still open for member states to vote on it by a qualified majority, adding: "The ball is now in the court of the member states, as we submitted this proposal ten months ago."
She also noted that the European Union agreed last month to impose sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers, adding that a number of member states also proposed imposing sanctions on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
She added that "so far, no consensus has been reached" among member states regarding imposing sanctions on Ben-Gvir.
