EU Urges Israel to Stop Implementing New Settlement Law

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini strongly condemned Israel's so-called "Regularization Law", which retroactively legalizes the expropriation of privately owned Palestinian land.

    Mogherini said the law "crosses a new and dangerous threshold by legalizing under Israeli law the seizure of Palestinian property rights and effectively authorizing the confiscation of privately owned Palestinian land in occupied territory".

    Mogherini continued that "the law may provide for 'legalizing' numerous settlements and outposts previously considered as illegal even under Israeli law, which would be contrary to previous commitments by Israeli governments and illegal under international law".

    European diplomats told Israeli news paper "Haaretz" earlier on Tuesday that a summit between Israel and the European Union, scheduled for February 28, had been postponed following the passage of the controversial law. The diplomats said that during a meeting of the EU foreign ministers on Monday, several states voiced their opposition to holding the summit. The meeting was meant to mark the tightened cooperation between Israel and the EU and to set out a work plan and priorities for improving relations between the sides.

Source: QNA