With the exception of US, all G7 nations condemn newly-approved Israeli settlements Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 12/24/2025 - 18:33 Far-right lawmakers in Israel have made it clear this is an effort to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state Israeli troops partake in a weekly settlers' tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on 13 December 2025 (Mussa Qawasma/Reuters) Off Member states of the Group of 7 (G7) - the world's wealthiest industrialised democracies - on Wednesday condemned the decision by Israel to approve a swathe of new settlements in the occupied West Bank. The settlements are illegal under international law. The US was the only G7 member not to partake in the joint statement. Additional European nations signed on. "We, states of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom condemn the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank," the statement read. "We recall that such unilateral actions, as part of a wider intensification of the settlement policies in the West Bank, not only violate international law but also risk fueling instability." The statement added that such moves also undermine the implementation of US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza . Washington is understood to have been privately frustrated with the Israelis for moving ahead with something the president himself promised Arab and Muslim leaders back in September that Israel would not do: annex the occupied West Bank. But when Secretary of State Marco Rubio was pressed on settlement expansion and settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank - some of whom were Palestinian-Americans - on Friday, he largely deferred to the US embassy in Jerusalem, which he said has been overseeing these matters. "We recall our clear opposition to any form of annexation and to the expansion of settlement policies, including the approval of the E1 settlement and thousands of new housing units. We call on Israel to reverse this decision, as well as the expansion of settlements," the joint statement urged. The signatories added that there "is no alternative to a negotiated two-state solution". Earlier this week, Israel's security cabinet voted to recognise 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank in a bid led by the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. He has made no secret of his belief that this move would work to undermine the establishment of a Palestinian state. In stark visuals, The New York Times mapped out where and how much of the occupied West Bank is being eaten up by Israeli settlements, which have emerged in a fashion that many observers have likened to Apartheid South Africa's bantustans. All the signatories to the joint statement recognised the State of Palestine at various points this year, except for Japan. Occupation News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0