France Slams Israel’s Settlement Legalization as a Step to Annexation of West Bank
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The ramp-up of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories opens the way to their annexation, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday.
Israel passed a law on Monday retroactively legalizing about 4,000 settler homes built on privately owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, a measure that has drawn international concern.
The ramp-up of settlements “would open the way to the annexation of occupied territories,” Hollande said at news conference after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
“I think that Israel and its government could revise this text,” Hollande added.
“This law is contrary to international law,” Abbas said. “It’s an aggression against our people,” he added.
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