Italy's Meloni condemns plans for new Israeli West Bank settlements
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denounces the Israeli regime's new settlement plans in the West Bank, calling them a violation of international law and a threat to peace efforts.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks with reporters during the Ukraine Recovery Conference at La Nuvola convention center in Rome, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned "Israel's" decision to allow new settlement construction in the West Bank, stating it is contrary to international law.
"Italy condemns Israel's decision to allow the construction of new settlements in the West Bank. This decision is contrary to international law and risks finally jeopardizing the two-state solution and, more generally, the political prospects for achieving a just and lasting peace," Chigi Palace cited Meloni saying.
The prime minister stated that the decision to launch a new military operation in the Gaza Strip constitutes a further escalation of military force, which risks exacerbating the already dire humanitarian conditions. Meloni specified that, instead, what is required are collective efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of captives, in addition to reinforcing international initiatives aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
"Israel's" Kan broadcaster reported on August 20 that a planning committee approved 3,400 new homes in the E1 area east of al-Quds. The project, which aims to link the city with the settlement of Maale Adumim, is seen as a violation of the Palestinian Authority's territorial integrity.
New settlements destroy the idea of the Palestinian State
In a statement to RIA Novosti, Mahmoud al-Habbash, an advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, stated that an Israeli decision to approve new West Bank settlement construction is destroying the very idea of a Palestinian state and the prospect of a two-state solution.
"All the old and new Israeli settlements are illegal and destroy the idea of a Palestinian state or a two-state solution," Habash stated.
According to the official, these Israeli actions are leading to entirely different outcomes that extend beyond the "two-state solution", including the potential for a single state to be proclaimed for all citizens or for an apartheid system to be created, a scenario that would be unacceptable to the international community.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved the advancement of the long-stalled E1 settlement plan on August 14, a construction project that would effectively sever occupied East al-Quds from the rest of the occupied West Bank.
