Dutch premier condemns Israel’s expansion activities in West Bank

LONDON

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said Wednesday that the Netherlands condemns Israel’s expansion activities in the West Bank.

Jetten wrote in a post on social media platform X that he spoke by phone with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and reaffirmed the Netherlands’ commitment to a two-state solution.

He also said he expressed satisfaction with reform efforts by the Palestinian Authority.

“We discussed the catastrophic situation in Gaza and the developments in the West Bank, which are becoming more worrying day by day,” Jetten wrote.

“The Netherlands condemns Israel’s expansion activities in the West Bank. I emphasized that it is important to pay attention to this situation amid the conflict with Iran,” he noted.

Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the start of the war in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, with Israeli forces and illegal Israeli settlers carrying out attacks that include killings, arrests, property destruction, home demolitions, displacement and settlement expansion.

The attacks have killed at least 1,121 Palestinians and injured 11,700, in addition to the arrest of nearly 22,000 Palestinians.

Palestinians warn that the violations could pave the way for Israel to formally annex the West Bank, effectively ending the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state as envisioned in UN resolutions.

The international community and the UN consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, an occupied Palestinian territory and view Israeli settlements there as illegal under international law.

LONDON

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said Wednesday that the Netherlands condemns Israel’s expansion activities in the West Bank.

He also said he expressed satisfaction with reform efforts by the Palestinian Authority.

“We discussed the catastrophic situation in Gaza and the developments in the West Bank, which are becoming more worrying day by day,” Jetten wrote.

“The Netherlands condemns Israel’s expansion activities in the West Bank. I emphasized that it is important to pay attention to this situation amid the conflict with Iran,” he noted.

The attacks have killed at least 1,121 Palestinians and injured 11,700, in addition to the arrest of nearly 22,000 Palestinians.

The international community and the UN consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, an occupied Palestinian territory and view Israeli settlements there as illegal under international law.