Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs;
Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, has denounced the Israeli government's announcement that it plans to proceed with the construction of settlements in the E1 zone on the West Bank.
Following the announcement made by Israel's Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday that his government intends to proceed with the construction of 3,500 settlements in the strategic E1 zone, Jean Asselborn made the following statement on Friday:
"This announcement is unacceptable. The construction of these settlements in the E1 zone would cut Jerusalem from the West Bank and constitute a barrier to the formation of a future sovereign, contiguous and viable Palestinian State within the borders of 4 June 1967. I call on the Israeli government to abandon the plans for the construction of these settlements, which are illegal under international law, as reaffirmed by the UN Security Council in its resolution 2334 (2016). Even during an electoral campaign, one must realise that such announcements are hurtful to the Palestinian people and undermine the perspective of a durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians".
