German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has condemned Israel’s construction and expansion of illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Baerbock, speaking during her visit to a West Bank village, asserted, “The construction of settlements is illegal. It undermines lasting peace and endangers the two-state solution, and thereby endangers Israel’s security.”
Emphasising the need for Palestinians to live with security, dignity, and self-determination in their own land, she highlighted the importance of a two-state solution for achieving lasting peace. This solution envisions a secure Israel coexisting peacefully with an independent and democratic Palestinian state.
During her visit to the Al-Mazra’ah Al-Qibliyah village, surrounded by Israeli settlements, Baerbock met with Palestinians and urged Israeli authorities to take action to protect them from attacks by extremist Israeli settlers.
“It is the responsibility of the Israeli government to implement and enforce the rule of law when there are attacks on people who live here legitimately,” she stated.
Incidents of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank have surged to their highest level since the escalation of the Israel-Gaza conflict on October 7. According to Palestinian authorities, extremist settlers carried out 2,410 attacks last year, resulting in at least 22 Palestinian deaths, with 10 victims killed in the past three months. Additionally, hundreds of Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their lands.