(Bloomberg) -- Group of Seven nations issued one of the more severe condemnations of Israel since the war with Hamas began in October, calling on the reversal of land seizures and legalization of outposts in the occupied West Bank.
In a joint statement Thursday, G-7 foreign ministers said the appropriation of 1,270 hectares of land in the Palestinian territory would amount to the “largest” such expansion since 1993. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also moved to legalize five so-called outposts, a type of settlement, while the government approved the addition of 5,000 housing units.
The “settlement program is inconsistent with international law, and counterproductive to the cause of peace,” the G-7 leaders wrote after meeting at the NATO summit in Washington. “We urge the Government of Israel to reverse this decision.”
Israeli settlements and unilateral land grabs in Palestinian territories have long been a major roadblock to peace, and the practice has persisted since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. The US, alongside Egypt and Qatar, has been trying to broker a cease-fire for months without success.
“This is unacceptable,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters. “We’re working on two-state and Italy stands ready to do its part,” he said, referring to the United Nations-endorsed goal of separate Israel and Palestine states.
Italy and some allies have signaled an openness to an Arab-led peacekeeping mission in Gaza once the war ends, Tajani said. He offered to send a contingent of Italian troops to help with the mission.
Israel hasn’t committed to such plans, repeatedly stating its priority is to destroy Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US.
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