MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The German government sees Israel’s settlement construction policy in the occupied Palestinian territories as a threat to the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the German Foreign Office said Thursday.
"We are very worried about the continuing Israeli settlement policy… It is clear to the federal government that the illegal expansion of settlements in occupied areas is a serious threat for the two-state solution," a Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.
Israel, which captured the West Bank in 1967, approved on Wednesday the construction of further 285 housing units in the Israeli settlements, which are considered illegal by the United Nations.
Palestinians argue the territory is part of an independent state they proclaimed in 1988. The Israeli government has so far been reluctant to recognize Palestine.
