EU Foreign Affairs Chief Catherine Ashton sought to maintain pressure on Israel Wednesday after the Jewish state’s latest approval for settlement expansion inside the occupied West Bank. “I deeply regret the announcement indicating that over 200 building permits were granted on Monday for housing units to be located in the West Bank settlement of Ariel,” Ashton said in a statement. “Parties must do their utmost to avoid acts on the ground which undermine confidence. “It is in their interest not to derail current efforts to resume direct negotiations,” she said, reiterating that “all settlement activities are illegal under international law and threaten the viability of an agreed two-state solution.” Israel on Monday approved the building of 277 new homes in Ariel, taking the total to more than 2,700 new settler homes approved in the past two weeks.
