International protest against construction:
12 European countries called on Israel today (Thursday) to withdraw from the plan to expand thousands of housing units in Judea and Samaria.
The building permit, which also caused clashes and embarrassment within Naftali Bennett's government, also resonated in a number of European countries, with a joint statement by EU foreign ministers who opposed the decision and sought to restore the status quo.
"We call on the Israeli government to reverse its decision to advance plans to build some 3,000 settlement units in the West Bank," the foreign ministers of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Spain wrote in a joint statement.
"We call on both sides to build on the steps taken in recent months to improve cooperation and reduce tensions," they added.
