Brussels: The EU condemned on Monday the recent Israeli approval of measures aimed at strengthening control in the occupied West Bank. "European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's Security Cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank," spokesperson Anouar El Anouni stated during the European Commission's midday press briefing.

According to Anadolu Agency, this move is seen as contrary to international efforts aimed at implementing phase two of the comprehensive plan for Gaza. El Anouni emphasized that the decision could jeopardize the sensitive status quo of religious sites in the region. "We recall that annexation is illegal under international law, therefore any concrete step taken toward that end would be considered a breach of international law," El Anouni noted.

He further reiterated the EU's commitment to achieving lasting peace based on a two-state solution. El Anouni stressed that the situation in the West Bank continues to be under EU scrutiny, recalling the measures proposed by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the latest State of the Union address. These measures, still on the table, reflect concerns that actions in the West Bank undermine the viability of a two-state solution.

Reaffirming that measures against Israeli actions remain an option, El Anouni noted that the EU is closely monitoring developments on the ground. On Sunday, Israel's Security Cabinet approved measures to alter the legal and civil framework in the occupied West Bank, aiming to reinforce Israeli control. According to Israel's public broadcaster KAN, the decisions include repealing a law that barred the sale of Palestinian land to Jews in the West Bank, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring building permit authority in a Hebron settlement bloc from the Palestinian municipality to Israel's civil administration.