TEL AVIV (BNO NEWS) -- The four European Union members of the United Nation (UN) Security Council on Tuesday strongly criticized Israel's plan to expand its settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Britain, France, Germany and Portugal issued a joint statement, saying the Israeli settlements in Palestinian occupied territories and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. The statement was issued following the 15-country Security Council's closed-door discussion on the situation in the Middle East.

"We call on the Israeli government to reverse these steps," the statement said. "The viability of the Palestinian state that we want to see and the two-state solution that is essential for Israel's long-term security are threatened by the systematic and deliberate expansion of settlements."

The four countries also condemned recent attacks against the Palestinians by Israeli settlers, including the burning of two mosques. They reiterated support for the creation of a "sovereign, independent, democratic, contiguous and viable Palestinian state living in peace and security side by side with Israel."

As quoted by the Haaretz newspaper, Israel's UN ambassador Ron Prosor responded by saying that "while innocent citizens are being slaughtered in Syria, terrorist elements are operating freely in Gaza, UN forces are attacked in Lebanon and Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon - the Security Council is silent and paralyzed." He added that "the main obstacle to peace was and remains the Palestinians' demand to the right of return, and not recognizing Israel as a Jewish state."

Last year, Israel and the Palestinian Authority stalled the peace negotiations, which were supported by the United States and the United Nations, after the Jewish nation refused to extend a moratorium on settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territory in September.

In response, Palestinian President Abbas broke off direct talks as recommended by Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union and countries such as the United States and Israel. Israel has since resumed settlement construction even though they have been labeled as a violation of international law by the international community.

Palestine has demanded a stop to settlement construction in the disputed East Jerusalem and West Bank area as a key element for continuing peace talks, aimed at reaching a two-state solution based on the 1967 Green Line. However, Israeli authorities have rejected the Palestinian solution based on the 1967 borders as that measure would leave a large population of Israelis in Judea and Samaria outside Israel's borders.

(Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)