EU ‘deplores’ Israeli settlement plans, but says no sanctions

BRUSSELS — The European Union said Monday it deplored Israeli plans to build new settlements on occupied Palestinian territory but denied outright that it planned sanctions against Israel as a result.

There was "no plan of this type", new EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said when asked about an Israeli press report on the issue.

"I saw an article in Haaretz which apparently referred to an internal working document requested by some member states some time ago," Mogherini told a press conference after chairing her first regular EU foreign ministers meeting.

"They were only a working hypothesis, did not go to ministers and today they were absolutely not part of our discussion," she said.

She added: "Our discussions today were all about getting a positive engagement with Israel and the Palestinians so as to restart the peace process; they were not about isolating or sanctioning anyone."

A statement issued after the foreign ministers meeting said the 28-member bloc "deeply deplores and strongly opposes the recent expropriation of land near Bethlehem, recent announcements of plans for new settlement construction... as well as plans to displace Bedouins in the West Bank and the continued demolitions, including of EU and member states funded projects".

Israel should reverse these decisions which "run counter to international law and directly threaten the two state [peace] solution", it said.