REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON/PARIS - Britain said on Monday it had summoned the Israeli ambassador in London to express its concerns over Israel's plans to expand Jewish settlements after the Palestinians won de facto UN recognition of statehood.
"The Israeli Ambassador to London, Daniel Taub, has been formally summoned to the Foreign Office this morning by the Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt. The Minister set out the depth of the UK's concerns," a Foreign Office spokesman said.
"Any decision about any other measures the UK might take will depend on the outcome of our discussions with the Israeli government and with international partners including the US and European Union," he added.
Israel said on Friday it would build 3,000 more settler homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas Palestinians want for a future state.
Britain joined France at the weekend in condemning the plan, saying it would make it harder to achieve a resolution through a so-called "two state solution", with Jerusalem as a shared capital, of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
On Thursday the 193-nation UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine, in a diplomatic setback for Israel.
Playdown the recall report
Meanwhile, France on Monday summoned Israel's envoy in Paris for a meeting but played down reports it could recall its ambassador to Israel in response to Israel's decision to expand settlement building in occupied territories.
"The ambassador has been summoned in order to express our disapproval," foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said. The Israeli embassy also confirmed the meeting.
A ministry official brushed off reports that France could recall its own envoy in Jerusalem and said Paris was looking at other ways of putting pressure on Netanyahu. "There are other ways in which we can express our disapproval," the official told Reuters.
France and Britain have both condemned Israel's plans to build more settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying international confidence in Israel's desire to make peace with the Palestinians was at risk.
Netanyahu has dismissed world condemnation of his latest settlement plans, which were announced on Friday just hours after the United Nations voted overwhelming to upgrade the Palestinians' diplomatic status.
Israel said on Friday it would build thousands of new settler homes, including in a wedge zone between Jerusalem and the West Bank, known as E1, which Washington considers especially sensitive.
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