The Quartet includes the United States, Russia, European Union, and the United Nations. They met in the Italian city of Trieste on Friday in an attempt to persuade Israel and Palestine to resume the stalled peace process.
In addition to discussing Israel’s continued construction on illegal settlements, the groups also called on Israel to open Gaza crossings to ease the humanitarian disaster taking place in the territory.
UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said “We are urging Israeli authorities to stop settlements including natural growth and remove all these blocks and open the crossings…this will be the first beginning to make sure all our proposals are implemented.”
In a meeting in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in which he clearly called for a complete halt in settlement construction, Israeli PM Netanyahu said that Israel would not build any new settlements or take any more land from the Palestinians.
However, he reiterated that natural growth would be allowed in the settlements. So far, Netanyahu has not agreed to a complete settlement freeze, most likely fearing a backlash from members of his own coalition—many of which believe that the West Bank territory is part of the traditional Jewish homeland and must eventually belong to Israel.
Currently, there are around half a million Israelis living in illegal settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem—territories which were captured by Israel in 1967.
The World Court based in The Hague has concluded that all of the settlements are illegal.
U.S. President Obama has consistently called on Israel to freeze all settlement construction. He says that it is a necessary step in resuming the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
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