France today condemned “the violent actions of (Israeli) settlers, which target civilians and their property”.

“These acts of violence are unacceptable and must stop,” said Anne-Claire Legendre, spokeswoman for the foreign ministry. “Settlement activity is illegal under international law,” he added, stressing that it fuels “tensions on the ground and is a major obstacle to peace.”

Israeli forces on Saturday killed a Palestinian gunman who had opened fire on a crossing point north of Jerusalem, in a fresh episode of violence in the occupied West Bank that has also been marked by attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians.

Last week, 20 people, mostly Palestinians, were killed in this territory. Palestinians had reported that hundreds of Israelis had attacked their villages.

On Tuesday, an attack by Palestinian gunmen killed four Israelis near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

By approving new construction in the occupied territories, “the Israeli government undermines the possibility of establishing a future viable and contiguous Palestinian state and jeopardizes the viability of the two-state solution, which remains the only guarantee of sustainable peace and one that supports international community,” the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added.

France has once again called on the Israeli government to “backtrack on its decision to speed up the permitting process for the construction of homes within Jewish settlements” and not to approve plans to build “nearly 5,000 new units in various (Jewish) West Bank settlements.”