Germany, Italy, France, and Britain called on Israel to abide by international law and protect Palestinians in the West Bank, in a joint statement on Thursday.
"We - France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom - strongly condemn the massive increase of settler violence against Palestinian civilians and call for stability in the West Bank," said the foreign ministers of those countries in the statement.
The statement went on to denounce the recent surge in attacks by settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank.
In recent weeks, the number of incidents in the West Bank has increased dramatically, with groups of Jewish settler extremists attacking Palestinians and burning vehicles and homes, while also attacking IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. The incidents were condemned across the Israeli political spectrum, including by the prime minister.
One of the most serious allegations concerns the attack on a Palestinian woman who had come to assist with the olive harvest. The attacker reportedly threw a stone and struck her in the head with the thick end of the club, causing her to collapse. The woman suffered a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage, deep lacerations requiring stitches, and extensive bruising, and she was evacuated to the hospital.
'These attacks must stop'
"These attacks must stop. They instill fear among civilians, undermine ongoing peace efforts, and threaten the lasting security of the State of Israel itself," the foreign minister's statement read.
The minister's statement also held President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu responsible for the rising violence.
"We urge the Government of Israel to hold those responsible for these crimes accountable and to prevent further violence by addressing the root causes of this behavior."
Additionally, the statement acknowledged President Trump’s opposition to annexation, saying, "We welcome President Trump’s clear stance against annexation and reiterate our opposition to any form of annexation - whether partial, total, or de facto - as well as settlement policies that violate international law."
The ministers urged Israel to cancel its E1 settlement plan, stating that it would ‘fragment’ the West Bank. They also called on Israel to ‘release withheld Palestinian Authority tax revenues’ and relax banking restrictions to prevent a financial collapse of the PA.
The statement concluded, “We reaffirm our commitment to a just and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the two-state solution, with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign, and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition. We reaffirm that there is no alternative to a negotiated two-state solution.”
Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.