Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory illegal: Finland

The Finnish authority on Friday said that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law.

“The position of Finland on Israeli settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory remains unchanged. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law,” said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a statement.

The settlement activity jeopardizes the two-state solution and the prospects for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a sustainable way, said the Foreign Ministry statement.

Earlier, five EU members on the UN Security Council said Wednesday that Israeli settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory is illegal and must end, reported Xinhua.

"Our position on Israeli settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, is clear and remains unchanged: all settlement activity is illegal under international law and it erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace," said a joint statement of the five countries -- Belgium, Britain, France, Germany and Poland.