14 countries condemn Israel's West Bank settlement plan

A group of 14 countries issued a joint statement on Wednesday, strongly condemning Israel's decision to establish 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, and warning that such moves violate the international law.

The joint statement was co-signed by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, according to the French foreign ministry.

"We recall that such unilateral actions, as part of a wider intensification of the settlement policies in the West Bank, not only violate international law but also risk fueling instability," the statement said.

The group emphasized that the expansion of settlements risks undermining the implementation of the Gaza peace plan amid efforts to progress to second phase and harming prospects for long-term peace and security across the region.

The 14 nations reiterated their "clear opposition" to any form of annexation and to the expansion of settlement policies, including the approval of the E1 settlement and thousands of new housing units.

"We are resolute in our support of Palestinians' right of self-determination," it said, adding that "we reaffirm that there is no alternative to a negotiated two-state solution."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar issued a statement on Wednesday evening in response, stating that the Israeli government opposes the condemnations against Israel by some countries and emphasizes that all newly-built settlements in Israel are located on Israeli territory and are in accordance with international law.

On Sunday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a pro-settler politician, said Israel's security cabinet had approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the West Bank, bringing the number of settlements legalized or approved over the past three years to 69.

Israel has accelerated settlement approvals since the formation of its current right-wing government, which includes parties that oppose Palestinian statehood and support expanding Israeli control over the territory.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and has occupied the territories ever since.

14 countries condemn Israel's West Bank settlement plan

14 countries condemn Israel's West Bank settlement plan

China's 2026 box office revenue had surpassed 14 billion yuan (about 2.06 billion U.S. dollars) as of Tuesday, fueled by a diverse array of hit movies and consumption promotion campaigns.

The film industry got off to a strong start during the Spring Festival holiday. "Pegasus 3," the latest installment in director Han Han's racing comedy franchise, amassed over 4 billion yuan and remains the year's top grossing film so far.

Released during the Qingming Festival, the comedy drama "It's OK" focused on a mother-daughter bond and resonated strongly with young women, topping April's box office chart with more than 160 million yuan in ticket sales.

During the just concluded May Day holiday, "Dear You," a low budget film in the Chaoshan (Teochew) dialect featuring an almost entirely first-time cast, became one of China's biggest cinematic surprises of 2026. As the highest rated domestic release so far this year, the tear-jerking drama had raked in over 180 million yuan as of Wednesday afternoon.

The five-day May Day holiday, a key period for movie-going, drew more than 20.8 million people to cinemas, a 10 percent jump from a year ago, while the number of screenings rose 2 percent to nearly 2.4 million.

Bolstered by the "2026 China Film Consumption Year" and "China Travel with Chinese Films" initiatives, cinema spending has become a major driver of cultural and tourism consumption. The entire film industry chain has generated over 220 billion yuan in output value since January.

China's 2026 box office surpasses 14 bln yuan