France said Tuesday it "regrets" Israel's decision to disengage from the United Nations Human Rights Council over the international body's decision to probe the effect of West Bank settlements on Palestinians, the Kuwait News Agency reported.
"We regret the Israeli decision to stop cooperation," with the human rights council, a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, stressing that the decision was passed with a "very large majority." The official, Bernanrd Valero, said that France refused to budge on its position that the settlements are illegal, and therefore hinder efforts to achieve peaceful settlement with the Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority has demanded Israel halt its settlement program in the West Bank as a condition for returning to peace talks, demanding that a future Palestinian state be set along the pre-1967 borders.
