Brussels, February 16 (QNA) - The European Union (EU) has urged the Israeli occupation authorities to immediately backtrack on their new measures intended to take over territories in the occupied West Bank, considering these moves a new escalation and a breach of international law.

The recent Israeli decision represents a step in the wrong direction and an unequivocal violation of international law and the relevant UN resolutions, said EU Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni, addressing a press conference in Brussels.

El Anouni stressed that the actual annexation or expansion of Israeli control over the occupied territories is unlawful, affirming that such steps would undermine the opportunities for achieving the two-state solution, ultimately leading to lawlessness in the region.

The EU doesn't recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Palestinian territories, which have been occupied since 1967, and any attempts to alter the legal and actual status quo of these territories would be a violation of international law, El Anouni underlined.

He asserted that the EU would continue to coordinate with its global partners to protect international law and support the two-state solution.

His remarks come in the wake of percolating international responses to the Israeli government's move to resume the process of registering territories in the West Bank, which sparked wide Palestinian and international opprobrium. (QNA)