Thanks to the EU, the population in Judea and Samaria is growing

Moetzat Yesha should be delighted with EU who managed to increase the population of Judea and Samaria without relocating a single person.

The EU just updated their list of "Non-Eligible Locations" to include many locations that have been "occupied" by Israel since 1948. This includes my beautiful city of Modi'in (check page 4 of the PDF which lists my zip code).

If you are not familiar with the history of Modi'in, the city was planned during the Rabin administration, partially as a possible solution for residents of Judea and Samaria, should residents of any of those areas be expelled from their homes and need to relocate to pre-67 Israel.

You can see the former cease-fire lines on Google maps, none of Modi'in was occupied by Jordan before 1967. The edge of Modi'in (Maccabim and part of Malibu) was in "no-mans land", the area between the Israeli and Jordanian cease-fire lines.

However, non of this seems to be of interest to the EU, they seem to be convinced that "קרוב למחיצה כמחצה דמי"; that just like in Horseshoes or Gimatriyas, close is good enough - and my home being close to the former green line is enough to define me as a settler.

Following is the official response from The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Newsletter
MFA Newsletter

Israel's reaction to EU customs list of non-eligible locations
There is not the slightest doubt that the Modi'in, Maccabim and Re'ut localities are an integral part of Israel. The EU ignores reality when it extends the domain of conflict to places and issues that do not belong there.
(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
For anyone who deals in reality, there is not the slightest doubt that the Modi'in, Maccabim and Re'ut localities are an integral part of Israel, and their future is not in question.
The EU ignores reality when it extends the domain of conflict to places and issues that do not belong there. As for the other locations mentioned in the EU list, the European approach, though not new, is not acceptable in Israel's view, and it is being addressed through ongoing diplomatic engagement.
Remarkably, by the unilateral publication of the locations list on the internet, the EU has unacceptably cut off a negotiating process regarding this very issue. This action, conducted "ex abrupto", has therefore been the object of an official protest lodged by the Mission of Israel in Brussels to the European Union.