RAMALLAH, Thursday, July 21, 2022 (WAFA) - The State of Palestine strongly condemns the Israeli colonial occupation's ongoing war crimes and land theft, including its settlement enterprise, which continues to deny the Palestinian people their right to self-determination and independence, today said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in a statement.

“Israel, the occupying Power, and its officials are fully responsible for the illegal settlement enterprise, the crimes it entails, and the criminal activities and terrorism of the settler militias, including the so-called ‘Nachala’ group,” it said.

“Land theft is an Israeli national project undertaken by every branch of Israel's government and facilitated by Israeli officials. It is a State-sanctioned crime. Far from being an enterprise of a small, warped minority of settler ideologues, settler militias, like the so-called ‘Nachala’, methodically and strategically, work hand in glove with Israeli officials to cleanse the land of its rightful owners, displace the Palestinian people, and replace them with illegal settlers.”

The State of Palestine, said the Foreign Ministry, reiterates that there is no such thing as authorized settlements. “All settlements are illegal under international law,” it said, demanding that Israel, the occupying Power, “must dismantle all its settlements and return the lands to its rightful Palestinian owners.”

Israel's illegal colonial occupation and settlement enterprise continue to threaten regional and international peace and security. The United Nations Security Council must uphold its obligations as per its resolutions, including Resolution 2334 (2016), and hold Israel and Israeli officials accountable for their crimes. Likewise, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court must expedite his investigation into these crimes,” demanded the Foreign Ministry.

M.K.