RAMALLAH, Saturday, September 3, 2022 (WAFA) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said today that the ongoing Israeli settlement construction and expansion make a political solution to the conflict impossible and open the door wide to an endless cycle of violence.

The Foreign Ministry condemned in a statement the recent Israeli settlement projects in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the latest of which was the bulldozing of a Palestinian land in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, with the aim of connecting a number of settlements in the area.

‘This new settlement project increases the dismemberment of the Palestinian areas and separates them completely from each other, transforming them into enclaves in a huge settlement ocean linked to the depth of Israel,’ said the statement.

The ministry pointed out that the most severe settlement attack is concentrated in occupied East Jerusalem and its surroundings, where nine new settlement projects have kick-started, accompanied by a noticeable escalation in the demolition of Palestinian homes and facilities, which were estimated at 35 demolitions during August alone.

It also condemned the restrictions that the occupation authorities currently intend to implement on foreigners wishing to enter the West Bank and reside there for the purposes of work or study, saying these restrictions will undermine the cultural and academic exchange with countries around the world.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said ‘‘the weakness of the international response to the crimes of the occupation and the protection provided by the US administration to the occupying power constitutes a cover for it [Israel] to continue going unpunished and unaccountable for its crimes… which closes the door to political solutions to the conflict, and opens it wide to an endless cycle of violence.’’

M.N