RAMALLAH, June 20, 2017 (WAFA) – Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said on Tuesday the announcement by the Israeli government to build a new settlement in the occupied West Bank thwarts peace efforts of US President Donald Trump.

In a press statement, Abu Rudeineh said the announcement “constitutes a serious escalation and is an attempt to thwart the efforts of the US administration and US President Donald Trump.”

“This announcement is a message coinciding with the arrival of the US president‘s envoys to the region, which indicates that Israel is not interested in US efforts and is serious about thwarting these efforts as it did with previous US administrations,” he continued.

Abu Rudeineh called on the US administration to immediately intervene to preserve the atmosphere created by Trump during his meeting last month with President Mahmoud Abbas in Washington.

M.N./M.K.