Visiting Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney (left) with Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah at the prime minister‘s Ramallah office. (WAFA photo/Maan Khalifa)

RAMALLAH, July 13, 2017 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah Thursday urged visiting Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney to work through the European Union to pressure Israel to stop settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Hamdallah told Coveney that the settlements will destroy the two-state solution and will kill any hope for the creation of  viable and contiguous Palestinian state.

“Ireland and the European Union should put pressure on Israel to force it to comply with the peace requirements and halt all practices that can undermine international efforts to revive the peace process,” according to a statement by Hamdallah’s office.

Coveney is on a three day visit to the region to meet with Palestinian and Israeli officials as well as non-governmental organizations funded by Ireland.

He met on Tuesday and Wednesday with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who criticized the visiting minister for his country’s support for Palestinian rights.

M.K