RAMALLAH, November 26, 2017 (WAFA) – Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Sunday, that silence towards Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories undermines the credibility of efforts to resume peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis.
“The Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making use of international and regional issues to accelerate the expropriation of Palestinian land, in order to uphold settlement construction and enforce the status quo, sapping any chance of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” the ministry said.
The ministry condemned a recently approved Israeli settlement plan and said it could lead to the isolation of East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surrounding, as well as the expulsion of thousands of Palestinians from the Jordan Valley, which Israel wants to annex.
It blamed the Israeli government for seeking to enforce a racial discrimination system in the occupied Palestinian territories, leading to the fragmentation of the Palestinian land as a result of increasing settlement expansion.
The ministry condemned what it described as the silence of international community for failing to meet its legal and moral responsibilities towards the Palestinian people. It said, “The absence of a genuine international reaction towards the settlements, especially by countries who claim to be keen to achieve peace, undermines the credibility of resuming peace negotiations.”
M.N/M.H
