The Arab League and the Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday warned that the Israeli government’s plans to build thousands of settlement units in the occupied West Bank would undermine peace prospects. Such plans undermine the two-state solution by grabbing lands on which a future Palestinian state should be established, said Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, urging the US administration to take a firm stance against the planned Israeli construction to safeguard the two-state solution. He made it clear settlements undermine peace, adding that “it is not possible to talk about a settlement between the Palestinians and the Israelis, or about regional peace, at a time the Palestinian lands are being gnawed away every day”. Spokesman for the Secretary-General Jamal Rushdi said the far right Israeli government is seeking a green light to move forward with its settlement strategy. He said the Government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to be a partner in a peaceful political process leading to a comprehensive settlement, and that its first and foremost concern is to satisfy the most extreme wings in the domestic political arena, and appease pro-settler groups and religious nationalists. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry called for translating international and U.S. anti-settlement positions into penalties and deterrent measures. It said in a statement that the Palestinians pay a heavy price daily as a result of escalating violations and crimes perpetrated by the occupation forces and Jewish settlers against unarmed Palestinian civilians and their land and property.
Source: Jordan News Agency