Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Friday condemned Israel’s plans to build over 3,000 new settlement units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israeli public radio reported that Israel plans to approve the construction of approximately 2,350 housing units in the Ma’ale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem, around 300 units in the Kedar settlement southeast of the city, and 700 units in the Efrat settlement near Bethlehem in the West Bank.
The Palestinian prime minister said in a statement that the settlement-building plan is a “blatant challenge to the international community and an undermining of the prospects for establishing an independent Palestinian state.”
He added that Israel’s announcement of its new settlement steps demonstrates “its persistence in defying those laws, taking advantage of its perceived impunity, particularly with the support of the American veto power in the UN Security Council.”
In a statement sent to Xinhua, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said that the Israeli plans “challenge the international legitimacy resolutions, especially Resolution 2334, and undermine efforts to resolve the conflict through political means.”
Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 and has since established settlements there, which are considered violations of international law.
The expansion of Israeli settlements stands out as one of the most contentious aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and contributed to the failure of the peace negotiations between the two sides in 2014.
