Palestinian Foreign Minister:

Israeli Settlement Plans Have An US Green Light

Rasa - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki said on Wednesday that Israeli announcement of plans to build 1285 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank was one outcome of US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which gave Israel the green light to do whatever it wants with the Palestinian land.

News ID: 435754

Date: 12 January 2018 - 08:46

RNA - Malki told Voice of Palestine radio that the Israeli decision was also a result of the international community’s failure to hold Israel accountable for its acts, particularly with regard to settlement construction, WAFA reported.

He expressed concern that the international community is currently afraid to take a stand on settlements because of US threats to cut aid to states and organizations who speak against Israeli policies.

Malki stressed that the Palestinian leadership cannot rely on anyone anymore because of the US threats, yet it will continue to struggle against Israel’s ongoing violations on the political, diplomatic and legal fronts.

He said a meeting of Arab foreign ministers will be held on the 31st of this month to determine the next Arab move regarding Trump’s announcement and Israel’s measures, explaining that the last foreign ministers meeting in the Jordanian capital, Amman, was for consultation purposes.

Israeli authorities have approved more than 1,100 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the Peace Now NGO said Thursday, the latest in a raft of such moves in recent months.

Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement group that monitors settlement activity in the West Bank, added that the approvals were given on Wednesday by a military affairs committee responsible for authorizing settlement construction.

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