RAMALLAH, Apr 8 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammed Ishtaye, yesterday warned that, accelerating Israeli settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories would undermine the chances for peace and the two-state solution.
“The Israeli measures, mainly the acceleration of Israeli settlement and the seizure of Palestinian lands in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, would increase the state of tension, undermine the chances of peace and destroy the two-state solution,” Ishtaye said here, during a meeting held with Martina Hirayama, head of the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation, according to an official statement from the Palestinian government.
Ishtaye discussed with Hirayama bilateral cooperation in the fields of vocational and technical training and entrepreneurship, and praised Switzerland’s support for Palestine and its supportive stance for the rights of the Palestinian people.
In the June, 1967 Middle East war, Israel occupied the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians, and has been controlling them ever since.
The Palestinians have been seeking to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel has built dozens of settlements in the occupied territories, which is considered a violation of international law.
Israeli settlements are the most prominent aspect of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and one of the main reasons for suspending the latest round of peace negotiations between the two sides in late Mar, 2014.
Ishtaye also met with Latin American diplomats in Ramallah and discussed with them the latest political developments and the situation in the Palestinian territories, mainly in East Jerusalem, according to the official statement.
“The Israeli government is not looking for peace, but for any opportunity to destroy the two-state solution,” he said, adding that, the call by Israeli leaders to take up arms in Israel “is an incitement to commit crimes and massacres against the Palestinians.”
