Ramallah, December 8, 2008 : .Palestine praised the opposition of the international community to the reconstruction 9,000 units in Israeli settlements East Jerusalem. The international community’s position “is a practical step towards the right direction,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry stated in a press release, adding that more steps are needed to reach the goal of halting Israeli settlements.
According to Xinhua news agency, the statement called for the international community to “exercice more efforts in order to prepare the atmosphere necessary for launching a genuine peace process in the Middle East based upon international peace references and UN Resolutions.”
It also called on the US to take “practical measures”, primarily reopening the American Consulate to manage the Palestinian affairs in East Jerusalem.
Israeli media reported Tuesday that the planning committee in Jerusalem had delayed a plan to build more than 9,000 housing units on the land of the (Atarot/Qalandia Airport).
According to reports, the postponement was caused by the request of the planning committee for a survey to assess the plan’s environmental impacts.This process could take several months or even longer.
It stated that the plan, which was presented last month by Joe Biden’s administration, outraged him and was initially opposed by other countries who support the two-state solution.
The Palestinian foreign ministry warned against Israel’s misleading campaigns about its settlement projects in general.
This is especially true since the committee delayed the approval of the settlement plan and didn’t cancel it.
In 1967, Israel occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank.Since then, it has maintained control over these areas.
According to Palestinian and Israeli estimates, 650,000 Israeli settlers reside in 164 settlements and the 124 outposts in West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The most contentious issue in the conflict between Israel and Palestine has been Israel’s settlement expansion.This is also one of the main reasons for the impasse in peace negotiations between the sides since 2014.
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