A picture taken on October 14, 2020 shows Israeli construction cranes at a building site of new housing units in the Jewish settlement of Kochav Yaakov (background), near the Palestinian city of Ramallah, adjacent to the Qalandiya refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank (AFP)
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli authorities’ decision to continue building settlements on occupied Palestinian lands, affirming this policy undermines chances to implement a two-state solution.
In response to recent Israeli approval to construct new settlements in East Jerusalem, the ministry said continuing to build settlements on occupied Palestinian lands constitutes serious violations of international law and international legitimacy resolutions.
Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez said that Israeli policies in this regard obstruct “efforts to revive the negotiation process to reach a comprehensive and just settlement to the Palestinian issue.”
He also referred to the “threat to security and stability in the region” these policies pose.
The statement comes less than two weeks after Israel Land Authority announced a decision to receive contractor bids to build 1,257 new settlement units in the area of Givat Hamatos near East Jerusalem.
In mid-October, settlement watchdog Peace Now said that Israel has approved over 12,000 West Bank homes in 2020, a record high for Jewish building on occupied Palestinian territory.
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