The Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Abul-Gheit
"The US administration must take a firm stand against these Israeli plans in defence of the two-state solution promoted by Washington," Abul-Gheit said in a statement published on the AL’s website.
"Such plans undermine the two-state solution due to the seizing of lands on which the future Palestinian state should be based, " he added.
"Building settlements shatters peace. It is not possible to talk about a settlement between the Palestinians and the Israelis, or about peace in the region, while the Palestinian lands are being gnawed away every day," he exclaimed.
In this context, Gamal Rushdi, the spokesman for the secretary-general, said that the Israeli government is seeking an "American green light" to move forward with its plans.
"The Netanyahu government refuses to be a partner in a peaceful political process that leads to a comprehensive settlement," the spokesman added quoting Abul-Gheit.
"Its first and foremost concern is to satisfy the most extreme right-wing (players) on the domestic political scene, and appease the settlement groups and religious nationalist currents," the spokesman added.
Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government passed a new two-year budget, a step that could clear the way for his right-wing coalition to press ahead with its religious, pro-settlement agenda.
The United Nations and most of the international community see Israeli settlements, home to 700,000 people in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, as illegal and obstacles to peace.
Since the start of the year, at least 157 Palestinians have been killed during Israeli raids into the occupied West Bank, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.
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