RAMALLAH-Palestine News Network
The Secretary of the PLO´s executive committee, Saeb Erekat, on Thursday called for the imposition of international sanctions on Israel for its continued settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories.
"The announcement of the construction of more illegal settlement units in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the commitment of the occupying Government to colonial expansion and apartheid are the proceeds of the American encouragement of the violations of the occupation," Erakat said in a press release.
"To refrain from condemning such illegal colonization plans by the US State Department is to provide Tel Aviv with the Green Line to continue its breaches of international law that threaten peace and security in our region," he stressed.
Erekat demanded that Israel be held accountable and accountable, referring to the UN Secretary General´s report last week on securing international protection for the Palestinian people.
He said: "The report stated that those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable, and we commend and agree with him, since the colonial settlement expansion in Palestine occupied by the Israeli occupying Power is not only a serious violation of international humanitarian law, but a crime War would not have been done without the international community granting Israel immunity and treating it as a state above the law. "
The Palestinian official called on the international community to impose sanctions on Israel until it recognizes and fulfils its obligations under international law and United Nations resolutions.
Israel´s leftist Peace Now movement announced on Wednesday that the Israeli Government had approved plans to build more than 1,000 settlement housing units in the West Bank.
According to the "Peace Now" movement, 96 percent of the approved units "are located in isolated settlements, which Israel will most likely have to relinquish under a two-state agreement."
