Gaza, September 04: The Palestinian chief peace negotiator says Israel’s plan to build hundreds of new settlement homes in the West Bank before weighing a freeze is “absolutely unacceptable”.
“The only thing suspended by this announcement will be the peace process,” Saeb Erakat said in a telephone interview with AFP on Friday.
“This is absolutely unacceptable,” the top Palestinian peace negotiator went on to say.
Erakat is currently accompanying the Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmud Abbas in Paris.
An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier on Friday, “The prime minister plans to approve the construction of hundreds of news housing units in Judea and Samaria, before the freeze.”
Tel Aviv has recently announced plans for the construction of hundreds of new Jewish homes in the territory, including in East al-Quds, where the Palestinians consider their future capital city.
Israel had previously defied international and US calls for freezing the construction of settlements in the occupied territories which stalled the peace process with the Palestinians.
Palestinians officials have so far refused to resume peace talks with the Israeli government until Israel freezes all its settlement activities in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
—–Agencies