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Israel bent on killing chances of Mideast peace: Palestine

Thursday, 25 October 2018 5:48 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 25 October 2018 11:41 AM ]

Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has lashed out at Israel over its opposition to the Palestinian statehood, saying the regime is resolved to kill the chances of peace in the region.

PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh made the remarks on Wednesday in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for a Palestinian “state-minus, autonomy-plus” solution in the West Bank, with Tel Aviv preserving its security control over the territory west of the Jordan River.

In a statement carried by WAFA news agency, Abu Rudeineh reiterated the Palestinians’ right to a sovereign state at the pre-1967 lines.

“There will be no peace or security without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem [al-Quds] as its capital on the 1967 borders,” he said.

The Palestinian official also censured Israel for “looking for excuses to evade the obligations of the peace process and the international resolutions,” warning that such a practice would lead to “more violence, tension, destruction and instability.”

He further stressed that Netanyahu’s recent comments prove that Israel is determined to destroy chances of peace.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Jewish Federations of North America in Tel Aviv on October 24, 2018.

Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state in the territories of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem al-Quds, with the latter as its capital.

In November 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status from “non-member observer entity” to “non-member observer state” despite strong opposition from Israel.

In September 2015, the Palestinian national flag was hoisted for the first time at the UN headquarters in New York.

However, Palestinian efforts for statehood have been hampered due to Israel's illegal settlement construction activities in the occupied lands and Washington's anti-Palestinian measures.

Among the measures was US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel and relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the occupied city.

Israel lays claim to the whole Jerusalem al-Quds, but the international community views the city’s eastern sector as occupied territory.

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