Israel settlement expansion must immediately end: Iran
Iran has sharply condemned Israel’s decision to construct more illegal settler units in the occupied Palestinian lands, saying the regime’s expansionist policies make a mockery of international law.
On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Tel Aviv’s decision to expand its illegal settlements is against international regulations and United Nations resolutions.
He further emphasized the need for an immediate end to Israel’s unlawful construction activities in the occupied territories, calling on international bodies to help reduce the sufferings of the oppressed Palestinian nation.
On July 3, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the minister of military affairs, Avigdor Liberman, approved plans to construct 800 new housing units for settlers in and around the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Around 570,000 Israelis live in more than 100 settlements built since the regime’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
The United Nations views Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by the regime during a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
However, Tel Aviv has turned a cold shoulder to international calls for a halt to its land grab, drawing harsh criticism even from its own allies, including the US and EU states.
On Wednesday, Washington rebuked Israel’s “systematic’ land seizures and its plans to build more illegal settler homes. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also sharply criticized Israel’s settlement expansion activities.
The Israeli prime minister, however, rejected the international criticism.
Israel’s new plans come at a time when the so-called Quartet on the Middle East, which comprises the US the EU, the UN and Russia, is trying to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks that stalled in 2014.
The regime’s land grab policies were among the major sticking points that led to the collapse of the negotiations.
Last week, the Quartet also said Israel should cease the settlement expansion.
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