Palestine accuses Israel of ruining US efforts to build confidence

By Awad al-Rujoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestine accused the Israeli government on Tuesday of ruining US efforts aimed at restoring confidence between the Palestinians and Israelis.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government will combat what he described as the illegal building by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry termed Netanyahu’s statements as “incitement” against the Palestinians.

It accused Israel of pursuing its settlement plans “to close the door completely to any opportunity to establish a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and to torpedo any US and regional efforts to achieve calm and build confidence between the two sides.”

Israel widely uses the pretext of lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes, especially in Area C in the occupied West Bank, which constitutes around 60% of its space.

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three portions – Area A, B, and C.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar