Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that the ongoing endless Israeli settlement will undermine the efforts for rescuing the stalled peace process in the Middle East.
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On Wednesday afternoon, clashes erupted between Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and young Palestinians who entered the demolition site in Beit El settlement, since it is private Palestinian property stolen by Israel.
The Civil Administration, which governs the West Bank, was this week re-evaluating whether to proceed, as campaigners said that Ottoman-era land ownership documents note that Susiya belongs to its current residents.
According to Peace Now, Israeli settlement watchdog group, authorities approved 1,065 housing units on the occupied territories last week.
Utilizing land which the Arabs claim belong to them, The Israeli government plans to build a further “500 housing units” on what is known as the Green Line, in Jerusalem.
The police increased their presence at the compound after a video showing a Jewish woman insulting the Prophet Muhammad went viral, enraging Muslims in the city. There were confrontations and scuffles as Israeli military forces carried out the demolition.
“He reiterates that settlements are illegal under worldwide law, an impediment to peace, and can not be reconciled with the Government of Israel’s stated intention to pursue a two-state solution”, a statement issued by the secretary-general’s spokesperson said. Israel, by destroying Arab settlements on the West Bank, was undermining peace negotiations with Palestine.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem, annexed by Israel after the 1967 war, as the capital of a state they aspire to establish in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.
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An official source in the PA presidency revealed that almost 20,000 homes are threatened with demolition in occupied Jerusalem under the pretext of being built without permits.
