By Xinhua,
Ramallah : Palestinian leadership on Sunday condemned an Israeli government decision to build hundreds of houses into settlements in east Jerusalem.
The decision to build over 850 houses in east Jerusalem settlements “was dangerous and is considered a flagrant attack on the occupied Palestinian territories,” a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement faxed to the media.
“Any construction and living in these settlement blocs mount to violation of International Humanitarian Law,” the spokesman added. The Palestinians consider Jerusalem as the capital of their future statehood.
The continuation of the Israeli settlement activities in West Bank and Jerusalem blocks the progress of peace talks which were resumed last November at a U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis.
“At Annapolis, Israel agreed to carry out its commitments under the Road Map’s first phase which calls for halting the settlement activities, including the natural growth of the settlements,” the spokesman reminded.