Palestine PM calls on US to curb Israel settlement plans

Middle East Monitor  /  April 20, 2021

Palestinian Prime Minister, Muhammad Shtayyeh, yesterday called on the US to immediately intervene and curb Israeli plans to build more than 12,000 settlement units in the occupied West Bank.

In his opening statement during the cabinet’s weekly meeting in Ramallah, Shtayyeh said Israeli settlement expansion plans undermine international efforts aimed at establishing a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

He condemned the repeated Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and Muslim worshippers.

He also condemned the occupation authorities’ arrest of a number of Palestinian candidates for the legislative elections in the occupied city of Jerusalem, and prevention of Palestinian factions from holding press conferences ahead of the elections.

He noted that Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki is currently visiting Brussels to mobilise the international community to support Palestinian plans to hold the elections in Jerusalem.