Palestine PM calls on EU, Russia to revoke settlers’ citizenships

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh leads the weekly cabinet meeting which is held in Jordan valley, in West Bank on 16 September 2019. [Issam Rimawi - Anadolu Agency]

Middle East Monitor  /  November 22, 2019

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Wednesday called on the European Union and Russia to revoke the citizenship of Israeli settlers who live in settlements built illegally on Palestinians land.

Speaking during an emergency cabinet meeting in Ramallah, Shtayyeh slammed the US administration’s decision to no longer consider Israeli settlements built in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as “inconsistent with international law” saying the decision is “proof that the administration shows no commitment to international law, regional security, human rights or even its own interests”.

“The US administration’s decision is a new aggressive step that adds to its decisions on Jerusalem and the financial and institutional war on UNRWA and blows the foundations of international law, and irreversibly eliminates any role by this administration in any current or future political track,” he said.

Shtayyeh vowed that his government will work to impose heavy punishments on anyone who deals with settlement products.