Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh today expressed hope that the new US administration, which will take office in two days, will put an end to the illegal Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Speaking at the start of the weekly Palestinian cabinet meeting held in Ramallah, Shtayyeh said he hopes the Joe Biden administration will exert every possible effort to stop what he described as the “unprecedented settlement onslaught” by Israel, whether in and around Jerusalem or in the rest of the Palestinian territories.
He said that Israel is in a race against time by approving the construction of 760 new units in the illegal settlements before the departure of the current administration and wants to greet Joe Biden, the new president of the United States, with this package of settlement projects.
The world should take a serious stand from the Israeli settlements and shoulder its responsibility to protect the two-state solution, which has the backing of the international community, said Shtayyeh.
The Prime Minister also warned that the Israeli settlers are terrorizing the Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, mentioning the example of the attack on Madama village in the north of the West Bank yesterday and the attempt to kidnap 11-year-old Hala al-Qat before she was rescued by her family. Hala was left with injuries to the face and head after she was hit by a rock thrown by the settlers at her outside her home.
The settlers’ attacks are not directed only against the children, but against all Palestinians everywhere, said Shtayyeh.
