Palestine's top diplomat has accused Israel of exploiting regional crises to accelerate illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
Speaking during a briefing to members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the State of Palestine Tuesday, Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin warned that Israel is accelerating policies aimed at expanding illegal settlements and imposing permanent control over Palestinian land.
She said Israeli authorities are taking advantage of the international community’s focus on regional crises to advance annexation efforts through settlement expansion and legislative and administrative measures.
Shahin said such policies undermine the two-state solution and threaten the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
The minister added that illegal Israeli settlers carry out organized daily attacks targeting Palestinians and their property, including killings, physical assaults, arson attacks on homes and vehicles, destruction of agricultural land, and seizure of resources, "under the direct protection of the Israeli army."
