Israel settlements undermine peace prospects: Jordan FM

By Laith al-Junaidi

AMMAN (AA) - Continued Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are harming the chances of reaching a peace settlement, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said Monday.

Al-Safadi condemned the Israeli government's recent decision to approve thousands of new West Bank settlement units -- a move, he warned, that would likely further raise tensions in the region.

"Settlement building is an illegitimate, unilateral practice that serves to further entrench the [Israeli] occupation and undermine prospects for resolving the conflict,” al-Safadi said in a statement.

On Sunday, Israel’s ministerial committee on legislation approved draft legislation legalizing 70 Jewish-only settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Al-Safadi urged the international community to “shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities” by pressuring Israel to stop building settlements on confiscated Palestinian land.

Such violations, the FM warned, “will only lead to further tension and violence, which in turn will adversely impact regional security”.

The Israel-Palestine peace process collapsed in mid-2014 due to Israel's continued refusal to halt West Bank settlement building and accept pre-1967 borders as a basis for a two-state solution.