Palestinian Presidency Welcomes UNSC Resolution on Settlements

UN Security Council [file photo].

Gaza, 24 Rabiul Awwal 1438/24 December 2016 (MINA) – The Palestinian presidency welcomed the resolution passed by UN Security Council Friday to condemn Israeli settlement expansions on occupied Palestinian territories as “flagrant violation” and detrimental to two-state solution.

“The resolution dealt a heavy blow to the expansionist policy of Israel,” the Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told WAFA news agency.

“The unanimous vote for the resolution signals an international consensus on support of the US-conceived two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and rejection of the illegitimate settlement constructions,” he added.

Fourteen of the 15 members of the Security Council voted in favor of the measure as the US abstained.

The resolution renders illegal the Jewish settlements on the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, which were occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

According to the resolution, there is “no legal validity” for Israeli settlements built on post-1967 occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

It also demands that Israel ceases all settlement activities, deeming this “essential” for salvaging a two-state solution. (T/RS05/RS01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)