US Slams Israeli Land Seizures

Washington, 16 Rajab 1437/24 April 2016 (MINA) – The Obama Administration Friday slammed reports of Israel’s confiscation of at least 11 hectares in the West Bank, where it is expected to build an industrial zone, according to the Israeli NGO Peace Now.

“This appears to be the latest step in what appears to be an ongoing process of land seizures, settlement expansions and legalizations of outposts,” State Department Spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters.

“It is fundamentally undermining the prospects for a two-state solution. So we’ve repeatedly made clear, we continue to look to both sides to demonstrate, with actions and policies, that commitment to a two-state solution,” she said.

Trudeau also noted that the US agrees with the French government’s premise that actual guarantees must come out of the May 30 international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, KUNA was quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has invited his counterparts from around the world to gather in Paris and help restart talks between the two sides.

“We continue to be in touch directly with the French and other stakeholders to discuss the substance” of the meeting, Trudeau said, but did not confirm who would participate from the US. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)