Israeli Foreign Ministry has labelled criticism by the international communities of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank as “baseless”, Israeli media reported.
On Thursday, the US had described the construction of new residential units in the illegal settlement of Gilo as “provocative and counterproductive” and an attempt to undermine the two-state solution.
Israel slams international criticism of illegal settlements https://t.co/XqiTBM6iK8 via @MiddleEastMnt #Palestine pic.twitter.com/RYnH5HYXts
— al whit (@soitiz) August 1, 2016
Emmanuel Nahshon, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Minister, said: “The argument that building in Gilo undermines the two-state solution is factually baseless and distracts from the real obstacle to peace which is the persistent Palestinian refusal to recognise Israel as a Jewish state, under any borders,” Haaretz reported.
The American and European criticism came in the wake of Israeli approval of 323 tenders for settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem and plans to build 770 units in Gilo.
(PC, MEMO)
