Palestine condemned Israel on Friday for approving the construction of 372 settlement units in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

The Israeli decision “is an extension of the process of deepening and expanding illegal settlements in the heart of Hebron’s old city,” the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a press release.

The “provocative” move came just days after Israel approved the construction of 11,000 units on the grounds of the former Qalandia Airport in East Jerusalem, also known as Jerusalem International Airport, a indicated the ministry.

The ministry also condemned Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to the settlement to celebrate Hanukkah, or the Jewish Festival of Lights, where he lit the festive candle in the Ibrahimi Mosque, or the Vault of the Patriarchs, reported the Xinhua news agency.

Warning against Israeli attempts to “divert international attention from the Palestinian cause,” the ministry stressed the damage caused by the move to the principle of the two-state solution.

“The two-state solution is subject to the most heinous process of sabotage due to Israel’s policy of controlling Palestinian land during its accelerated annexation of the West Bank,” he said.

On Thursday, Israeli media reported that the Kiryat Arba council in the city of Hebron had approved the construction of 372 new housing units in the local settlement area, including public buildings, educational institutions, commercial buildings and public parks.

More than 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to official Palestinian figures.

–IANS

int / skp /

(Only the title and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)

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