"Haaretz" Report on Settlement affirms the correctness of the Palestinian approach to the International Criminal Court

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine strongly condemns the continuing operations of settlement activities and confiscation of land in most of the Palestinian governorates especially in Jerusalem and Salfit Governorates, and considers these operations blatant challenge to the international law, the international legitimacy and the international will that calls for a negotiated solution to the conflict based on the two-state solution.

The report of the Israeli newspaper „Haaretz“ reveals to which extent the unrestricted infringement settlement activities have reached in controlling the land of the Palestinian citizen, sometimes under the pretext of security and at other times under the pretext of the military purpose. But all these pretexts, arguments and excuses serve and are in favor of nothing but the expansion of settlement and Judaization project of most of the West Bank and the destruction of the fundamental elements of a viable Palestinian state existence.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine affirms that this Israeli policy has been followed since the year 1967 and through all phases of the Israeli occupation and is being followed until today in the absence of any security threats.

While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine is following, on a daily basis and through all political and diplomatic channels, this serious issue with the States and the international organizations and courts, it believes that the continuation of successive Israeli governments in implementing, financing and directing the settlement projects confirm, among other things, the absence of an Israeli partner for peace while affirms that the Israeli government bears full responsibility for the failure of all the opportunities to reach the peace through serious political negotiations between the two parties.

The continuation of settlement and Judaization casts on the shoulder of the International community greater and heavier responsibilities towards the establishment of peace in the region and towards the official Israeli rebellion against the International Law and International Humanitarian Law including Geneva Conventions. Therefore the Ministry is calling on all states of the world, especially the member states of the UNSC to assume their responsibilities towards the Palestinian people, their land, and their political and national rights by acting immediately to provide international protection to the Palestinian People and to stop the Israeli settlement activities and compel Israel to respect the international legitimacy and its resolutions.

MoFA of the State of Palestine, Ramallah

6th July 215