The Palestinian Authority (PA) told the United Nations on Friday that new Israeli construction plans in Judea and Samaria could lead to “an apartheid in a one-state region”.
Riyad Mansour, the PA envoy to the United Nations, wrote in a letter quoted by UPI that the “settlement” erodes future peace efforts.
"Such duplicity cannot be ignored as Israel persists with its violations and further undermines the two-state solution on the pre-1967 lines, paving way for an apartheid one-state reality, while it simultaneously disguises itself as a regional partner who believes in advancing peace and stability, attempting to promote its standing in the international community based on false credentials," the letter said.
"This is the direct result of lack of accountability for an occupation that has only expanded its territorial control by the day over the last 53 years," it continued. "Given its complete departure from the two-state solution, Israel's calls for 'peace' should not be trusted."
The letter comes after the Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Committee approved 2,166 new housing units in Judea and Samaria earlier this week.
This is the first time since February that the Higher Planning Committee approved new housing units in Judea and Samaria.
While the committee was scheduled to meet in May, the meeting was repeatedly delayed, then cancelled, with no explanation given.
On Thursday, the construction was denounced by UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who asserted it would “undermine the achievement of the two-state solution that would put an end to the ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis”.
On Friday, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain joined in on the criticism, expressing “deep concern” and calling the new construction “counterproductive” and a “violation of international law”.
