Palestinian Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that all forms of settlement on Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 were illegal, in line with the resolutions of international legitimacy.
His comments came in response to recent statements made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s talk of extending Israeli sovereignty to West Bank settlements would not hurt the US ‘deal of the century.’
“These statements are unacceptable and irresponsible,” Abu Rudaineh said. “They contravene international law and provoke the Palestinian people, who will remain steadfast in their legitimate rights, foremost of which is Jerusalem and its holy sites, and its right to freedom, independence and the establishment of an independent state on all its national soil.”
He stressed that such rhetoric would only lead to more tension in the region and the world, reiterating the Palestinian people’s rejection of the ‘deal of the century.’
“Those who believe the deal will pass are mistaken,” the Palestinian spokesman emphasized.
In a televised interview with CNN last week, Pompeo said Netanyahu’s comments on annexing some Israeli settlements in the West Bank “don’t harm the United States’ peace plan.”
He went on to say: “I think that the vision that we’ll lay out is going to represent a significant change from the model that’s been used.”
“We have had a lot of ideas for 40 years. They did not deliver peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” Pompeo said. “Our idea is to put forward a vision that has ideas that are new, that are different, that are unique, that tries to reframe and reshape what’s been an intractable problem.”
