In Defiance to US, EU, and the World, Netanyahu Announces that Israel Will Not Freeze Settlement Construction on Palestinian Lands

Netanyahu: We will not freeze settlement construction

Friday April 24, 2009 13:23 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated on Thursday that his Israeli occupation government does not intend to freeze the expansion and construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank.

The statements of Netanyahu came during a meeting with the Czech Prime Minister, Mirek Topolanek. The Czech Republic is the rotating head of the European Union.

The Israeli PM said that this issue should be parallel, stating the “if the Israeli’s were barred from building in the West Bank, the Palestinians should refrain from building too”.

This position disregards the fact that settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under the international law and constitute a war crime.

Topolanek told Netanyahu that the European Union is concerned that the ongoing construction and expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank would hinder the establishment of an independent, contiguous Palestinian state.

Netanyahu said that the “West Bank is a disputed territory” and that he does not intend to halt the construction and expansion of settlements.

He stated that Israel does not currently plan to expand settlements, but added that “if a settler wants to build a home in a settlement, then there is no problem in that” although it will “enforce the law in dealing with illegal settlement outposts”, also referred to by Israel as “random outpost”.

He slammed some European Legislators who are saying the EU should not upgrade its relations with Israel because of its violations against the Palestinians.

Netanyahu stated that relations with Israel should not be dependent on Israel’s relations with the Palestinians, and added that Israel will not accept preconditions.

The statements of Netanyahu come in direct contradiction to international law especially since Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are built on areas stolen from the Palestinian.

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.