Abbas says settlement expansion undermines peace process

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that the ongoing endless Israeli settlement will undermine the efforts for rescuing the stalled peace process in the Middle East.

Abbas remarks were made in a meeting he held in the West Bank city of Ramallah with a delegation represents the international parliament, according to the Palestinian official news agency (WAFA).

"The Palestinian side positively reacted with all ideas that aim at resuming the peace process and end up with establishing the independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital," Abbas was quoted as saying.

Abbas remarks on Israeli settlement activities were made in response to an earlier Israeli decision to build 300 housing units in one of the settlements in the West Bank.

Nabil Abu Rdineh, an aide to Abbas said in an official statement that the Israeli government's official declaration to build 300 housing units in the settlement of Ariel near Ramallah "is completely condemned."

"This policy destroys all the efforts exerted by the United States and the European Union to rescue the peace process," Abu Rdineh said, adding "these efforts are aiming at getting us out of the current impasse."

The senior Palestinian official also said that the international community is demanded to intervene to stop this dangerous Israeli policy that will only lead to more deterioration in the situation.

"The decision of building more settlement units is message to the world that Israel is not concerned about peace or the exerted efforts to rescue the peace process and create an atmosphere that prepares for peace," said Abu Rdineh. Enditem

(Written by Osama Radi, edited by Saud Abu Ramadan)