Israel's settlement measures killing two-state solution: Palestinian PM

The Palestinian prime minister on Thursday slammed Israel's settlement policies as "killing the two-state solution, undermining peace prospects and the dream of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders."

The Palestinian premier, Rami Hamdallah, made these remarks during a meeting with a British delegation, calling on the international community to protect Palestinians everywhere.

Hamdallah urged Britain to have a stronger role in the UN Security Council in pushing for a resolution to set a timeframe for ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state.

He also called upon the international community to enable Palestinians to use their resources, particularly in "Area C" which is composed of over 60 percent of the West Bank.

The Israeli-Palestinian interim agreement signed in 1993, known as the Oslo Accords, divided the West Bank area into three zones: "Zone A," which falls under full Palestinian control; "Zone B," which falls under Israeli security control and Palestinian administrative control; and "Zone C," which falls under full Israeli control.

The Palestinian premier called upon the international community, particularly Britain, to drive Israel to lift its eight-year siege in Gaza and grant freedom of movement to people and goods.

Since 2007, Israel has enforced a land, sea and air siege on the Gaza Strip, shortly following the Islamist movement of Hamas forcibly took over authority in Gaza.

During these eight years, Israel launched three large-scale military operations against the Gaza Strip.

The last 50-day operation last summer was described as the most violent one, killing over 2,100 Palestinians and completely destroying over 18,000 residences. Endit