Palestinians slam Israeli settlement project in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Foreign Ministry slammed Thursday a new Israeli settlement project south of West Bank's Nablus city.

The new settlement project will erase the Green Line and disconnect the West Bank to prevent the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, the ministry said in a statement.

The statement said that Israeli call of settlers to build more units in the Nablus area "unravels the premeditated colonial expansionist settlement scheme."

The ministry also accused the Israeli government of "using the biased U.S. policies to speed up its settlement expansion and steal more lands."

Meanwhile, the ministry issued another statement accusing the U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman of adopting the policies of Israeli occupation through his attack on the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

Friedman said on Twitter: "An Israeli father of six was killed last night in cold blood by Palestinian terrorists."

His remarks came after a settler shot dead on Tuesday night, Raziel Shevah, 35, who was the first Israeli killed since U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6.

"Friedman's accusations reflect his prejudiced and selective attitude towards the occupation, settlement activity and the just and legitimate Palestinian rights," the ministry said.

The statement also said Trump's move is the "main reason for the disruption of American efforts to resume peace negotiations." Enditem