Ashrawi: Israeli government approved confidence destruction measure

"The Israeli government has approved a confidence destruction measure," said PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi referring to the Israeli government decision to include 90 illegal Israeli settlements in the list of "national priority areas," 20 of them new Israeli settlements. PLO Department of Culture and Information revealed Sunday that such settlements will receive added benefits from the state, giving further incentives for Israeli settlers to remain inside the Occupied State of Palestine. "At a moment when the international community has made great efforts to foster a resumption of negotiations between Palestine and Israel, the Israeli cabinet has approved a plan that further incentivizes illegal settlement in the occupied State of Palestine." Dr. Ashrawi continued, "While Palestine has cooperated with international efforts to seek a two-state solution on the 1967 border, Israel is responding once again by destroying the 1967 border and violating international law." Dr. Ashrawi said. "Israeli attempts to grab more Palestinian land and to provide settlers with preferential treatment will not be tolerated." "Such criminal acts must be met with strong international action. It must be made clear to Israel that negotiations are about peacefully ending the occupation that began in 1967, and that Israel may not use the protective cover of negotiations as a means to pre-empt their outcome or as a means to persist in acting with impunity in further entrenching its illegal practices." Dr. Ashrawi concluded.