Dr Erakat on Israeli approval of a new 'national priority map’

Following in principal approval for a new 'national priority map’ by the Israeli cabinet today, Chief Palestinian Negotiator Dr Saeb Erakat said that Israel was further entrenching settlements as the number one obstacle to peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Under the 'national priority map’, a number of illegal settlements throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, will receive additional financial assistance from the Israeli government.

“The intent of Israel’s so called 'national priority map’ is clear. This map serves as a blueprint for future settlement expansion. It reveals the extent to which Israel’s 'settlement moratorium’ is a sham. Rather than make peace its number one priority, Israel continues to prioritize settlements and the relentless colonization of occupied Palestinian land, rendering the two-state solution politically and economically unviable,” Dr Erakat said.

“That the Israeli government still sees the colonization of occupied Palestinian land as a 'national priority’ highlights just how little the mind set in Israel has changed since 1948, and why hopes for the resumption of meaningful negotiations are fast fading.”

Economic incentives and subsidies for settlements and settlers are the primary explanation for why population growth in settlements is 3 times higher than the population growth in Israel. This is why their inclusion in a genuine settlement freeze is crucial Dr Erakat said.

Dr Erakat went on to label as misleading Israel’s attempt to justify its continued settlement construction and violation of international law as accommodating normal life.

“Settlements are based on evicting Palestinians from their homes, stealing Palestinian land and exploiting Palestine’s natural resources, all in violation of international law. This in no way resembles normal life in any other country,” Dr Erakat said.

Dr Erakat called on the international community to hold firm on its insistence that Israel implement a comprehensive settlement freeze in keeping with international law and Israel’s Road Map obligations.