Statement by PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Saeb Erekat on latest Israeli settlement expansion

The latest Israeli announcement for 450 additional criminal settlement units in the Occupied State of Palestine is unsurprising when viewed in the context of the culture of impunity granted to Israel by the international community. One recent example may be seen in the United States Congress’s invitation to have the Israeli prime minister address it despite that Israel continues to withhold the transfer of Palestinian tax revenues as a form of illegal collective punishment for just and peaceful Palestinian recourse to law.

This should serve as yet another reminder that empty calls for resumption of negotiations are not a substitute for justice and will not save the two-state solution.

Once again we call upon the international community to stop treating Israel as a state above the law and to support our diplomatic initiatives which aim to preserve the two-state solution and to end the Israeli oppression of our people. Specifically, we call on the international community to recognize the State of Palestine, to ban all settlement products and to divest from companies and institutions linked directly or indirectly with the Israeli occupation and apartheid policies.