Arab League warns against Israeli expansion plans in West Bank

The secretary general of the Arab League has denounced the construction of new Zionist settlements on occupied Palestinian lands.This comes after reports that Tel Aviv is preparing to build thousands more settler units in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Ahmed Aboul Gheit said such plans undermine the so-called two-state solution, eroding the lands on which the future Palestinian state should be founded. He made these remarks in reaction to Israeli plans to build more than 4,000 settler units in the occupied territories. Aboul Gheit also called on the US administration, the main supporter of the Israeli regime, to take a firm stand against Israeli plans in defense of the so-called two-state solution.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned on Sunday that silence from the international community is encouraging the Israeli regime to consolidate its occupation of the West Bank. Israel has stepped up settlement expansion in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which stated settlements in the West Bank and east of al-Quds "a flagrant violation of international law".

This comes as the Joe Biden administration has reiterated opposition to Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, saying it undermines efforts to reach a so-called two-state solution with the Palestinians. White House national security spokesman Monday, John Kirby, did not confirm whether Israel informed the United States of plans to announce settlement expansion, but said Washington's policy is consistent in opposing any unilateral decision to advance Israeli settlements in the West Bank."

We have long made clear our concerns about further settlement in the West Bank that we do not want actions to be taken that will make achieving a two-state solution much more difficult,” Kirby said during a White House press conference. “We do not want them to be steps have been taken that only increase tensions and we have been very clear on this. Nothing has changed in our policy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recent interview with Sky News on Friday that settlements in the occupied West Bank are not an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.

The expansion of settlements in the West Bank, among more thorny issues between Israel and the Palestinians, has continued despite repeated international calls to halt construction, including by Israel's allies, including the United States.