Chief Palestinian official says US encouraging Israel to build settlements

The Palestine Liberation Organization’s top official Saeb Erekat on Thursday said the American decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December has encouraged the Jewish state to “speed up” building settlements in the West Bank.

“The Israeli government continues with its plan to bury all the chances of a political settlement by announcing the approval of 1,122 new illegal settlement units in 22 illegal colonial-settlements in Occupied Palestine,” Erekat says in a statement.

“President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital did not only disqualify the US from playing any constructive role towards achieving peace, but it provided the extremist Israeli government with an opportunity and a green light to speed up their plans of the disposition of the Palestinian people,” he adds.

The Palestinian leadership is set to convene to form a response to US President Donald Trump’s Jerusalem decision.

— Dov Lieber