Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat visits the site of a planned Israeli land appropriation, telling journalists the land is being stolen from the Palestinians.
“As you see, they call it a security area but you don’t see a single security thing here,” says Erekat from a field in the Jordan Valley south of Jericho.
“And if you go between here and 70 kilometers (45 miles) straight you will see nothing but farms of grapes, palm trees, vegetables, stealing the water from Palestinians, the land from Palestinians,” he adds.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat shows a map as he addresses journalists on January 20, 2016 in the West Bank city of Jericho. (AFP/AHMAD GHARABLI)
Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now says the move to declare some 370 acres state land will hurt efforts to reach a diplomatic settlement with the Palestinians.
“The government’s decision is another step on the way to destroying the possibility for a two-state solution,” Peace Now said in a statement.
The Defense Ministry unit that oversees civilian affairs in the West Bank, known as COGAT, says in a statement that “the lands are in final stages to be declared as state lands.”
— AFP
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