Jordan condemns Israeli settlement expansions

AMMAN — Jordan on Friday condemned recent actions by the Israeli government to further entrench its occupation of Palestinian territories through the expansion and legalisation of settlements, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The denunciation has followed the Israeli government's approval of the legalisation of five settlement outposts in the West Bank and plans to build thousands of new settlements.

The statement described actions as a flagrant violation of international law and key international resolutions, in particular UN Security Council Resolution 2334.

Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah stressed the urgent need to stop the increasing settler terrorism in the occupied West Bank and to stop all illegal and illegitimate unilateral Israeli actions.

These actions undermine any chance of achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which includes the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state along the 4 June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, the statement read.

Qudah reiterated the need for Israel, as the occupying force, to abide by international law and international resolutions.

He also called for an immediate halt to Israel's settlement expansion plans, which aim to alter the historical and legal status quo in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The spokesperson also stressed the need for international protection for the Palestinian people.