Tarawneh decries Israeli plan to build 3,500 settler units in East Jerusalem

AMMAN — Lower House Speaker and President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (APU) Atef Tarawneh on Friday denounced Israel's announcement of its plans to build 3,500 settler units in East Jerusalem.

In an APU statement, Tarawneh said that the announcement violates international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, adding that the plan aims at isolating Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings.

The statement called on international parliaments to curb Israeli practices and force it to abide by international resolutions. Tarawneh reiterated that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital and the return refugees to their homeland is “the sole path to peace and stability”.