Hamas, Fatah warn Israel after vote for ‘sovereignty over settled expanses’
Hamas reacted strongly to a vote by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party to apply Israeli “sovereignty” to parts of the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank.
Likud voted Sunday in favor of a nonbinding resolution, asking Israeli law to be applied to “the freed settled expanses of the West Bank,” referring to the parts of the occupied land where Israel has built illegal settlements since 1967. The resolution also called for “unimpeded construction” there, Press TV reported on Monday.
The Palestinian resistance movement which administers the Gaza Strip said the resolution entailed “continued damage to the rights of Palestinians under American auspices, and will lead to greater resistance.”
Since the inauguration in January last year of US President Donald Trump, who had controversially pledged increased support for Tel Aviv on his campaign trail, Israel has been speeding up its expansion of the settlements.
Last month, Trump said the United States recognized Beit-ul-moqaddas as Israel’s capital, further emboldening Tel Aviv. The move outraged Palestinians and triggered warnings across the world.
The Palestinian Fatah movement, which is headquartered in the West Bank, also censured the vote, stating that it was a clear violation of UN resolutions.
“The decision of the Likud party to impose Israeli control over the occupied West Bank represents an end to the remnants of the peace process unilaterally,” said a statement released by the group.
The UN considers the settlements, which house more than half a million Israelis, illegal because they are built on occupied territory.
Multiple peace attempts have failed over years due to the Israeli regime’s resumption of the settlement expansion after short-lived moratoriums.
By Seyed Amin Saneey Mehri
Given that the ancient city of Susa has a history of around 7,000 years, Iran is among the most ancient countries in the world. During these long years, and under the reign of various empires and states in Iran, it has been tried to preserve its cultural heritage and historical monuments that represent Iranian Iranian architecture and cultural identity.