Britain Summons Israeli Chargé d'Affaires to Protest Settlement Units in the West Bank

London, August 19 (KUNA) -- The British Foreign Office announced the summoning of the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli occupation embassy in London to inform him of the British government’s objection to the occupation’s decision to issue tenders for the construction of settlement units in the West Bank.

In a press statement on Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he had conveyed his strong objection to Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman during a telephone conversation, stressing the need to halt the move immediately and stop all expansionist settlement activities.

The British Foreign Secretary described the occupation government’s tender for the settlement project as “an unacceptable and destructive step,” noting that “the project would cut through the heart of Palestine and separate the West Bank from East Jerusalem, thereby threatening the viability of the two-state solution.”

Miliband warned that the “violence and terrorism of the settlers have had a catastrophic impact on Palestinian communities,” adding that settlement expansion and attempts to create divisions threaten peace, security, and the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.

The British Foreign Secretary said he intends to propose a comprehensive package of measures in the coming weeks to respond to the occupation government’s policies, protect the viability of a Palestinian state, impose sanctions on those involved in illegal settlement expansion, and support a just and lasting peace.

He emphasized that “the United Kingdom will not stand idly by or accept the destruction of the two-state solution, which remains the optimal means to end the conflict in the Middle East.”

It is recalled that the Israeli occupation had announced the issuance of tenders for the construction of more than 1,200 residential settlement units as part of the controversial E1 project. (End) M.R.N.