Palestinian Prime Minister, Dr. Salaam Fayyad, headed on Monday the weekly cabinet session in the West Bank city of Ramallah, and discussed Israel's recent decision to resume settlement construction and to build 750 houses for settlers in Givat Zeev settlement.!– @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>Fayyad slammed this decision and stated that it contradicts vows by Israeli leaders and vows made by Israel during the Annapolis Summit to freeze all settlement activities.
He added that the Road Map Plan states that Israel should stop all settlement construction and expansion, including what Israel describes as “natural growth of the settlements”.
The ministerial council stated that the ongoing Israeli violations will place more obstacles in front all peace efforts, and will drag the area into a new cycle of violence.
Dr. Fayyad said that the Israeli policy of settlement construction and expansion was the core of his talks with the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, in Ramallah last week.
He added that the Palestinian-Israeli-American committee will assemble this week and talks will focus on the issue of settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
