Germany: Building settlements in the West Bank undermines peace

Ramallah (Al-Ittihad)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said yesterday that the construction of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank undermines lasting peace. In statements she made during a visit to the tribal village of Al-Mazraa in the West Bank, Birbock said: “Illegal settlement construction undermines lasting peace and puts the two-state solution at risk.”
She added: “Settler violence often makes people’s lives impossible. Thousands of people are no longer able to access their lands.”
She explained that it is Israel's duty to protect Palestinians from settler violence, and to take measures against those who attack legal residents.
She continued: “The Palestinians should be able to live in safety on their lands.”
She pointed out that the construction of settlements in the West Bank contradicts international law, and said that “the two-state solution means that Israel and an independent Palestinian state live side by side in peace.”
Birbock noted that she was monitored by an Israeli settler drone during her visit, saying: “We can hear the sound of a march hovering above us, obviously so that they can hear and see what we are doing here.”