RAMALLAH, Sept 27 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammed Ishtaye, yesterday urged his Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, to prove his support for the two-state solution, by stopping settlement building and ending the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
“Whoever claims to believe in the two-state solution must stop settlements, lift the siege on Gaza, open Jerusalem and stop the settlers’ repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, which have reached their climax today,” Ishtaye said, during the weekly cabinet meeting, according to an official statement.
In his address to the UN General Assembly last week, Lapid said, a large majority of Israelis, including him, “support the vision of the two-state solution,” despite all obstacles.
Earlier yesterday, the Israeli police broke into the holy site, in the Old City of Jerusalem, to remove Muslim worshippers and provide a safe ground for ultranationalist Jews, marking the Jewish New Year (from Sept 25 to 27, this year).
Ishtaye called for an international movement to protect the Palestinian people, hold Israel accountable for its actions and practices, and end the occupation.
The last direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, sponsored by the United States, broke down in 2014, over their deep differences on the issues of borders, security, and settlement building.