Egypt's Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr condemned Friday an Israeli decision to speed up the construction of 2000 settlement housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
This decision is a slap in the face to peace process efforts aiming to reach a fair settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Amr said in a statement.
“The decision is also a provocation to the Palestinians,” Amr added, saying that it disregards international public opinion, which unanimously rejects illegal settlements as obstacles to peace.
In addition to accelerating the building of settlements, the Israeli cabinet decided to temporarily freeze the transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority. This decision was taken on Wednesday in retaliation for the Palestinians' success in winning membership in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Membership in UNESCO will enable Palestinians, who previously held observer status in the organization, to apply for their natural and cultural sites to be classified as World Heritage Sites.
The Palestinians plan to seek full membership in 16 more UN agencies following their acceptance into UNESCO. A Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) delegation represents the Palestinians at the UN.
