Prague, Feb 7 (CTK) – The Czech Foreign Ministry expressed great concern about the Israeli law on settlements and the approval of the construction of more than 6,000 homes in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, it said in a written statement issued yesterday.
On Monday, the Israeli parliament passed a controversial law that retroactively legalises new Jewish homes in the occupied territories.
The Czech Foreign Ministry said expansion of the settlements is one of the issues that hinder the peace talks between Israel and Palestine and a threat to peace in the region.
It called on both sides of the dispute to refrain from unilateral steps that might renew tension and affect the result of direct bilateral negotiations.
Palestine condemned the Israeli law, saying it took private land from the Palestinians who owned it, irrespective of their opinion.
The settlement construction in the occupied territories are one of the sensitive issues between the two countries and they repeatedly result in escalation of violence.
At a recent conference in Paris, the international community called on the two nations to settle the conflict by the establishment of two states.
The Palestinians condemn any steps that legalise the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Czech diplomacy said the expansion of settlements, persistent violence and instigation to violence threaten peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
kva/dr/hol
