Jordan condemns Israel's plans to build new settler homes

Jordan on Sunday condemned Israel's endorsement of plans to build hundreds of new settler homes in the occupied West Bank and warned that such measures will touch off instability in the occupied Palestinian territories. The new plans aim at creating new facts on the ground and are tantamount to a violation of international law and conventions, said Samih Maaytah, State Minister for Media Affairs and Communications. He added that this escalation by the Israeli government would bog down international efforts aimed at breaking the deadlock in peacemaking endeavors to bring about an independent Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Maaytah, who is also the government's official spokesman, demanded the Israeli government to halt its unilateral moves which constitute a blatant rejection of calls to halt illegal and illegitimate settlements construction. The minister called on the international community to intervene to immediately stop these unilateral acts which undermine chances for establishing a Palestinian state. He stressed the need for concerted efforts for create a proper ground for the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations which need a halt to provocative Israeli measures.