Chicago – June 30, 2024
A senior Palestinian official rejected on Friday a move by Israel’s finance minister intended to promote new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying it was aimed at pursuing a “war of genocide” against Palestinians.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday the Israeli government would also take punitive steps against the Palestinian Authority in response to Palestinian moves against Israel internationally.
Asked about Smotrich’s statement, which was not confirmed by the government, Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said the settlements were “illegal colonies that violate all international resolutions”.
“The decisions by the occupation government aim to pursue the war of genocide against our Palestinian people,” he told Reuters.
He said the PLO and the Palestinian Authority would continue to press for Israel to be taken before international courts and punished for “crimes against our people, and in particular in the Gaza Strip.”
