Abbas condemns proposal to annex West Bank settlements

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday condemned a decision by Israel's ruling party to annex Jewish settlements in occupied West Bank

Abbas said in a statement released from his office that Israel wants "to terminate the Palestinian presence from the historic land of Palestine".

"The decision is a brutal aggression against the Palestinian people, land and holy places," he added.

Likud party's central committee approved a proposal on Sunday which allows the building of Jewish settlements on Palestinian territories in West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netahyahu has yet to comment on the issue.

Abbas added that Israel would not take on this "dangerous" move without the support of the U.S. administration.

If the proposal is presented to the Israeli parliament Knesset, it needs to be discussed in three different sessions before being approved.

Israel reportedly wants to bring the number of settlers in the West Bank to a million in a short period of time, while half a million residents are currently living in Jewish settlements in Palestinian soil and 220,000 in the settlements in East Jerusalem.

According to international law, all Jewish settlements in these regions are "illegal".