Palestine slams Israel's new settlement plan

A top Palestinian official Saturday slammed the new Israeli plan to build 450 settlement units in West Bank's Jewish areas, terming the expansion of settlements "a war crime".

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Xinhua that such actions were "certainly a war crime and need an international accountability".

He said that the settlement plan was against international law and accused Israel of insisting on ruining the principle of the two-state solution.

On Friday,Israel published tenders for building 450 new housing units in settlements in the West Bank.

"In spite of international criticism, Israel continues its settlement activities," alleged Erekat.

He said that the international community should therefore, stop dealing with Israel, which apparently was a state above the law.

The new Israeli settlement plan has also been criticised by the US, which said that the activity was "illegal and contradicts the efforts to achieve peace in the region".

"Israel's insistence to expand settlements and follow the policy of collective punishment against the Palestinians is pushing us to seek the UN Security Council's (UNSC) approval for a resolution to end the Israeli occupation," Erekat added.