Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 27 March 2017

Settler leader: Population growth is end of 2-state solution

living in the West Bank has tions, a settler organization state solution as the best
soared by nearly one-quar- that counts members of way of reaching peace in
ter over the past five years President Donald Trump’s the region and rejected Is-
to over 420,000 people, a inner circle among its sup- raeli settlements as obsta-
prominent settler leader porters. cles to peace.
said Sunday, presenting Katz’s figures did not in- Without an independent
new population figures clude settlement construc- Palestinian state, the think-
that he said put to rest tion in east Jerusalem, ing goes, Israel will remain
the internationally backed where more than 200,000 in control over millions of
idea of a two-state solu- Israelis now live. Altogeth- Palestinians who do not
tion between Israel and the er, he said the population have equal rights, forcing it
Palestinians.Yaakov Katz is- growth — which is near- to choose between its Jew-
sued his report as the Israeli ly double the 2-percent ish and democratic char-
government is locked in nationwide rate of an- acter.Just weeks before
negotiations with the Trump nual population growth — Trump took office, the U.N.
Palestinian laborers work at a construction site in a new housing administration over under- means the settlements are Security Council passed a
project in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, near Jeru- standings that are expect- “irreversible,” he said. resolution declaring settle-
salem. Yaakov Katz, a prominent West Bank settler, said Sun- ed to include some curbs “Whatever Angela Merkel ments illegal.
day, March 26, 2017, that the number of Israelis living in the West on settlement construction. or Trump or anybody else Ahmad Majdalani, a senior
Bank has soared by nearly one quarter over the past five years “We are talking about a is thinking about, it belongs aide to Palestinian Presi-
to over 420,000 people. Katz says the rapid growth means the
internationally backed idea of a two-state solution between Is- situation that is unchange- to the past, not to the fu- dent Mahmoud Abbas,
rael and the Palestinians is now impossible. able,” he said Sunday. “It’s ture,” he said. said Palestinian indepen-
(AP Photo/Oded Balilty) very important to know the Israel captured the West dence is the only way to
numbers, and the numbers Bank, along with east Jeru- peace and remains a pos-
are growing.” salem and the Gaza Strip, sibility, despite settler efforts
JOSEF FEDERMAN JERUSALEM (AP) — The According to Katz, the set- in the 1967 Mideast war. to derail it.
Associated Press number of Israeli settlers tler population hit 420,899 The Palestinians seek all “The two-state solution was
on Jan. 1, up 3.6 percent three areas for a future in- possible yesterday and to-
from 406,332 people a year dependent state. day and at any time. The
earlier and a 23-percent in- Israel withdrew from Gaza two-state solution is not the
crease from 342,414 at the in 2005, leading to the problem,” he said. “Settle-
beginning of 2012. takeover of the territory by ments are.”
Katz said the numbers were the Islamic militant group Israeli Prime Minister Ben-
based on data from the Hamas two years later. Is- jamin Netanyahu’s gov-
Interior Ministry that have rael and Egypt have main- ernment is dominated by
not yet been made public. tained a blockade over pro-settler hard-liners who
The ministry, which over- Gaza since then. Israel says oppose Palestinian state-
sees the country’s popula- the policy is needed to pre- hood on either security or
tion registry, had no com- vent Hamas from building religious grounds.
ment. But Peace Now, an up its arsenal of weapons. After years of clashes with
anti-settlement watchdog Critics condemn it as col- President Barack Obama,
group, said the numbers lective punishment. Israeli hardliners have wel-
appeared reasonable. For the past two decades, comed the election of
The figures are being pub- the international commu- Trump, who they perceive
lished on a new website nity has overwhelmingly as being far more sympa-
sponsored by Bet El Institu- backed the idea of a two- thetic to their cause.q

Iran strikes back at US with ‘reciprocal’ sanctions

NASSER KARIMI tions earlier announced by A Foreign Ministry state-
Associated Press the U.S.The wide-ranging ment carried by the state-
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on list from an American real run IRNA news agency said
Sunday sanctioned what it estate company to a ma- the sanctions barred com-
described as 15 American jor arms manufacturer ap- panies from any agree-
companies, alleging they peared more symbolic ments with Iranian firms and
support terrorism, repres- than anything else as the that former and current di-
sion and Israel’s occupa- firms weren’t immediately rectors would not be eligi-
tion of land Palestinians known to be doing business ble for visas. It also said any
want for a future state, anywhere in the Islamic Re- of the company’s assets in
likely in retaliation for sanc- public. Iran could be seized.q