Cairo, Aug. 31 (Petra) — Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy
voiced grave concern on Monday over statements and plans by Israel’s
far-right finance minister to expand Jewish settlements in the Negev
and Galilee, as well as measures affecting Arab towns and the powers
of planning and land authorities.

“The discriminatory nature of these plans, based on identity and
national affiliation, reflects a dangerous rise in racist tendencies
within Israeli society and entrenches discrimination and exclusion at
the expense of the rights of Arab citizens and equality principles,”
Fahmy said, warning of serious repercussions should such policies
become institutionalized.

Fahmy said the developments fall under a broader context in Israeli
policies aimed at imposing new facts on the ground, including
settlement expansion and the erosion of the foundations of a
Palestinian state.

Such actions violate international law and threaten prospects for a
just and lasting political settlement, he warned.

The Arab League Chief urged the international community to shoulder
its responsibilities in confronting these policies and preserving the
foundations for an independent Palestinian state along the June 4,
1967, lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He said the two-state solution is the path to lasting security,
stability and peace in the region.

//Petra// NQ