Britain urges Israeli settlements halt

Britain has called on the Israeli regime to stop building settlements in the West Bank and “return to direct talks” with the Palestinians.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague who is in Sydney along with British Defense Secretary Liam Fox for a two-day visit also said their Tuesday meeting with their Australian counterparts Kevin Rudd and Stephen Smith focused on a number of issues including the Middle East peace process.

“Our joint belief (is) that the parties involved should return to direct talks and refrain from acts that undermine confidence such as settlement building,” Hague told reporters.

Earlier on Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon demanded a freeze in the Israeli regime’s settlement building process in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Israeli media have announced the regime is planning to construct 1,400 new homes in the form of new towns for settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories in the east al-Quds.

The move runs against the international calls for a halt in the settlement activities there that is believed to be the main obstacle in the peace talks with the Palestinians.

The Palestinian Authority left direct talks with Tel Aviv on September 2 only three weeks after their resumption due to Israel’s refusal to extend a partial 10-month freeze it had imposed on its illegal settlement activities.

The Palestinians say the main purpose of settlement building is preventing the realization of an independent Palestinian state.