RAMALLAH, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye on Saturday called for drying up the financial resources that support Israeli settlements.
Ishtaye made the appeal when meeting a visiting delegation at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to a statement.
"It has become clear that Israel aims to seize Palestinian lands in favor of settlement expansion, control and steal the majority of water resources, and place restrictions on the free movement of people and goods through military checkpoints," he said.
While meeting a delegation of U.S. Congress members on Monday, Ishtaye urged his visitors to help curb Israel's settlement policy. "How can we continue to talk about the two-state solution when there are 720,000 settlers on the lands of the Palestinian state, and the settlement program is continuing?" he asked.
Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians, in the 1967 Middle East war and has controlled them ever since. The Palestinians have been seeking to establish a Palestinian state on these territories together with Gaza Strip. Enditem