VIENNA - Austria on Thursday condemned Israel's decision to allow the expansion of illegal Jewish settlements in Palestinian East Jerusalem, describing it as a deliberate attempt to block peace efforts.
"Israel's ongoing settlement policy is increasingly becoming a targeted effort to undermine any peace process," Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said in a statement.
"The growing Israeli settlements on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, and the blockade, are destroying any trust in a political process and thereby hindering economic and social developments in the Palestinian territories," he added.
On Thursday, Spindelegger urged: "Israel must put an end to this one-sided policy on Palestinian territory."
The minister also called on the Fatah party and the democratically elected Hamas movement, the two main but divided Palestinian factions, to seek a reconciliation, "or else all efforts to create an independent state are doomed to failure."
"We are currently lacking the readiness and the courage for an honest negotiating process," he concluded.
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