Cairo, Nov 12 (EFE).- Qatar on Tuesday condemned statements by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in which he spoke about Israel’s aims to annex the occupied West Bank, as a “dangerous escalation.\u201d<\/p>
The comments came after the Qatari government on Saturday suspended its Gaza mediations, which it was carrying out with Egypt and the United States, due to lack of \u201cwillingness and seriousness\u201d between Hamas and Israel.<\/p>
“Qatar strongly condemns the statements by the Israeli Finance Minister, which included directives to prepare the necessary infrastructure for the annexation of the occupied West Bank,” the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement.<\/p>
It added that it considers his statements a \u201cblatant violation of international law and United Nations Security Council resolution 2334.\u201d<\/p>
Qatar was referring to statements made on Monday by Israeli settler and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in which he said that both Gaza and the West Bank will be “permanently taken” from the Palestinians.<\/p>
Smotrich, also an assistant minister in the Ministry of Defense with responsibility for civil affairs in the occupied West Bank, welcomed Donald Trump’s return to the White House as \u201can important opportunity\u201d to achieve Israeli sovereignty over the occupied territories.<\/p>
He also said he had instructed the Ministry of Defense’s settlement administration division, as well as the Israeli army’s civil administration in the West Bank, to begin preparing the infrastructure necessary to take the territory.<\/p>
Qatar\u2019s foreign ministry said the Israeli minister\u2019s words were \u201ca dangerous escalation that undermines the prospects for peace in the region, particularly amid the ongoing brutal war on the Gaza Strip and its horrific consequences.\u201d<\/p>
It also considered that “the repeated Israeli statements, which violate international laws and resolutions, clearly demonstrate that the occupation remains the primary obstacle to any peace and stability efforts” in the Middle East.<\/p>
Qatar’s complaint comes after Doha announced that it was suspending its mediation efforts to achieve a truce in Gaza due to the lack of progress in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas.<\/p>
The Qatari government said on Saturday that it would resume the mediation when the sides show “willingness and seriousness” to reach an understanding that allows the exchange of hostages for prisoners and the entry of aid to civilians in Gaza.<\/p>
The negotiations have been stalled since the end of last August due to mutual obstruction accusations between Israel and Hamas, and attempts by the mediators in October to unblock the achievement of an agreement have not yielded results. EFE <\/p>
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