Azerbaijan, Baku, May 8 / Trend , U.Sadikhova/
Expansion of construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank will hamper the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, but analysts exclude that this could cause a new wave of aggression in the region
"The settlement expansion is destroying completely the potential of Palestinian state and thus it is destroying completely the two states solution," head of the Palestinian Research Centre National Initiative (al-Mubadara al- Watanayya) Mustapha Barghouti told Trend over phone. But both the Israeli and Palestinian groups are totally keeping the ceasefire in general one".
The Israeli government is expanding the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority intends to establish an independent state, Al Jazeera reported.
Expansion of Jewish settlements is accompanied by destruction of Palestinian homes and municipal buildings and eviction of Palestinian families to their homes, Al Jazeera said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated about the expansion of Jewish settlements which occupies 40 percent of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank during the election campaign in February.
Lieberman's plans include the construction of settlements on 70 percent territories of the West Bank, despite the fact that the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank should be frozen under the "road map" drawn up under the mediation of the Middle East "Quartet" (Russia, EU, U.S., UN) in 2003 year, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz said.
Over 280,000 Israelis live in over than 120 settlements of the West Bank, which were occupied during war 1967. Additional 200,000 Israelis live in the East Jerusalem, which from the point of view of the international law, is recognized as occupied territories.
If Israel will continue building settlements in the West Bank, the progress in negotiations with the Palestinians is becoming increasingly problematic, as well as the establishment of a Palestinian state, head of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) Chris Doyle told Trend over phone.
He does not exclude that the United States, which is interested in peace in the Middle East, will pressure on Israel, so that it stop the settlement policy on the Palestinian territories.
Israel's refusal to follow international truce principles such as refusal to discuss Jerusalem, refugees, and finally they refuse to accept the basic principles of Palestinian state, said Barghouti, former presidential candidate in the Palestinian Autonomy during the 2005 elections.
"I think the Israeli policy will enhance the potential and it will lead to serious disaster including that the Palestinian people will completely loose any hope and possibility for the peace solution, he said.
Unless the international community will pressure Israel to abide by international principles, it could lead to disaster in the region. But Barghouti eliminates the likelihood of a recurrence of fighting between Palestinian factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the Israelis because of the expansion of Jewish settlements.
After the war in Gaza between Hamas and the Israeli army in December and January, observers believe that the region could erupt into a new Arab-Israeli war. The reason for it could be a refusal of the right Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu to comply with an agreement on the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the principles of a peace conference in Annapolis.
But observers do not believe that a new war between Palestinian factions and Israel may begin in connection with the construction of Jewish settlements.
The only territory where a new war may break out is Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, an analyst of the BESA Research Centre for Palestine-Israeli peace process Hillal Frisch said.
It is necessary to distinguish between the West Bank and Gaza, as the Palestinian leadership is cooperating with Israeli intelligence to dismantle Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Frisch said. The main reason for frequent clashes in Gaza is not connected with the proposal to build Jewish settlements.
Hamas leaders also said that the rocket attacks on Israel were response to the blockade of Gaza, which caused a humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave.
Frisch added that since Hamas came to power in Gaza in 2007, it had never fired missiles at Israel because of Jewish settlements
After the military action in December, leaders of Hamas stopped rocket attacks on Israel, and expressed willingness to sign long-term truce if it lifted the blockade of Gaza.
Hamas is interested in maintaining the cease-fire with Israel, and prevents the outbreak of new armed clashes between Palestinian factions and Israel, said Barghouti.
"Most of the Palestinian groups prefer non-violence [with Israel]," said Barghouti
In addition to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian territories, there are factions Martyrs Brigade Al-Aqsa and Qassam Martyrs Brigades, but after the war in Gaza in January factions suspended military resistance
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