Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
MEDIA STATEMENT IN RECATION TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL OF FURTHER SETTLEMENT EXPANSION IN EAST JERUSALEM.
The Department of Foreign Affairs expressed its dismay at the decision by the Government of Israel to approve a major new Israeli settlement on Palestinian land between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. This concern was conveyed to the Israeli Charge d'Affaires earlier today. The Department stated that unilateral actions such as this by the Government of Israel are likely to hinder the present process of negotiations and would lead to an erosion of the fundamental mutual trust essential to a successful outcome of the Peace Process.
A call was accordingly being made on the Government of Israel not to take actions which have the effect of changing the status of Jerusalem, or which would prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations. In this regard, it was pointed out that in terms of the Oslo accords, both the Palestinians and Israel committed themselves not to initiate any step which would change the status of the territories occupied by Israel in June 1967. The Department of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the South African Government's hope that Israel would commit itself unreservedly to the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 298.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 27 FEBRUARY 1997 PRETORIA