The Department of Foreign Affairs this morning expressed its concern at recent media reports of regular and ongoing Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories, apparently taking place with the backing of the Government of Israel. Such actions are patently designed to create facts on the ground in advance of final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and are a violation of both the Oslo Accords and the Wye River Memorandum, signed by the parties last October. The Department considers this type of action by Israeli settlers as disturbing and provocative.
The Department of Foreign Affairs once again calls on the Israeli Government to halt its encouragement of settlement activity and to demonstrate its genuine commitment to negotiation and peacemaking.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PRETORIA
15 APRIL 1999