Meanwhile, Abdul Hadi Hantash, the Palestinian expert in settlement affairs in the West Bank, told Xinhua that "When Obama' s limousine drives through the road that links between Jerusalem and Ramallah; he should open his eyes and look from the window and see how settlement had significantly grew."
"Israeli settlement occupied around 65 percent of the West Bank territory and turns its towns and cities into small isolated cantons without any geographical connection. Israeli settlement completely undermines the principle of the two-state solution that the United States is adopting," said Hantash.
Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and around east Jerusalem was the main reason for halting the peace negotiations in October 2010. The Palestinian side halted the talks in protest of the expansion of settlement, just four weeks after Washington sponsored it.
The Palestinians said that the ongoing settlement activities on their lands are the main reason for the stalemate in the Middle East peace process. When Obama arrived in Ramallah on Thursday to meet with President Mahmoud Abbas, he would clearly notice and see how bigger Israeli settlement became.
On the adjacent Israeli settlements to the city, which can be clearly seen from the office of President Abbas, is Beit Aeil. Several weeks ago, Israeli government decided to expand it with 90 more housing units, which outraged the Palestinian leaders.
Beit Aeil is one of 144 Israeli settlements built in the West Bank and around east Jerusalem, the part of the city that was occupied by Israel since 1967. More than half a million settlers live there.
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