Abbas says Israeli measures against Palestinian dangerous

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday described Israeli measures against people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as "dangerous."

In his meeting with visiting Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez, Abbas called on Israel to stop house demolitions and settlement building in east Jerusalem, and to lift the blockade on Gaza. "These dangerous violations must stop," Abbas said.

Abbas and Jimenez discussed the stagnated peace talks with Israel. Abbas blamed Israel for the interruption of U.S.-brokered negotiation in September "by its insistence not to stop the building of settlements."

As a member of the European Union, Spain should engage itself more in the Middle East peace process "in addition to the important economic role," Abbas added.

Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, quoted Jimenez saying that her country understands the Palestinian position that Israel must halt settlement constructions. She also emphasized the EU's stance of a two-state solution to end the conflict in the region.

Source: Xinhua