RAMALLAH, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday applauded a recent United States House resolution calling for the endorsement of the two-state solution.
The current administration of the U.S. is undermining the widely accepted basis of peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel, Shtayyeh said in the opening of the weekly Palestinian cabinet meeting.
He said the U.S. has adopted measures undermining the two-state solution, referring to the recent statements of U. S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in which he said that no longer view Israeli settlements in the West Bank as "inconsistent with international law."
The Palestinian prime minister said the resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday is "in harmony with international law that prohibits settlements and the occupation of territory by force."
The resolution expressed supports for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and warned Israel against any attempts toward annexation of territory in the West Bank
Meanwhile, Shtayyeh welcomed the initiative of Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn to push the European Union member states to recognize Palestine as a state in response to Pompeo's declaration.
Asselborn reportedly sent a letter to new EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU foreign ministers, saying that the only way to salvage the two-state solution was to create "a more equitable situation" between Palestine and Israel.
Last month, Pompeo said the United States considers "the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law," and that Washington was not weighing in on the legality of any individual settlement.
Israeli settlement activity is deemed illegal by most world powers and by international law. It is considered one of the major issues that caused the collapse of the peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis in 2014.
Political ties between the U.S. and Palestine have been severed after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel in December 2017.
