Amman, (Petra) -- Jordan
on Wednesday said the recent Israeli decision to step
up settlements activities in East Jerusalem and the
West Bank would hamper and undermine peacemaking efforts.
Minister of State for Media Affairs and
Communications Nabil Sharif reiterated the Kingdom's
condemnation of the decision and said that King Abdullah
II had already warned of wasting more time as the
region and the whole world would pay the price of
failure.
Sharif, who is also the government's
Spokesperson, added in a press conference today that
international efforts should be stepped up to overcome
obstacles to peace.
He noted that the Israeli decision to
build new 1600 settlement units in east Jerusalem
and 112 more units in a West Bank Jewish settlement
could torpedo the current American mediation between
the Palestinian and Israel.
Sharif reiterated Jordan's stance that
the international community should exercise due and
prompt pressure on Israel to halt its unilateral measures
and rejection of peace negotiations.
Upon King Abdullah II's directives, Sharif
said, the government started its contacts with the
Arab countries to crystallize a common Arab stance
to counter the Israeli actions.
