A timeline for negotiations, Barghouthi added, must be identified in order to resume talks. "The Israeli government is trying to deceive the world with talks of its settlement freeze [in the West Bank] while construction is plainly increasing in Jerusalem and the West Bank." Barghouthi called on the EU to end Israeli practices in Jerusalem aimed at Judaizing the city, which he considered as an attempt to liquefy the Palestinian cause. Settlements and peace, he said, cannot coincide. "Israel is working to return to the negotiating table, which it is using as a cover for expansionism," Barghouthi added. The international community must respect the Palestinian decision to reject negotiations as settlement construction continues and must pressure Israel, and not the Palestinian side, he further asserted. Barghouthi emphasised that the international community must boycott and impose sanctions against Israel for its violations in the occupied Palestinian territories so that opportunities for peace are not lost and the establishment of a Palestinian state is not thwarted, he concluded. This press release was first published on Ma’an News










