LOC16:08
13:08 GMT
BRUSSELS, Oct 19 (KUNA) -- The Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine (DPAL) condemned Thursday an Israeli army raid on a number of Palestinian media outlets across the occupied West Bank yesterday.
Two people, including a journalist, were arrested during these raids by the Israeli army in Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus. Equipment was confiscated in addition to closure orders being imposed.
DPAL chair Neoklis Sylikiotis said in a statement that "these Israeli attacks are part of a systematic effort to silence media in Palestine. Their goal is to prevent reporting about the occupation and Israel's daily violations of human rights."
He noted that on the same day the Israeli government announced the construction of more settlement units, this time in the heart of the Palestinian city of Hebron, where a few dozens of settlers have made life miserable for the majority Palestinian population.
"Settlement expansion constitutes a concrete threat to the two-state solution supported by the European Union and the international community. They are an obstacle to peace as they threaten the contiguity of a future Palestinian state," he said.
"The EU must exert pressure on Israel in order to put an end to settlement construction, end to the occupation and commit to a roadmap for peace and the two-state solution. We want peace for the Palestinian people, the Israeli people, and all of the people in the Middle East," added the Cypriot MEP. (end)
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