Palestine Condemns Netanyahu's Visit to West Bank Settlement

On Thursday, Palestine condemned the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the Israeli settlement of Har Brakha near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

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"Netanyahu's visit has no legitimate or legal characteristic, contrary to the rules of international law, United Nations resolutions, and the signed agreements," the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said.

"The provocative visit of Netanyahu into the West Bank and the hostile statements and stances he made are rejected and condemned," it added.

Netanyahu's office said that the Prime Minister and his wife arrived in the settlement to condole the family of the two Israelis who were killed in a shooting attack carried out by Palestinians in the town of Hawara, south of Nablus on Sunday.

Netanyahu's visit comes amid tensions between the Palestinians and Israelis since Jan. 1. Israel took control of the West Bank in 1967 and established dozens of settlements on it.

The settlement issue is one of the most prominent aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and one of the main reasons for suspending the last direct peace negotiations in 2014.

"The visit reveals the true face of the Israeli government and its prime minister, who leads a government of settlements and settlers and sabotages the opportunity to revive the peace process," the Palestinian diplomacy pointed out.