Palestine condemns US House speaker's visit to West Bank settlement

Palestine's foreign ministry and officials on Monday condemned US House Speaker Mike Johnson's visit to a Jewish settlement on Palestinian land in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement, condemning Johnson's visit as an encouragement to "the crimes of settlements, settlers, and the confiscation of Palestinian lands."

It said that all settlement activity is invalid and illegal and undermines the opportunity to implement the two-state solution and achieve peace.

Palestinian National Council Speaker Rawhi Fattouh described the visit as "a dangerous bias toward the occupation and a flagrant violation of international law and resolutions of the United Nations, the Security Council, and the International Court of Justice."

Fattouh said in a statement that the visit "encourages and rewards the settlers for their crimes of murder, arson, and violence against the Palestinian people" and "provides cover for racist legislation issued by the Israeli Knesset to perpetuate the occupation and legitimise seizure, displacement, and apartheid."

Fattouh stressed that the move "harms the United States' position as a permanent member of the Security Council and contradicts its legal and moral obligations."

Johnson visited a Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Monday. Israeli officials told US media outlet Axios that his visit was "private."

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