RAMALLAH, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Sunday called on U.S. President Joe Biden to interpret his words criticizing the Israeli government into practical measures that protect the Palestinian people.
In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged Biden to "stop the expansion of Israeli settlement" and "to compel the Israeli government to engage in a political track of negotiations to resolve the conflict."
"The Israeli government's continuation in its illegal settlement will expose it not only to accountability in accordance with the rules of international law and UN resolutions but also to UN sanctions," it said.
Biden said on Sunday that the current Israeli government has some "of the most extreme members" he's seen in Israel, according to "The Times of Israel" news website.
"The Israeli cabinet ministers who back settling anywhere they want in the West Bank are part of the problem in the conflict," Biden added.
The statement welcomed what it described as "the unprecedented slap that President Biden has dealt to the Israeli government for the first time."
It also called on Biden's administration "to fulfill its announced commitments to the Palestinian cause and to support the legal approaches of Palestine in international forums."
In 2013, the United States sponsored direct peace talks between Israel and Palestine for nine months. However, the talks stopped in late March 2014 following deep disputes on settlements and the border of the Palestinian state.
The current Israeli government is headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who won 64 seats with his far-right allies in the 2022 elections. His government was sworn in on Dec. 29, 2022. ■
