Hungary’s ambassador to Palestine, Csaba Rada, was summoned to the Palestinian Authority Foreign Ministry on Tuesday to hear a complaint about a twinning deal signed by a Hungarian city with an Israeli settlement council, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
The city of Hafiz signed a partnership agreement and activated a twinning deal with the so-called Samaria Regional Council, which represents settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian foreign ministry summons the Hungarian ambassador to Palestine to lodge a complaint about a partnership agreement between the Hungarian city of Hafiz and the illegal Israeli settlements council in the occupied West Bank.https://t.co/m8RAzR7tu6 pic.twitter.com/BQK4ymF1SO
— Wafa News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) February 15, 2022
According to the PA Foreign Ministry, this is “a flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions, specifically Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016 on settlements.”
The ministry pointed out that the agreement also contradicts the positions and policies of the European Union. “Such agreements give Israel the green light to continue its aggression against the Palestinians and their inalienable rights,” it added, “mainly the right to self-determination.”
Hungary, insisted the PA, should put pressure on the occupying power, Israel, to stop its aggression and end its colonial occupation of Palestinian land.
The Samaria Regional Council representing Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank has renewed its 2017 twin-towns pact with Heviz, Hungary – statement
— Dan Williams (@DanWilliams) February 13, 2022
In conclusion, the ministry called on the Hungarian government to put pressure on the Municipality of Hafiz and take all legal measures to cancel the agreement in compliance with international law.
Over 600,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
