Palestinian VP urges intl pressure on Israel to respect Palestine's sovereignty

Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh on Tuesday urged the international community to pressure Israel to respect the sovereignty of the State of Palestine.

He spoke at a meeting in Ramallah with ambassadors, diplomats and international officials, calling for "real and effective pressure" on Israel to stop what he described as ongoing attacks and violations of international law.

Al-Sheikh warned that silence from the world encourages Israel to continue its "aggressive and colonial policies." He briefed participants on recent developments, including Israeli military operations in Gaza, the blockade causing severe humanitarian suffering, increasing settler attacks in the West Bank, land seizures, and Israel's withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, which he said has triggered an economic crisis.

He also criticized recent Israeli government decisions that change the legal and civil status of the West Bank. On Sunday, Israel approved measures to allow Jewish land purchases in areas previously restricted under Jordanian-era law, transfer planning control of Hebron and other religious sites to Israeli authorities, and make land transactions for settlers easier to conduct.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war and has since built settlements there, a practice widely considered illegal by the international community.