Middle East

Quartet calls on Israel to freeze West Bank settlements

Article published on the 2008-05-02 Latest update 2008-05-03 10:13 TU

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
(Photo: AFP)

The Middle East Quartet called on Israel to freeze the construction of further West Bank settlements after meeting in London on Friday to discuss peace solutions in the region. The international group, consisting of the UN, European Union, Russia and United Kingdom stressed that all settlement activity, including 'natural growth', should be halted.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to reporters after the meeting, saying that there were now measures in place to improve the situation of the Palestinians. The Quartet also called on Israel to dismantle all outposts erected since March 2001.

"It comes down to very specific issues, that issue of a checkpoint or that roadblock that's preventing that kind of economic activity in that town," said Rice. She added that there was "quite a bit of detail" in removing the 50 roadblocks Israel had promised to remove.

The Quartet also called on Arab states to fulfill their pledges of aid to Palestinians that were made at a Paris conference in December 2007.

Palestine has been crippled by Western sanctions since the Islamist group Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006.