国际英语新闻:Palestinian PM urges serious measures against Israeli settlements

RAMALLAH, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye on Wednesday called on the donor countries to take more serious measures to boycott the Israeli settlements.

"The real situation is deteriorating due to Israel's policies of expanding settlements in the Palestinian territories," Ishtaye told an online meeting for the international donors.

A press statement, issued by Ishtaye's office in Ramallah, said that he told the meeting "due to these policies, the Palestinian land is shrinking, settler violence is escalating, and the access to our resources decreases daily."

According to the statement, Norway chaired the meeting for around 40 donor countries and international institutions, including the United Nations and the World Bank.

"The meeting discussed the political and financial developments in the Palestinian territories and the preparations for the donors' conference, which is scheduled to be held in Oslo in February next year," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Ishtaye explained that "economic development in Palestine is not separate from the political and national goals."

"Economic developments along with achieving the national and political goals for the Palestinians would lead to ending the occupation and establishing the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital," the prime minister said.