Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesman of Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, said on Sunday that the Palestinian Arab leadership rejects the Israeli government’s decision to accelerate the development of homes in Judea and Samaria and to authorize Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to approve the plan.
Under the new regulations, the approval process will be reduced to just two stages from the current six stages.
In an interview with Voice of Palestine radio, Abu Rudeineh said that “Israel is playing with fire both on the issue of Jerusalem and on the issue of the settlements, as it knows that these are Palestinian, Arab and international red lines.”
He warned the Israeli government against implementing policies that could lead to an “escalation of tensions on the ground”, and said that the US administration is responsible for the crossing of the red lines on the part of Israel.
“Israel is not able to lay a single stone without American approval, and therefore the American administration must bear responsibility and not remain silent and in a position of an observer,” said Abu Rudeineh.

The PA chairman’s spokesman also said that the American administration’s policy endangers security in the region, since peace will only be achieved through the implementation of the Arab peace initiative and a legitimate Palestinian government.
“The settlements in the (West) Bank will all be dismantled, as they were dismantled in the Gaza Strip, due to the fact that they are illegitimate, illegal and contrary to international law,” added Abu Rudeineh.