[Iran Press TV] The White House has called on Israel to end its "50-year occupation" of the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem), criticizing Tel Aviv over its continued settlement activities in the occupied Paleostinian territories.
In a speech to an American Jewish advocacy group in Washington on Monday, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said, "An occupation that has lasted for almost 50 years must end, and the Paleostinian people must have the right to live in and govern themselves in their own sovereign state."
"Israel cannot maintain military control of another people indefinitely, that's the truth," McDonough said at the final event of J Street's 2015 conference, a three-day gathering of American Jewish students, activists and lobbyists.
"Paleostinian children deserve the same right to be free in their own land as Israeli children in their land," he said. "A two-state solution will finally bring Israelis the security and normality to which they are entitled, and Paleostinians the illusory sovereignty and dignity they deserve."
In a war in 1967, Israel captured the West Bank and East al-Quds. Since then, Tel Aviv has continued to expand its illegal settlements there. The issue has become a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.
The UN and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal. The settlements are subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbids construction on occupied lands.
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