Amman - The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) on Saturday rebuked Israel over measures being taken to "Judaize" East Jerusalem as "obstacles" to peace, and urged the Jewish state to resume peace talks with the Palestinians on the basis of the two-state vision. "In the light of these most recent developments, the EMPA expresses its deep concerns considering them as obstacles (to) the peace process, which we are hopeful will go back on track to lead to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East that puts an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the two-state solution," the EMPA said.
The remarks were issued issued in a statement at the end of a meeting in Amman that was chaired by the speaker of Jordan's lower house of parliament, Abdul Hadi Majali, in his capacity as current EMPA president.
The two-state solution, the meeting said, should give birth to an "independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state that lives with Israel as neighbours and to the best interests of both peoples, in particular, and peoples of the region, in general."