RAMALLAH, 11 December, 2020, (TON): A senior British official said on Thursday that his country supports the two-state solution for settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and rejects the Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank.

In a phone conversation with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, British Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations Lord Tariq Ahmad said that his country will continue its support for the Palestinian Authority and its institutions.

"In addition, we will continue our financial support for the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)," the British minister added.

For his part, al-Maliki welcomed the British position on the Palestinian issue, especially as it faces many challenges at this "critical stage," said a press statement issued by al-Maliki's office.

The number of settlers living in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank has grown to nearly 600,000. Settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank are connected to each other and to Israel through bypass roads that circumvent Palestinian areas.

Israel continues to expand existing settlements, as well as annexing more Palestinian land to build new settlements. The cumulative effect has been to deny Palestinians the ability to create a viable state in even a small part of historic Palestine.

The UN has condemned settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in multiple resolutions and votes, declaring them to be illegal under international law.