Cairo, Aug. 31 (Petra) -- Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy voiced grave concern on Monday over statements and plans by Israel's far-right finance minister to expand Jewish settlements in the Negev and Galilee, as well as measures affecting Arab towns and the powers of planning and land authorities.

"The discriminatory nature of these plans, based on identity and national affiliation, reflects a dangerous rise in racist tendencies within Israeli society and entrenches discrimination and exclusion at the expense of the rights of Arab citizens and equality principles," Fahmy said, warning of serious repercussions should such policies become institutionalized.

Fahmy said the developments fall under a broader context in Israeli policies aimed at imposing new facts on the ground, including settlement expansion and the erosion of the foundations of a Palestinian state.

Such actions violate international law and threaten prospects for a just and lasting political settlement, he warned.

The Arab League Chief urged the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in confronting these policies and preserving the foundations for an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He said the two-state solution is the path to lasting security, stability and peace in the region.

//Petra// NQ