New York: The Secretary-General is alarmed by the announcement by Israeli authorities to declare as so-called “state land” nearly 1,000 acres of land in the Bethlehem area of the West Bank.
The seizure of such a large swath of land risks paving the way for further settlement activity, which – as the United Nations has reiterated on many occasions – is illegal under international law and runs totally counter to the pursuit of a two-state solution.
The Secretary-General calls on Israel to heed the calls of the international community to refrain from settlement activity and abide by its commitments under international law and the quartet road map.