The UN concerned by the Israel decision to advance plans for some 800 settlement units in the West Bank

Last updated on February 6th, 2021 at 07:07 am

Israel continues to violate the human rights of the Palestinian people. Already accused of the excessive use of violence that goes unpunished, the United Nations thunders back against Tel Aviv. In an announcement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief asked the Israeli Government to urgently halt and reverse such decisions, calling them “a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution, and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace”.  The Secretary-General expressed his deep concerns about the resolution of the Israeli authorities to advance plans for some 800 settlement units, most of which are inhabited deep inside the occupied West Bank.

The UN Secretary-General stressed that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights under international law.

For the UN, Settlement Israeli expansion increases the risk of confrontation, further undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and further erodes the possibility of ending the occupation and establishing a bordering and viable sovereign Palestinian State, based on the pre-1967 marks. Antonio Guterres urged the Government of Israel to stop and convert such decisions, which are the main obstacle to the stability achievement and comprehensive peace in the Middle East and the entire region. Israel has given the green light to 780 new homes in West Bank settlements on Sunday in a move publicly seen as being influenced by the imminent transfer of power in the United States. 

Breaking with decades of US diplomacy, outgoing President Donald Trump, in 2019, unilaterally declared that the settlements no longer breached international law.  Against that backdrop, Israel has been increasing construction and either approved or made plans for more than 12,000 homes in 2020, according to news reports and international organizations.

Recently, the State of Israel promised to halt the annexation plan in the West Bank in exchange for normalizing relations with several Arab countries. The agreements, aimed at achieving peace in the Middle East, were facilitated by President Trump. International organizations denounce that Israel’s aggressive policies have not stopped, asking the Arab countries signatories of peace agreements with Tel Aviv to monitor these situations and put the necessary pressure on the Netanyahu government to comply with the United Nations resolutions, as well as the international humanitarian law.