(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) NEW YORK, Jan 11 (KUNA) -- UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov has re-affirmed that Israeli settlement construction is illegal and constitutes a major obstacle to peace.
"In the aftermath of the decision to advance over 1,000 housing units in the occupied West Bank, I reiterate that Israeli settlement construction is illegal under international law and is one of the major obstacles to peace," Mladenov said in a press statement. Mladenov made the statement on Thursday following the issuance of an Israeli decision to build more than 1000 housing units in the occupied West Bank.
"I urge the Israeli authorities to cease and reverse such actions," he added.
He noted that settlement-related activities undermine the chances for the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state within the framework of a negotiated two-state solution. The settlements entrench a one-state reality that is incompatible with realizing the national aspirations of both peoples, he stressed.
Last night, the Israeli authorities gave the thumbs up to build more than 1100 settlement units in the occupied West Bank. It is the recent move in its kind occurred in last months.
Earlier in the day, the European Union and the United Kingdom both condemned the Israeli move aiming to expand further settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli government, the most far-right one in the history of Israel, has supporters of building settlements, calling for cancelling the idea of a two-state solution and the annexation of the West Bank.
The Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts have completely stopped since April 2014, as the US initiative has failed in this dossier. (end) asf.hm
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