UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday voiced grave concern over the reported decision by the Israeli security cabinet to authorize a series of administrative and enforcement measures in Areas A and B in the occupied West Bank, warning that such measure erodes the prospect for the two-State solution.
“Such actions, including Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are not only destabilizing but – as recalled by the International Court of Justice – unlawful,” according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.
Guterres reiterated that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and their associated regime and infrastructure, have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including relevant UN resolutions.
The Secretary-General called on Israel to reverse the measures. He also urged all parties “to preserve the only path to lasting peace, a negotiated two-State solution, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions and international law.”
On Sunday, the Ynet news website revealed that the Israeli cabinet is advancing a series of dramatic decisions aimed at deepening Israel’s de facto annexation of parts of the West Bank.
It said the measures, advanced by ministers Israel Katz and Bezalel Smotrich, are expected to bring far-reaching changes to land registration and property acquisition procedures in the West Bank, enabling the state to demolish Palestinian-owned buildings in Area A.
The decisions are also expected to significantly expand Jewish settlement across the West Bank.
In Ramallah, the Palestinian Presidency strongly denounced the dangerous decisions approved by the Israeli cabinet aimed at deepening attempts to annex the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian news agency, WAFA.
The Presidency considered the decisions “a continuation of the comprehensive war waged by the Israeli government against Palestinians, and an unprecedented escalation targeting the Palestinian presence and its national and historical rights throughout the Palestinian territory, especially in the occupied West Bank.”
It warned of the grave implications of these decisions, which represent the practical implementation of annexation and displacement plans.
“These decisions also violate all agreements signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, as well as international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, and constitute a blatant violation of the Oslo Accords and the Hebron Agreement,” the Presidency said.
