Secretary-General

SG/SM/16114

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York


SECRETARY-GENERAL VOICES ALARM OVER WEST BANK LAND SEIZURE, CALLS ON ISRAEL

TO ABIDE BY INTERNATIONAL LAW, QUARTET ROAD MAP COMMITMENTS

 

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General is alarmed by yesterday’s 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 swathe 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.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record