Israel's plans for large-scale housing construction in East Jerusalem contradict the concept of a Palestinian state, provided by the UN resolutions. This was stated by Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia, speaking at the Security Council meeting on Palestinian-Israeli settlement.
"As reported by special coordinator of the [UN Nikolai Mladenov], on November 15, Israeli authorities announced a tender for the construction of more than 1 thousand housing units in East Jerusalem. We are concerned about this decision, which contradicts the international legal basis of Middle East settlement," the diplomat emphasized. He warned that "the construction of a new block of settlements in the area of Givat Hamatos will lead to the separation of East Jerusalem from Bethlehem and will violate the territorial continuity of the Palestinian state supposed by UN resolutions".
During the report to the UN Security Council, Special Coordinator for the Middle East settlement Nikolai Mladenov said that "On November 15, the Israeli authorities started the construction of more than 1200 houses in the settlement of Givat Hamatos".
"I call [Israel] to cancel this step," he stressed, adding that its implementation "will significantly damage the prospects for the establishment of a territorially continuous Palestinian state".
At the same time, the countries of the European Union (Belgium, Estonia, France and Germany), which are members of the Security Council, also condemned Israel's intention to begin construction in the area in a joint statement. "Settlements are illegal under international law. As it has been constantly stressed, we will not recognize any changes in the borders that existed before [the Six Day War] 1967," the document says.
Israel's continued construction in the West Bank is considered one of the main obstacles to solving the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian confrontation. In December 2016, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2334 demanding that Israel immediately stop its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel at the same time stated that it would not comply with the provisions of this UN Security Council document. Russian Foreign Ministry has previously expressed concern that Israel's actions to extend sovereignty "may provoke a dangerous turn of violence in the Palestinian territories" and "destabilize the situation in the Middle East region".
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Zuma \ TASS
Based on materials from TASS