UN envoy 'troubled by relentless expansion' of Israeli settlements in West Bank

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN envoy for the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, expressed deep concern Tuesday about escalating violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers, at times with the assistance of Israeli security forces.

"I am particularly alarmed by the extreme levels of settler violence, including large numbers of settlers, many armed, systematically attacking Palestinian villages, terrorizing communities, sometimes in the proximity of Israeli security forces," Wennesland told Security Council members.

"Israel, as the occupying Power, has an obligation to protect Palestinians and their property in the occupied Palestinian territory and to ensure prompt, independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into all acts of violence," he said.

The UN official also said he remains "deeply troubled by the relentless expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, that fuels violence and is impeding access by Palestinians to their land and resources, reshaping the geography of the occupied West Bank and threatening the viability of a future Palestinian State."

He said Israeli settlements constitute a flagrant violation of UN resolutions and international law.

"I call on the government of Israel to cease the advancement of all settlement activity immediately," he said.

Israel approved significant amendments to Israeli settlement planning procedures on June 18 that could expedite the advancement of settlement plans.

US Deputy Permanent Representative to UN Robert Wood condemned the attacks that resulted in the loss of lives to Israelis and Palestinians.

Highlighting the troubling approval of more than 5,000 new housing constructions in illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank by Israel, Wood emphasized the violence witnessed last week should serve as a call to action to work toward achieving peace.

Israel's envoy to the UN Gilad Erdan argued that settlement activities do not constitute an obstacle to peace.

He said Israelis in West Bank also "deserve basic needs, such as infrastructure and housing, and the building there will not stop."

Palestine's UN ambassador, Riyad Mansour, said the Israeli government is bringing to its ultimate conclusion a plan to make
a state for the settlers in place of the Palestinian state.

"Israel has always had a colonial settlers agenda. But now, the settlers themselves control Israel and the agenda. The settlers believe this is their chance to get it over with," said Mansour.