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UN chief urges Israel to reverse land seizure in West Bank

Xinhua, March 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged the Israeli government to "halt and reverse" the land confiscation in the occupied West Bank, saying that such an Israeli move is "an impediment to the two-State solution."

"I can tell you that the secretary-general views the recent classification by Israeli authorities of some 2,340 dunums of land as 'state land' in the occupied West Bank as an impediment to the two-State solution," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"Such actions appear to point towards an increase in settlement activities and demonstrate that Israel is continuing to push forward with the consolidation of its control of the West Bank," Dujarric said.

"Settlements are illegal under international law," he said. "The secretary-general urges the government of Israel to halt and reverse such actions in the interest of peace and a just final-status agreement," he said.

The two-state solution, widely backed by the international community, means a secure Israel to live in peace with an independent Palestine.

In late January, Ban expressed his deep concern about reports of an Israeli government plan to appropriate new land in West Bank.

Israel occupied West Bank during the 1967 Mideast War and has been controlling it ever since, in a move condemned by the international community. Endit