1st LD: Israeli settlement activities continued in defiance of UN resolution -- UN official

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Israel continued settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territory in 2017 in violation of a Security Council resolution passed almost a year ago, Nikolay Mladenov, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said on Monday.

Significantly more housing units were advanced and approved in 2017, Mladenov told the Security Council.

In Area C of the West Bank, the number of units advanced and approved more than doubled from 3,000 in 2016 to nearly 7,000 in 2017. In East Jerusalem, the increase has similarly been from 1,600 in 2016 to some 3,100 in 2017, he said.

The activities contravened Security Council Resolution 2334, which demands Israel "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem."

No such steps have been taken by the Israeli side during the reporting period from Sept. 20 to Dec.18, said Mladenov, updating the Security Council on the implementation of the resolution.

"Let me reiterate that the United Nations considers all settlement activities to be illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace," he said.

2017 has also seen worrying legislative, judicial and administrative initiatives in Israel that aim to change the long-standing Israeli policy concerning the legal status of the West Bank and the use of private Palestinian land, he said.

"Settlement-related activities undermine the chances for the establishment of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution," said Mladenov.

He observed that continuing violence against civilians and incitement perpetuated mutual fear and suspicion.

Since the adoption of Resolution 2334 on Dec. 23, 2016, there has been a significant reduction in the number of violent attacks. In 2017, there were 109 shooting, stabbing, ramming, and bombing attacks conducted compared to 223 similar attacks in 2016. Regarding fatalities, 72 Palestinians and 15 Israelis were killed this year, compared to 109 and 13, respectively, in 2016.

However, since Dec. 6, in the wake of the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the situation has become more tense with an increasing incidents, notably rockets fired from Gaza and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, said Mladenov.

During the reporting period, 28 rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel, and 12 mortar rounds. In response, the Israeli Defense Forces continued to target a number of Hamas and Islamic Jihad military posts across the Gaza Strip in which two Palestinian militants and one civilian were killed, with at least 28 people injured, he said.

Since Dec. 7, there has been a visible increase in rockets fired by Gaza militants. Of the 40 projectiles fired during the reporting period, 27 have been launched since Hamas called for an escalation. Four rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. At least eight more rockets landed in Israel.

"I call on the international community to join the United Nations in condemning terror attacks and such reckless action that impede any efforts to bridge the gaps between Israelis and Palestinians and empower extremists. Nothing justifies terror -- no cause, no grievance."

Israel must also uphold its responsibilities under international human rights and humanitarian law and calibrate its use of force, said Mladenov. Enditem