UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reaffirmed that over a hundred of Jewish settlements, cultivated by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, have no "legal validity" despite a recent reversal of the US policy on the matter
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2019) UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reaffirmed that over a hundred of Jewish settlements, cultivated by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, have no "legal validity" despite a recent reversal of the US policy on the matter."The establishment of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law as stated in Security Council resolution 2334," Guterres said in a letter to the UN panel on the rights of the Palestinian people, which held its 398th meeting on Wednesday.
The meeting came two weeks after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo repudiated a longtime official opinion on illegality of the settlements, now home to more than 600,000 Israelis. It marked the Trump administration's latest move to bolster Israel's grip over the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories claimed by the Palestinians to establish a state of their own.
"Regrettably, over the past year there have been no positive developments and the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate. The intensification of illegal settlements, demolitions of Palestinian homes and a pervasive suffering in Gaza must stop," Guterres wrote. "These actions threaten to undermine the viability of establishing the Palestinian state based on relevant UN resolutions."
The letter was read by his Chef de Cabinet Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, who attended the committee's meeting dedicated to the International day of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in a message to the committee on the International day of solidarity with the Palestinian people also blasted the US decision, calling it "null and void".
Abbas reaffirmed that Palestinians saw no role for the United States in mediating peace efforts in the Middle East.
"Once again we witness the US administration violating international law proving it is unqualified to be an honest broker," said the president's letter as read out by Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour. "Such unlawful statement and decisions by the US only embolden the Israeli government in perpetuating its occupation and in accelerating its settlement activities."
Abbas thanked all countries and international organizations that had condemned and rejecedt the US new policy and Israeli settlement activities.
