Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem 'go against international law,' says spokesperson
The UN on Thursday warned that Israel's approval of a new illegal settlement project aimed at dividing the occupied West Bank would deepen the occupation and eliminate the possibility of a two-state solution.
"Our position on settlements is clear. The Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the regime that's associated with these settlements go against international law," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a news conference in New York.
"Settlements, to state the obvious, further entrench the occupation for the prospect of a two-state solution even further away," he said, referring to reported remarks by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on cutting the occupied West Bank in two through the project.
Dujarric stressed that the move "would sever the northern and southern West Banks and "put an end to prospects of a two-state solution," urging Israel "to stop the advancement of this process."
In the Gaza Strip, Dujarric cited the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as reporting intensified Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Gaza City over the past two days, with continued attacks in central Deir al-Balah and southern Khan Younis.
"Strikes are hitting residential buildings and tents housing displaced people, resulting in a high number of casualties," he said.
With 86% of Gaza now in Israeli-militarized zones or under displacement orders, Dujarric warned that "any further loss of space, more mass displacement orders, or intensified attacks in populated areas would have devastating consequences."
He added that Israel's ban on the entry of shelter materials for over five months has left "hundreds of thousands of people without protection from the heat" amid soaring temperatures.
"Nearly everyone in Gaza has been displaced at least once since the war began, and the makeshift shelters they managed to improvise or acquire have often either worn out or been abandoned in the rush to flee," Dujarric said.
