JERUSALEM, Thursday, October 15, 2020 (WAFA) – UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, condemned today Israel's approval of thousands of new settlement housing units in the occupied West Bank.

"On 14 and 15 October, the Israeli authorities advanced nearly 5,000 housing units, most of which are in outlying locations deep inside the occupied West Bank. Settlement construction is illegal under international law and is one of the major obstacles to peace," said Mladenov in a statement.

"This significant number and location of advancements is of great concern to all those who remain committed to advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace."

The UN Special Coordinator said this move "undermines the prospect of achieving a viable two-State solution by systematically eroding the possibility of establishing a contiguous and independent Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel."

He called on the Israeli occupation authorities to immediately cease all settlement-related activities.

M.N