UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressd alarm over Israel’s Sunday announcement to declare as so-called “state land” nearly 1,000 acres of land in the Bethlehem area of the West Bank.

He termed it “illegal” under international law.

The seizure of such a large swathe of land risks paving the way for further settlement activity, which – as the United Nations has reiterated on many occasions – is illegal under international law and runs totally counter to the pursuit of a two-state solution.

The secretary-general asked Israel on Monday to heed the calls of the international community to refrain from settlement activity and abide by its commitments under international law and the Quartet Road Map.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd , 2014