UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored Sunday’s destruction of the Shepherd’s Hotel in occupied East Jerusalem to make way for new settlement units in the heart of a Palestinian neighbourhood. In a statement on Monday, Mr Ban said the construction would only serve to heighten tensions in the region. He asked Israel to freeze the settlement activity.

He regretted that “growing international concern at unilateral expansion of illegal Israeli settlements is not being heeded,” by Israel.

He said: “Such actions seriously prejudice the possibility of a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

He called upon the government of Israel “to take whatever steps are necessary to freeze settlement activity anywhere in occupied territory”.