UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly opposed Israel’s plans to construct thousands of new settler units that would effectively split the occupied West Bank into two disconnected parts, Anadolu Agency reports.

“Our position is clear — the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law,” said a statement by his spokesperson’s office.

Emphasising that such illegal settlements would “further entrench the occupation, (and) fuel tensions,” the statement also noted that such a move would “systematically erode the viability of a Palestinian State as part of a two-State solution.”

Guterres further called on Israeli authorities to immediately halt the advancement of this process.