UN slams Israel over illegal settlements
An illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank (file photo)
The United Nations has lashed at Israel for ignoring international calls to stop the expansion of its illegal settlement activities on occupied Palestinian lands.
A UN statement said on Monday that Tel Aviv has ignored the international community's repeated calls for a complete end to illegal settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem) in particular.
The statement also said Israel's recent allocation of half a billion dollars to the expansion of settlements shows that Tel Aviv has no intention of stopping its illegal policies.
Israel has also approved the building of 1,600 settlement units in recent weeks.
The Palestinian Authority walked out of direct peace talks with Israel late last year after Tel Aviv refused to renew a partial freeze on settlement activities in the West Bank.
Israel occupied and annexed East al-Quds in 1967 Six-Day War in a move never recognized by the international community.
According to data from the Palestinian Information Center, Israel has demolished 995 Palestinian homes and displaced 5,783 individuals -- among them 3,109 children -- in the occupied al-Quds since the start of 2000.
This is while Israel proceeds persistently with the construction of settlements on the occupied territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
The UN has on various occasions criticized Israel for defying international calls to halt its settlement construction expansions.
GHN/MRS/MGH
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