Settlements are illegal, 14 UNSC members tell an isolated US

Source: The Jerusalem Post

November 20, 2019 at 19:01

European ambassadors to the United Nations Security Council (L-R) Jurgen Schulz, German Deputy Ambassador to the UN, France's Nicolas De Riviere, Britain's Karen Pierce, Poland's Joanna Wronecka and Belgium's Marc Pecsteen de B

The UNSC has held that the Israeli activity over the pre-1967 lines is illegal under international law. This includes activity in east Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the West Bank.

The Trump Administration stood alone at the United Nations Security Council, as 14 nations out of the 15-member body slammed its new policy that holds West Bank settlements are legal.“To us, it is obvious that this [new US policy] will escalate the already tense situation in Palestinian-Israeli settlement, Russian Chargé d'Affaires Dmitry Polyanskiy told the UNSC at its monthly meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Read

Before you renew Amazon Prime, read this (Wikibuy)

After the meeting Kuwait told reporters the US had scuttled efforts to have the UNSC issued a statement confirming the illegality of the settlements."We wanted a short two paragraphs emphasizing that settlement activity is illegal, undermines the two-state solution and violates Security Council resolution 2334," its envoy said. But "one delegation objected to that."Prior to the meeting, the ambassadors of the five European Union members of the UNSC – the United Kingdom, France, Poland, Germany and Belgium – issued a joint statement against the US declaration.“All settlement activity is illegal under international law,” the ambassadors said as they read from the statement. The settlements erode “the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace.”They called “on Israel to end all settlement activity” adding that they were concerned by Israeli calls for the “possible annexation of areas in the West Bank.”

Read More (...)