UN Condemns “Israeli” Settlements

By Staff, Agencies

The United Nations Security Council [UNSC] has issued a statement denouncing “Israeli” settlements in the occupied West Bank, deeming them a major obstacle to peace in the region. While a separate resolution would have called for an immediate end to all settlement activity, it was successfully thwarted by American negotiators, according to multiple outlets.

The Security Council expressed “deep concern and dismay” over the further expansion of settlement outposts on Monday, citing recently announced plans by the “Israeli” government to legally authorize nine existing settlements in the West Bank.

The UNSC “strongly opposes all unilateral measures that impede peace,” including the “construction and expansion of settlements, confiscation of Palestinians’ land, the ‘legalization’ of settlement outposts, demolition of Palestinians homes and displacement of Palestinian civilians,” it said, adding that ongoing settlement activity is “dangerously imperiling the viability of the ‘two-state solution’.”

A long line of humanitarian organizations, as well as the UN itself, have repeatedly denounced the settlements as violations of international law – namely Article 49 of the Geneva Conventions, which states that “occupying powers” must not “deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.”

However, with hundreds of thousands of “Israelis” now settling in the occupied West Bank, the government has insisted on their right to remain in the area, creating major complications for any future “two-state solution”.

The US has consistently supported the “Israeli” entity amid criticism of the settlements and other policies toward the Palestinians, frequently using its veto power at the UN to shut down resolutions seeking to condemn or curtail “Israel’s” actions. Washington has similarly opposed efforts to seek accountability at other global bodies, such as the International Criminal Court.

According to the Associated Press, Monday’s UN statement was deliberately “watered down” following a pressure campaign by American diplomats, who reportedly led “high-stakes negotiations” to kill a legally binding Security Council resolution which would have required immediate action on the settlements. After heavily promoting the resolution, the Palestinian Authority [PA] ultimately “agreed to suspend its efforts” thanks to “US pressure and mediation,” Axios reported.