Calls for warrying parties in Israel, Palestine conflict to respect international law

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Members of the United Nations Security Council have again called on Israeli and Palestinian authorities to fully respect international humanitarian law and the protection of the civilian population, emphasising the need for both sides to fight and condemn terrorism in all its forms.

The Council statement came as the body was briefed by the Secretary General’s Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace who pointed to mounting violence in the region against the backdrop of deeply worrying settlement-related developments that alter the already fragile dynamics on the ground.

This as Israel’s far-right government continued to approve the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank in violation of international law.

At the heart of the recent tensions is settlement expansion which the international community considers illegal, an obstacle to peace and the aspiration of a two-state solution.

Latest figures point to more than half a million Israelis now living in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as the future capital of an independent State, but which Israel rejects.

A Council resolution passed in 2016 demanded Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in occupied territories – a text that Israel continues to ignore.

Details in the report below: