UN says Israeli settlement plan violates international law
By Nathan Morley
The United Nations said Friday that Israel’s plan to establish a new settlement in the occupied West Bank violates international law and would undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presented the plan Thursday. It would effectively divide the West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem from other Palestinian areas.
“It would end the prospects for a two-state solution,” U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said. He said the settlements violate international law and further consolidate the occupation.
The United Kingdom and the European Union also criticized the plan.
“The U.K. strongly opposes the Israeli government’s settlement plans, which would divide a future Palestinian state in two and constitute a clear violation of international law,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement.
Separately, the Israeli military said Friday it killed a Hamas commander in the Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defence Forces said Nasser Musa, described as head of Hamas’ military control department in the Rafah Brigade, was killed in an Aug. 9 airstrike. The claim was posted on the IDF’s Telegram channel. Hamas has not commented.
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