The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov raised concern over “the scheduled vote on the so-called Regularization Bill as it would enable the continued use of privately-owned Palestinian land for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.”
“If adopted into law it will have far reaching legal consequences for Israel and greatly diminish the prospects for Arab-Israeli peace” he warned.
The bill has been deemed unconstitutional by the Attorney General of Israel and is in contravention of international law according to his statements.
Mladenov urged “Israeli legislators to reconsider this move” stressing that settlements are illegal under international law and as outlined in the Middle East Quartet report “present one of the main impediments to peace.”
All core issues should be resolved between the parties through direct negotiations on the basis of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and mutual agreements he stressed.
