UN Special Coordinator Warns of Israeli “Regulation Bill”

New York, 9 Jumadil Awwal 1438/7 February 2017 (MINA) – 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 Palestinian Information Center (PIC) reported.

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.(T/R04/RS05)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)