Doha: UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric affirmed today that Israel's announcement of establishing new settlements in the occupied West Bank is a step in the wrong direction for the two-state solution. In a press briefing, Dujarric said that the UN is firmly against any expansion of settlement activity in the West Bank.

According to Qatar News Agency, Dujarric added that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly called on Israel to halt all illegal settlement activities in Palestinian territories, describing them as a serious obstacle to peace. The United Nations regards settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories as illegal and has long warned that such actions undermine the possibility of resolving the conflict based on the two-state solution. Despite years of appeals for a halt, these activities have continued without result.

Today, the Israeli security cabinet officially approved the construction of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. This decision marks another violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and United Nations resolutions, all of which consider settlement building in occupied territories to be illegal and illegitimate.