UN Mideast envoy warns about 'growing risk of wide scale regional escalation'

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN Middle East peace process coordinator expressed on Thursday "grave concern over the growing risk of wide scale regional escalation."

"The series of explosions across Lebanon and rockets fired toward Israel in recent days adds to the volatility," Tor Wennesland said at a UN Security Council meeting on Palestine, as he urged all sides to refrain from escalating tensions and "take immediate steps to deescalate."

Wennesland said Israel's illegal settlement activity continued, disregarding the Security Council demaning it to "immediately and completely cease all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem" and to "fully respect all of its legal obligations in this regard."

"In total, some 6,370 housing units were advanced or approved in settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem," he said, from June 11 to Sept. 11.

He noted Israel's continued demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures in the occupied West Bank, and including East Jerusalem.

"Israeli authorities demolished, seized, or forced people to demolish 373 structures, displacing more than 550 people, including 250 children," said Wennesland.

He cited the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), stating that "the State of Israel continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful."

Wennesland noted that the ICJ's opinion states "that the State of Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as rapidly as possible, that all states are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from such unlawful presence of the State of Israel."