Resolution on Israeli settlement in 'very early' stage: US

By Esra Kaymak Avci

WASHINGTON

A Palestinian U.N. draft resolution that condemns Israeli settlement activities is at a "very early" stage, a U.S. official said Friday.

"Nothing has been formally introduced or circulated at the Security Council, and nothing has been introduced by a Security Council member," according to State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

He said the U.S. continues to express concerns about Israel’s ongoing settlement activities he described as "illegitimate and counterproductive to the cause of peace in the Middle East."

Toner's comments come after media reports said Palestine said it would introduce a resolution at the U.N. that would condemn Israeli settlement activity.

Robert Piper, the U.N. coordinator for humanitarian aid and assistance for the occupied Palestinian territories, urged EU authorities in Brussels to place political pressure on Israel for its settlement activities.

With more than 540 demolitions and confiscations this year, the Israeli military has already matched its 2015 total and tightened the grip on Palestinians living in the occupied territories, according to Piper.