UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres has urged all parties to preserve “the only path to lasting peace” – a negotiated two‑state solution, in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and international law. He reiterated the long‑standing UN position that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank constitute a “flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions.”
In a statement issued through his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres condemned the 15 February decision of the Israeli government to resume land‑registration procedures in Area C of the occupied West Bank, following a cabinet decision taken in May 2025.
According to the statement, “this decision could lead to the expropriation of Palestinian properties and risks expanding Israeli control over land in the area.”
“Such measures, including Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, are not only destabilising but, as the International Court of Justice has reminded, are also illegal,” the statement said.
The Secretary‑General urged the Israeli government “to immediately reverse these measures,” warning that “the current trajectory on the ground is eroding the viability of the two‑state solution.”
The statement also reaffirmed the UN’s consistent position that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are devoid of legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions.
Guterres again called on all parties to maintain “the only path to lasting peace” – a negotiated two‑state solution grounded in Security Council resolutions and international law.
On Monday, the Secretary‑General called on Israel to reverse its new policy allowing the registration of occupied West Bank land as state property. Guterres considers the measure “destabilising” and “illegal,” Dujarric said.
Source: CNA