UN Warns Israeli West Bank Measures Threaten Two-State Peace Prospects

[Abdulrahmon Mubarak Olayinka]

NEW YORK CITY: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that newly approved administrative and enforcement measures by Israeli authorities in the West Bank are undermining the prospects for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

Israel's Security Cabinet over the weekend approved new rules aimed at strengthening Israeli control over the occupied West Bank. The measures would make it easier for Israeli settlers to purchase land and grant Israeli officials expanded powers to enforce laws on Palestinians.

Guterres said he was "gravely concerned" by reports that the measures would apply to Areas A and B of the West Bank. He cautioned that the current trajectory of developments on the ground is steadily eroding the possibility of a negotiated settlement.

He reiterated the long-standing United Nations position that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, lack legal validity and amount to a "flagrant violation of international law."

According to Guterres, such actions, including Israel's continued presence in occupied Palestinian territory, are both destabilizing and unlawful. He referenced the position of the International Court of Justice in support of this view.

The UN chief called on Israeli authorities to reverse the decision and urged all parties to protect what he described as the only viable route to lasting peace—a negotiated two-state solution consistent with international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

Israel, however, has rejected international criticism of its settlement policies and continues to dispute claims that its actions in the West Bank violate international law.

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