UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned on Monday Israel's plan to expropriate land beyond the Green Line. 'The Secretary-General is alarmed by yesterday's announcement by Israeli authorities to declare as so-called 'state land' nearly 1,000 acres of land in the Bethlehem area of the West Bank,' the UN chief's office said in a statement. 'The seizure of such a large swathe of land risks paving the way for further settlement activity, which – as the United Nations has reiterated on many occasions – is illegal under international law and runs totally counter to the pursuit of a two-state solution.' 'The Secretary-General calls on Israel to heed the calls of the international community to refrain from settlement activity and abide by its commitments under international law and the Quartet road map.'
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)