PA UN Representative Riyad Mansour (AP/Bebeto Matthews)
The Palestinians are seeking UN action against Israel for its approval of 6,000 new homes in Judea and Samaria.
The Palestinian representative to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, accused Israel of an “extreme barrage of illegal behavior” over the last 10 days and demanded that the UN Security Council (UNSC) take action.
Mansour charged on Wednesday that Israel’s approval of the construction of 6,000 new homes in Judea and Samaria is “unprecedented,” saying it exceeds all of the construction in 2016. Prime Minister Netanyahu is “destroying the two-state solution by the continuation of this illegal behavior,” he stated.
Mansour was relating to Israels’ three separate announcements over the past week regarding construction of new homes in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.
Mansour and Mohamed Ali Alhakim, Iraq’s Permanent Representative to the UN and chairman of the UN’s Arab Group, spoke to reporters after meeting with Ukraine’s UN ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko, the current UNSC president. They called on the UNSC to implement anti-Israel Resolution 2334, adopted in December, condemning Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria and demanding a halt to new construction.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon reacted harshly to Mansour’s statement. “The repeated attempts by the Palestinians to spread lies about Israel at the UN will not succeed. The real obstacle to negotiations is the Palestinian recalcitrance and continued incitement towards violence,” Danon asserted.
“Instead of handing out candy in celebration of terror attacks, the Palestinians must put an end to incitement and terrorism,” he continued, referring to the Palestinian custom of celebrating in the streets after a terrorist carries out a successful attack.
The Trump administration refrained from condemning Israel for last week’s construction announcement, a notable departure from the policies championed by the Obama administration, which repeatedly denounced the Netanyahu government for building in its capital and in Judea and Samaria.
The Palestinians expressed shock over this development.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Saeb Erekat told AFP, “We used to hear condemnations, we used to hear American positions saying [Israel] should stop settlement activities, [that] it’s an obstacle to peace.”
“We are building and will continue to do so,” Netanyahu stated.
By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News
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