UN envoy who condemned US reversal on settlements blasted for anti-Israel bias

NGO Regavim slammed Nikolai Mladenov for condemning the U.S. reversal on settlements. 

By World Israel News Staff

Regavim, a pro-Israel NGO, criticized Nikolai Mladenov, U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, in a letter on Monday for his statements condemning the U.S. reassessment of the legal status of Israeli setttlements in Judea and Samaria.

“Unilateral moves fuel anger and disillusionment,” Mladenov said.

Regavim’s Executive Director Meir Deutsch wrote Mladenov, “We were both dismayed and surprised by your recent statement… Our dismay stems from the fact that your recent public statements, and the characterization of Israel’s activities in Judea and Samaria in your briefing to the Council, reveal a deep-seated anti-Israel bias.”

Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rescinded a 1978 State Department opinion called the Hansell Memorandum, which claimed that civilian settlements in Judea and Samaria are “inconsistent with international law.”

The move angered Palestinians and and the hard-left in Israel and put the U.S. at odds with nations that favor their position, particularly in Europe.

Regavim also pointed out in its letter to Mladenov that he ignores the U.N.’s unilateral actions – “actions that violate international law and signed treaties, undermining both the letter and the spirit of the Oslo framework.”

“The United Nations has spent millions of dollars on infrastructure projects in Israeli-administered Area C, with the stated purpose of strengthening Palestinian statehood in this region,” it said.

“These projects, carried out unilaterally and without coordination with the Civil Administration or any other official representative of the State of Israel, are the only ‘flagrant violation of international law’ occurring in Area C,” Regavim’s Deutsch wrote.

He added, “international law dictates that all construction and infrastructure projects must be carried out either directly by Israel or by individuals or organizations granted a specific permit to do so by the State of Israel. Similarly, the Oslo Accords very clearly delineate the jurisdiction of this territory; the U.N.’s activities violate this jurisdiction on a daily basis.”