
A housing development in the Israeli West Bank settlement of Efrat, a bedroom community outside Jerusalem. Demand for housing there has risen as Israelis seeking a suburban lifestyle have become less concerned with settlement living. (Ben Sales/JTA)
(JTA) – The United Nations has called on Israel to back down after it advanced the construction of more than 2,300 housing units for West Bank settlements.
“The expansion of settlements has no legal effect and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law,” United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said in a statement Wednesday. “By advancing the effective annexation of the West Bank, it undermines the chances for establishing a Palestinian state based on relevant UN resolutions, as part of a negotiated two-state solution.” [Read more…]