New York, February 10: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday expressed concern over a series of decisions approved by Israel’s security cabinet authorising administrative and enforcement measures in Areas A and B of the West Bank. He urged Israel to reverse the move, warning that it undermines the prospects for a two-state solution.
The remarks were conveyed by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, who said Guterres is gravely concerned about the reported decision of the Israeli security cabinet to approve a range of administrative and enforcement measures in the area.
“He warns that the current trajectory on the ground, including this decision, is eroding the prospect for the two-State solution,” the statement said.
The statement further described the Israeli actions as “not only destabilising but — as recalled by the International Court of Justice — unlawful.”
The UN chief called on Israel to reverse the measures in order to preserve the path to lasting peace.
Dujarric said, “The Secretary-General calls on Israel to reverse these measures and on all parties to preserve the only path to lasting peace — a negotiated two-State solution — in line with relevant Security Council resolutions and international law.”
The statement followed announcements by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday, who said the security cabinet had approved decisions to “dramatically” change land registration and property acquisition procedures in the West Bank, according to the Times of Israel.
Under the Oslo II Accords signed in 1995 by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank is divided into Areas A, B and C. Area C is under full Israeli control, Area B is under Palestinian civilian control with Israeli security oversight, and Area A is under full Palestinian control, the report noted.
The Times of Israel said the two ministers, in a joint statement, claimed the decisions were aimed at removing decades-old barriers, repealing discriminatory Jordanian legislation, and accelerating settlement development on the ground.
The report added that the approved plan allows for the publication of land registries in the West Bank, making property records publicly accessible and enabling potential buyers to identify landowners and approach them for purchases. Until now, land registration in the West Bank had remained classified.
It also noted that the cabinet repealed a legal provision that barred non-Muslims from purchasing real estate in the area.
Citing WAFA News Agency, the Times of Israel reported that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the decisions as illegal and invalid, and called on the United States and the United Nations to intervene to halt their implementation.
WAFA said Abbas’s office warned against any infringement on Islamic and Christian holy sites, stressing that any violation of the Ibrahimi Mosque and the transfer of authority over it would be unacceptable, using the Muslim term for the Hebron compound. (Agencies)
