UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the need to stop all Israeli settlement expansion activities in the West Bank and related measures, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions.

Guterres expressed grave concern over the Israeli occupation authorities granting 'city' status to a settlement located in the occupied West Bank, reiterating that Israeli settlements remain a major obstacle to achieving a two-state solution and establishing a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

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Israeli Settlements

The spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, explained during the daily press briefing that this administrative classification does not change the legal status of the settlement under international law, as it remains part of the occupied Palestinian territory. The UN Secretary-General reaffirmed that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and their associated infrastructure, lack any legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions, referring in this regard to the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on 19 July 2024.