U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged Israel to halt plans to build hundreds of new homes in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, Ban's spokeswoman said, according to Reuters. "The secretary-general calls on the government of Israel to halt settlement expansion and reiterates that the fulfillment of 'road map' obligations by both parties is an important measure underpinning the political process between them," Ban's spokeswoman, Michel Montas, said in a statement. The expansion, which the Palestinians denounced as another blow to U.S.-brokered peace talks, was announced on Sunday.
