The United Nations has once against raised “serious concerns” with the Israeli government about the construction of settlements on occupied Palestinian land, a spokesman for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday. “We have raised with the Israeli government, through UNSCO (UN Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories), our serious concerns at recent reports of further settlement activity and we are awaiting clarifications,” Ban's spokeswoman Marie Okabe told reporters. “We reiterate that any settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, is illegal and contrary to the Road Map,” she said, referring to a U.S. led plan to create a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “We believe credible and visible action must be taken to implement Israel's obligations to freeze settlement activity, including natural growth, and to dismantle outposts,” Okabe said. “We strongly support the ongoing efforts within the context of the Annapolis process to bring about concrete action on this and all Phase 1 Road Map obligations,” she ended.
