UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday Israel's intention to erect new Jewish housing in the West Bank would violate agreements reached in negotiations to resolve the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, according to dpa. Ban's spokesperson Michelle Montas said, "The secretary general has stressed many times before that settlement construction or expansion is contrary to international law and Israel's commitments under the road map and the Annapolis process." The road map was devised by the UN, the European Union, the United States and Russia - the quartet in the Middle East peace process. The road map called for the creation of a Palestinian state living along side with Israel in peace. Last year, negotiators met in Annapolis to renew talks on ending the conflict under White House mediation. The Israeli defence ministry had announced plans to build 20 housing units in Maskiot, in the Jordan Valley, for Jewish families that left the Gaza Strip when Israel relinquished the territory to the Palestinians in 2005.
