Without mentioning Israel by name, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday deplored yesterday's Israeli demolition of a landmark building in a predominantly Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem in order to build settlements, Kuwait News Agency has reported. "The Secretary-General deplores yesterday's destruction of the Shepherd's Hotel in occupied East Jerusalem to make way for new settlement units in the heart of a Palestinian neighborhood, which only serves to heighten tensions," his spokesman Martin Nesirky told the daily press briefing. "Such actions seriously prejudice the possibility of a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he added. Ban found it "deeply regrettable" that growing international concern at unilateral expansion of illegal Israeli settlements is not being heeded, and called on Israel, once again, to "take whatever steps are necessary to freeze settlement activity anywhere in occupied territory."
