UN chief "deeply concerned" over new Israeli settlements

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Wednesday expressed his concern over Israel's decision to build new settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank in response to Palestine's admission to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In a statement issued by his spokesman, Ban called on Israel to freeze all of its settlement activities in disputed territories, saying "Israeli settlement activity is contrary to international law and the roadmap and prejudices final status negotiations." The UNESCO General Conference voted on Monday to admit Palestine as a full member of the UNESCO, and Israel responded by ordering a new round of settlement construction on Tuesday. The Roadmap for Middle East Peace is a plan for a two-state solution formulated by the diplomatic Quartet for Middle East Peace. The Quartet, which consists of the U.S., the UN, the European Union (EU), and the Russian Federation, recently called on both sides to resume direct peace talks abandoned in 2010. Ban was "worried about the trajectory of developments" between Israel and Palestine, and called on both parties to "refrain from provocations and work with the Quartet towards serious proposals on borders and security in the coming three months, in the context of a shared commitment to resume direct negotiations," said the statement. The statement also addressed funding problems that have arisen since the UNESCO vote. The U.S., a close Israeli ally, said it will freeze all its funding to the organization as a result of the decision. "The decision was the prerogative of member states, and he wishes to work with them on practical solutions to preserve UNESCO 's financial resources," said the spokesman.