United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Israel to halt and reverse what he described as troubling and alarming decisions on settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
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"The Secretary-General reiterates that settlements are a flagrant violation of international law," deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement on Monday.
"They are a major obstacle to the realisation of a viable two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
"The expansion of these illegal settlements is a significant driver of tensions and violence and deepens humanitarian needs," Haq said.
Israel's nationalist-religious government has tabled plans to approve thousands of building permits in the occupied West Bank, despite United States pressure to halt settlement expansion that Washington sees as an obstacle to peace with Palestinians.
The plans for approval of 4560 housing units in various areas of the West Bank were included on the agenda of Israel's Supreme Planning Council that meets this week, although only 1332 are up for final approval, with the remainder still going through the preliminary clearance process.
Most countries deem the settlements, built on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, as illegal.
Their presence is one of the fundamental issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Australian Associated Press
