The Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday denounced settlement activity in the territories occupied by Israel, speaking of « provocations » that cast doubt on the willingness of Israelis to reach a two-state solution.

Last Thursday, the Israeli government confirmed its intention to enter the fertile land in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.

At a meeting of the Security Council on the Middle East, Ban Ki-moon also expressed « deep concern » following reports that Israel has approved a project to build homes in more than 150 Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister, in a statement released in the evening, estimated that Ban Ki-moon was only to « strengthen terrorism »! (…)

About 550,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. And 350,000 Palestinians are in East Jerusalem, and 2.7 million in the West Bank.