Security Council: in his capacity as Coordinator of the NAM Caucus in the Security Council

Dec 18,2012

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Caucus in the Security Council expresses its grave concern regarding the continuing illegal Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

NAM condemns the recent provocative announcements by Israel, the occupying Power, to construct 3,000 settlement units on confiscated Palestinian land in an area east of Occupied East Jerusalem, now widely known as the so-called “E-1” plan, in addition to declarations regarding the construction of another 3,600 settlement units.

NAM stresses that Israel’s settlement activities constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law and violate numerous United Nations resolutions, including resolutions of the Security Council. This issue also remains the foremost obstacle to peace, impairing the all efforts to revive credible peace negotiations aimed at bringing an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

It is widely acknowledged that Israeli settlement activities undermine the contiguity, integrity, viability and unity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and jeopardize the prospects for physically achieving the two-State solution based on the pre-1967 borders.

Settlement activities and illegal actions by extremist Israeli settlers are also causing extensive physical, economic and social devastation throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

NAM rejects these illegal actions, which have deliberately intensified after the international community’s reaffirmation of its support for the two-State solution with the General Assembly’s adoption of resolution 67/19, which, inter alia, accorded to Palestine the status of nonmember observer State in the United Nations. NAM calls on Israel to immediately cease its settlement activities and to abide by all of its legal obligations.

The NAM Caucus in the Security Council will continue to call for the Council to uphold its Charter responsibility towards the maintenance of international peace and security, including with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Today, NAM also calls on the parties to return to the path of peace on the basis of the longstanding terms of reference of the peace process, including relevant Security Council resolutions, for the achievement of a just and lasting final settlement.