Arab League Secretary-General Calls on the UN Security Council to Take a Firm Stance to Halt the Occupation's Settlement Activities
Cairo, Aug 20 (KUNA) -- Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy called on Thursday for the UN Security Council to adopt a clear and firm stance to halt all settlement activities, stressing that the Israeli occupation continues to act “like a rogue state” in defiance of international law and in violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, amid a lack of deterrence and international accountability.
In a statement, Fahmy said that developments in the region over recent days provide fresh evidence of the dangers of this approach, ranging from the continuation of the implementation of the “E-1” settlement project in the occupied West Bank and the tendering for new settlement units, to the recent Israeli aggression on Syrian territory and the ongoing raids and bombardments on Lebanese soil.
He emphasized that these violations cannot be viewed as isolated incidents or justified on security grounds, but rather reflect a “continuous approach” based on the use of force, the imposition of facts on the ground, and the violation of states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Fahmy noted that UN Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016 affirmed the nullity of all Israeli occupation measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character, and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
He urged the Security Council to take a clear and firm position to stop all settlement activities that aim to suffocate any possibility of establishing an independent, contiguous Palestinian state.
Fahmy warned that the continued silence of the international community and the absence of effective accountability encourage the occupation to continue operating outside the bounds of the law. He stressed that this approach not only threatens the countries of the region but also “undermines the credibility of the entire international legal system and entrenches the logic of force as a substitute for international legitimacy.”
He called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take practical steps to halt these violations and end the policy of impunity, affirming that respect for states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, the end of the occupation, and the cessation of settlement are fundamental principles without which the international order cannot function. (End) MM / TM A
