UN envoy ‘concerned’ by outpost legalization bill

UN special envoy to the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, expresses his concern over the bill to legalize settlements built on private Palestinian land, which he says could harm the chances of reaching an agreement, and called on MKs to rethink their support for it.

“If adopted into law, it will have far reaching legal consequences for Israel and greatly diminish the prospects for Arab-Israeli peace,” Mladenov says in a statement sent to the media. “The bill has been deemed unconstitutional by the Attorney General of Israel and is in contravention of international law. I urge Israeli legislators to reconsider this move.”

The envoy also calls on both sides to resolve the central issues of the conflict “through direct negotiations on the basis of relevant Security Council resolutions and mutual agreements.”