Palestinians brief UN Security Council on Israeli settlement expansion in West Bank

The Palestinians have briefed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the Israeli declaration to construct thousands of settlement units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, an official said on Sunday.

Palestine envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour sent memos to members of the UNSC and met with a number of them to brief them on the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlement units in the West Bank and Jerusalem, he told Voice of Palestine.

"There are Palestinian efforts to urge the UNSC to assume its responsibilities in implementing its resolutions, especially 2334, which calls for a complete halt of settlements as illegal, and the rest of the issues related to this issue," Mansour said.

Mansour unveiled that the UNSC will hold a closed consultation session on Monday.

"Palestine mission will raise the issue of settlements and the Israeli measures in the Palestinian territories, including land confiscation, attempts to displace residents, demolish homes, and the ongoing blockade imposed on Gaza," he said.

Mansour added that the UN's Fourth Committee is scheduled to vote on Tuesday on draft resolution related to the Israeli settlement.

"The international community has to pressure Israel to stop all its measures and actions against the Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip," Mansour said.

According to Israeli and Palestinian estimates, about 650,000 Israeli settlers live in 164 settlements and 124 outposts in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israeli settlement is the thorniest issue in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and one of the main reasons for stopping the last round of direct peace negotiations between the two sides in 2014.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians, in the 1967 Middle East war and has controlled them ever since. The Palestinians want to establish a Palestinian state on these territories.