The UN on Wednesday condemned Israel’s decision to approve thousands of new housing units in the occupied West Bank.

“The Secretary-General condemns the decision of the Higher Planning Committee to grant approval for more than 3,400 housing units in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank,” Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement.

"Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are a violation of international law and run directly counter to United Nations resolutions. The advancement of this project is an existential threat to the two-State solution,” the statement added.

The statement warned that the plan would divide the northern and southern West Bank, gravely undermining the territorial continuity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The statement said the Secretary-General “reiterates his call on the Government of Israel to immediately halt all settlement activity” and urged it to “comply fully with its obligations under international law” in line with UN resolutions and the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion of July 19, 2024.