Israel draws much egg on UNESCO-linked settlements

Israel has started settlements after the Palestinians secured membership of UNESCO.UN chief Ban is also worried at the trajectory of developments between Israel and the Palestinians and called on both to refrain from provocations, said his spokesman Martin Nesirky.The secretary general is deeply concerned at the decisions announced by the government of Israel in response to the vote by UNESCOs General Conference to allow Palestinian membership, Nesirky said.Ban highlighted the UN view that Israeli settlement activity breaches international law and the roadmap to peace set out by the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East -- the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations.The secretary general calls on the government of Israel to freeze all settlement activity and to continue to transfer VAT and customs revenues that belong to the Palestinian Authority and are essential to enable it to function, in line with Israels obligations, the spokesman said.Russia also called on Israel to cancel its decision to accelerate settlement building in occupied territory in retaliation for Palestines accession to UNESCO.We insistently urge the Israeli government to refrain from any unilateral actions that prejudge the result of the talks process on questions of the final status of the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.The White House on its part sharply criticized Israels decision to accelerate settlement construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank in retaliation for the Palestinians winning membership from the United Nations cultural organization.White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Obama administration was deeply disappointed in the settlement decision.Unilateral actions work against efforts to resume direct negotiations, and they do not advance the goal of a reasonable and necessary agreement between the two parties, Carney said. And that is the only way to achieve the two-state solution that both sides have as their goal.Israel is accelerating housing construction in both east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as their capital, and the nearby West Bank.