UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reminded Israel on Monday that the building of settlements on occupied territory was illegal, and said he was "disappointed" by the government's failure to extend its partial ban on further construction.
The expiry on Sunday of the Israeli construction restrictions have threatened to scuttle Mideast peace negotiations, just weeks after they were launched in early September with great fanfare at the White House.
Palestinians regard settlement building as a major obstacle to peacemaking and have threatened to walk out of negotiations if the building restarts.
Last week, the the "Quartet" of Mideast peacemakers urged Israel to extend the moratorium.
A statement released by Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said the secretary-general was "disappointed that no such decision has been taken and (is) concerned at provocative actions taking place on the ground."
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Ban reiterated that "settlement activity is illegal under international law," and urged the Jewish state to fulfill its obligation to freeze further construction.
