House demolitions – Daily press briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for SecGen (excerpts)

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Michèle Montas, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon, all.

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** Middle East

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, issued a statement over the weekend in Jerusalem.

Serry said he was alarmed at the recent resumption of house demolitions by Israel in the West Bank, after a freeze dating back to April of this year.  He added that the UN would be raising its humanitarian concerns with the Israeli authorities directly, as some of the most vulnerable populations in the West Bank had been hit hard and many poor families left destitute.

Serry also said that Israel’s actions were a political step backwards from its commitments and sent a discouraging signal.  He called on Israel to adhere to its commitments by reinstituting a moratorium on house demolitions, and protecting vulnerable civilians from displacement and loss of livelihoods.  We have the full statement upstairs.

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For information media • not an official record