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U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said Ban also told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone conversation Tuesday that Israel's new settlement building, including in East Jerusalem, undermines efforts to resume direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and violates international law.
The U.N. chief stressed the need to de-escalate the current situation and create an environment conducive to reviving the peace process, he said.
Israel announced the new construction and suspended the payments — totaling some $100 million that it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority — after the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization voted to grant Palestine full membership last month.
