At Least 20 Injured in a Bus Explosion in Occupied al-Quds

An explosion rocked a bus near a gas station in occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Monday, Israeli sources said, leaving 16 people wounded, according to al-Manar TV.

 Reports added that two of the wounded are in critical conditions and that an adjacent bus was burnt after the explosion which occurred on al-Quds (Jerusalem)-al-Khalil (Hebron) highway.

Media reports further mentioned that the Zionist enemy launched sirens in the vicinity of Gaza Strip.

 Israelisettlement activities hamper peace process: UN

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has slammed Israel’s illegal settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian lands and said Tel Aviv’s land grab polices are an obstacle to peace.

“I once again reiterate that settlements are illegal under international law and undermine efforts to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Ban told the Security Council in a regular briefing on Monday.

The UN chief further expressed concerns over demolitions of Palestinian homes by Israel as well as ongoing violence in the occupied West Bank and said peace seems “more distant” than ever under the current circumstances.

 “The creation of new facts on the ground through demolitions and settlement building raises questions about whether Israel’s ultimate goal is in fact to drive Palestinians out of certain parts of the West Bank, thereby undermining any prospect of transition to a viable Palestinian state,” Ban said.

The UN chief also slammed the ongoing punitive demolitions of homes belonging to families of Palestinians, who allegedly attack Israelis, as an internationally-banned form of collective punishment.

  Agencies

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