A senior UN official on Wednesday expressed "grave concern" at Israel's continued settlement activities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Xinhua reported.
In a briefing to the Security Council, UN Assistant Secretary- general Oscar Fernadez-Taranco urged the Israeli government to heed the Middle East Quartet's call to freeze all settlement activities, including natural growth, and remove outposts erected since March 2001.
The Quartet comprises the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.
The barrier also continued to restrict Palestinian access to East Jerusalem, key social services and agricultural land, said the UN official.
Israeli actions in support of settlers in the heart of East Jerusalem had been a matter of particular concern, he said.
On Aug. 2, following a decision by the Israeli High Court, Israeli security forces had forcibly evicted nine Palestinian families -- 53 people, including 20 children -- from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and their property had been handed over to a settlement organization. Two families evicted were now living on the sidewalk near the home from where they had been removed and tensions remained high.
The official reiterated the United Nations' call on Israel to cease and reverse provocative actions, such as demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem.