Tor Wennesland

Israel's announcement to purportedly legalize five settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank and the issuance of tenders for thousands of illegal housing units in the area face global condemnations.

In a post published on his official X account on June 29, U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland denounced the measure as "deeply concerning."

The UN Security Council on Tuesday expressed sadness over the recent deaths of civilians in violence in the occupied West Bank and urged all parties to "refrain from unilateral actions that further inflame tensions."

Israel's U.N. ambassador accused the Palestinians on Wednesday of stabbing a knife into any chance for reconciliation by seeking an advisory opinion from the U.N.'s highest court on Israel's decades-old occupation — and the Palestinian U.N. envoy accused Israel's new government of seeking to crush its people.

Israel has declared a state of emergency in the central city of Lod after rioting by Israeli Arabs, as conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants intensified.

Cars were set alight and a father and daughter - both Israeli Arabs - died when a rocket from Gaza hit their car.