UN chief urges Israeli lawmakers to reconsider settlement bill

Outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday urged Israeli lawmakers to reconsider advancing a bill that would legalize Israeli settlement homes on private Palestinian land in the West Bank.

"I strongly urge legislators to reconsider advancing this bill, which will have negative legal consequences for Israel and substantially diminish the chances for Arab-Israeli peace," Ban told the U.N. Security Council during his final briefing on the Middle East.