Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of Palestine to the UN, made the statement to the Security Council in an open debate on the Middle East.

"In fact, Israeli settlement activities increased by at least 20 percent in the past year, with construction initiated on 1,850 units and at least 3,500 units under construction in 2011 in 142 illegal settlements and so-called 'outposts' in the West Bank," Mansour said.

He said the settlement drive has been "most fierce" in and around East Jerusalem, including in the Jordan Valley deep inside the territory and other areas referred to as "Area C."