Cairo – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel on Monday to scrap plans to expand settlements in East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as the capital of a future state, and urged both sides to return rapidly to peace talks.
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Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed the city’s eastern half in a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians seek to establish statehood in the three territories, while Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital.
Ban criticized Israel’s latest settlement growth plan after meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem as part of a visit to the region a day after Western and Arab nations pledged $5.4 billion at a Cairo conference to help rebuild Gaza.
The densely populated coastal enclave was widely devastated in a July-August war between Israel and Hamas Islamists who took control of Gaza after the Israelis withdrew from it in 2005.
Earlier this month, Israel announced plans to build 2,600 housing units in the “neighborhood” of Givat Hamatos on occupied land on the southeast fringes of Jerusalem, close to the Palestinian West Bank city of Bethlehem.
The move, which critics say would cut Palestinians off from Jerusalem, forming a ring of Jewish settlements around the southern flank of the city, has already been roundly denounced by the United States and the European Union.
Ban said the plans were a “clear violation” of international law. “This does not send the right signals and I urge the government of Israel to reverse these activities.”
Alluding to the Gaza war that ended with an Aug. 26 truce, Ban said that “after this difficult summer for Israelis and Palestinians, both sides need to take steps to build trust.”
Ban will visit Gaza on Tuesday to see first hand what is required to rehabilitate the densely populated enclave of 1.8 million people, where around 20,000 homes were destroyed by Israeli shelling and air strikes in the July-August conflict.
More than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed in the 50-day conflict, while 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians in Israel also died, making it the deadliest war fought with Hamas since Israel pulled settlers out of Gaza.
Peace talks between the sides collapsed in April, with the Palestinians frustrated by Israel’s ramped-up settlement building and Israel angered by the Palestinian Authority’s decision to form a unity government with Hamas.
Ban urged both to return to negotiations on a two-state solution quickly, “with a readiness to make the tough and necessary compromises”.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday he hoped the larger-than-expected commitment of funds to rebuild Gaza would also bring about “renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace.”
What occupation you dumb backside monkey?!?!!
Our Brocha to you is that you DROP DEAD!! You piece of excrement.
The Israelis should have the courage to tell Wanky that Israeli air space is closed to people like him.
Hamas has openly said NO MATTER WHAT they want every single part of Israel. So tell me who is holding back peace. The only democratic country in the region Israel, or the universally recognized terror group Hamas?? The nations of the world are bias. They hate Jews. That’s it. Many nations of the world hate each other but when it comes to ganging up against the Jew they make peace with each other. Except for few nations. Thank Gd USA is more or less very pro Israel. The UN is a den of Jew hatred.
Kaki-Moon
Moon speaks of ” a restrictive occupation that has lasted almost half a century.” He ought to check some very important statistics that quantify just how restrictive the ocucpation has been. Things like life expectancy, infant mortality, literacy, per capita income, percentage of homes with electricity and running water, number of students earning advanced degrees. Whoops! Every single one of those has shown an improvement since the Israeli “occupation” began in 1967. And by the way, the occupation began in 1948, when areas set aside for a Palestinian state were occupied by Egypt and Jordan.
Another idiot heard from. Go back to the banana republic that you came from and take that cesspool known as the UN with you.
The so-called Palestinians occupy Jewish territory. A “Palestinian” state does not ensure any security for Israel-it just gives the Arabs more ability to attack Israel as they did before the six day war and 1948. A Palestinian state in the heart of Eretz Yisroel is an open invitation for full-scale terrorist attacks on all parts of the land, G-d forbid, as can be seen when Israel gave away Gush Katif.
Someone should tell mon-key loon, that the war started because of hamas’ shelling…….he may have OD’D on bananas and forgot……
“Ban urged both to return to negotiations on a two-state solution quickly, “with a readiness to make the tough and necessary compromises”
Why doesn’t Mr. Netanyahu compile a list of all the concessions Israel has done for “good will” eg giving up Gaza and hundreds of terrorists and compare that to what our peace partners have done. Let’s see
dont see the chochmeh of israel in advertising publicly they are building 2500 homes in east jerusalem they should just start building and sha shtill these wouldnt incite the world as much , and again thats my pshat
Let’s start a project “Free Israel”
We should get back our lands we had 2000 years ago.
All palestinians should return to their homelands they came from(Jordan, Syria and other Arab lands) and stop PALESTINIAN OCCUPATION of Jewish Land!
FREE ISRAEL!!!
Send moon to the moon one way.Thinks all JEWS are idiots