United Nations – UN Chief In Israel For Two-day Visit

United Nations – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Israel on Monday for a two-day visit, a few months ahead of the end of his tenure.

In welcoming United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on his 11th and final visit to Israel in his present capacity, President Reuven Rivlin on Monday pleaded with Ban to do his utmost to relieve the pain of the families of soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, pronounced dead by the IDF, but without proof to the contrary, believed by their parents and siblings to be prisoners of war missing in action. Rivlin also included the families of two Israeli citizens “both suffering poor mental health, – one Muslim, one Jewish.”

Hamas still refuses to provide information on the two soldiers – even to the Red Cross, said Rivlin.

Turning to developments in the region, Rivlin said that there is closer cooperation between Israel and her neighbors, and that he believes that there is a regional desire to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

He also welcomed the chance for Israel to renew relations with Turkey. “We have a long history of cooperation, and I believe we have a promising future of cooperation. I understand the many Israelis that disagree or feel hurt by the agreement, but our elected leaders have the responsibility to act in the country’s best interest. There are no shortcuts in the Middle East. Hatred spreads much faster than hope, and the only way to move forward is direct negotiations.

Rivlin thanked Ban for his dedication to the region and peoples around the world and told him that he would always be welcome “as a friend of Israel, who knows the importance of a strong Israel.”

Ban said that he wanted to used this opportunity to meet with leaders both in Israel and Palestine and to discuss the way forward.

Earlier in the day, he said, he had met with innovators at Tel Aviv University who are working to build a better tomorrow.

In Ban’s perception, a better tomorrow “means a future free of stabbings, shootings and bombings which do not achieve anything because violence is never a solution. Such acts are precisely designed to breed fear and uncertainty,” said Ban. “They eat away at trust and hope, drive Palestinians and Israelis further apart and strip away a sense of empathy for one another.”

He was equally clear that “fifty years of occupation has had a devastating impact on Palestinian lives, undermining the belief in a peaceful resolution to this conflict.” He also emphasized that it has not brought security to the Israelis.

Ban reiterated that the only viable solution to the conflict is a two state solution, and pledged that efforts toward this goal would be supported by the United Nations.

In their public statements, neither Rivlin nor Ban related to the fact that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had rejected the European initiative for Abbas to meet with Rivlin last week when both were in Belgium at the same time, whereas Rivlin had expressed a willingness to meet with Abbas at any place and at any time.

In addition, the UN chief is scheduled to meet with senior Israeli defense officials and receive a security briefing.

“This is a very important visit, in which we will clarify to the secretary-general that Israel is an island of stability in the Middle East, and that a solution to the conflict with the Palestinians will only be reached through direct negotiations,” said Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, who accompanied Ban on his visit.