United Nations, January 22: UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday backed US-led efforts to revive stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks on all final status issues, including Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.
“I support the US-led efforts to bring about a resumption of meaningful negotiations on all final status issues, including the security of Israelis and Palestinians, borders, refugees and Jerusalem,” he said.
He made the remarks at a meeting of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People here as US envoy George Mitchell met officials in Israel in his latest bid to restart talks with Palestinians.
“In the absence of talks, confidence between the parties has diminished,” Ban said. “If we do not move forward on the political process soon, we risk sliding backwards.”
He noted with concern that, despite Israel’s decision to restrain some illegal settlement construction in the West Bank, “activity and financial support for expansion were continuing there and in East Jerusalem.”
“Settlement construction violates international law and contravenes the roadmap, under which Israel is obliged to freeze all settlement activity,” he said.
He was referring to the blueprint for Middle East peace worked out by the diplomatic Quartet — the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States — calling for the creation of an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.
“Settlement activity undermines trust between the two parties, seems to prejudge the outcome of the future permanent status negotiations, and imperils the basis for the two-state solution,” Ban added.
“It bears repeating that the international community does not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, which remains part of the occupied Palestinian territory,” the UN chief said.
“A way must be found, through negotiations, for Jerusalem to emerge as the capital of two states living side by side in peace and security, with arrangements for the holy sites acceptable to all.”
Ban also expressed concern about the “grave humanitarian situation” in the Gaza Strip, a year after the end of a devastating Israeli military onslaught against the besieged Palestinian enclave.
He deplored the fact that “accountability for violations of international human rights law” during the conflict have not been “adequately addressed” as called for by an independent UN enquiry panel.
The panel, led by respected former international prosecutor Richard Goldstone, found that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants may have committed serious war crimes during the Gaza war.
It recommended that its findings be transferred to the International Criminal Court in The Hague if Israel and Hamas fail to conduct credible investigations of the charges.
Ban also called for “a complete end to violence and the targeting of Israeli civilians” in rocket and mortar fire attack launched into southern Israel by Palestinian resistance.
—Agencies