Update: Abbas urges UN chief for int'l protection of the Palestinians, Ban calls for actions for peace

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday urged United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-Moon to ensure an international protection to the Palestinian people.

Abbas told a news conference following a meeting with Ban in Ramallah "we reiterate on our request from the UN to ensure international protection to the Palestinian people amid the ongoing wave of violence with Israel."

"A protection system to the Palestinian people is necessary amid the measures and practices they face from the violence and the terrorism of the occupation and the settlers, including the collective punishment," said Abbas.

He went on saying "the only thing remained is to ask for international protection," adding "we hope if you (Ban ki-Moon) held us in ensuring this protection."

The visit of Ban to the region is made as a flaring wave of violence between Israel and the Palestinians has so far killed 49 Palestinians and nine Israelis and wounded more than 2,000, most of them are Palestinians.

On his arrival to the Ramallah, the UN Secretary General met with Rami Hamdallah, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian consensus government at the Palestinian presidency headquarters.

Ban has earlier on Tuesday held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over defusing a flaring wave of tension between Israel and the Palestinians that has been going on for three weeks.

The UN Secretary General is scheduled also to visit the family of a Palestinian child killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

A UN spokesman had earlier said that the Secretary General has always expressed his deep concerns and pain for the flaring escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine.

Abbas also said that "our people and our youths don't want violence or field escalation and no one among us calls for incitement or hatred," adding but despair and frustration among them created a status of rebellion on reality.

"Frustration and despair due to the ongoing occupation, a stalled political horizon and a loss of future for the youths besides the measures of economic suffocation and the daily humiliation all caused this status," said Abbas.

The Palestinian leader renewed his call on "ending the longest and oldest ever military occupation in the history,' and warned that the violations of Muslims and Christian holy sites would ignite a religious war in the region.

Abbas insisted that it is necessary that Israel commits itself to what had been agreed upon with us, adding "otherwise, we won't be able that only we who are committed to it after Israel blew up 22 years of peace agreements between us."

Abbas also slammed Netanyahu for saying that he is committed to keeping the status quo of al-Aqsa Mosque. Abbas said "Netanyahu makes a mistake when he says so."

He also condemned the statements of Netanyahu when he said that Abbas belongs to the Islamic State (IS), adding that "we are against IS and against terrorism all over the world, including the settlers."

Meanwhile, Ban told the news conference that he reiterated to the Israeli and the Palestinian leaders "the urgent need for them to get to be partners by words and deeds and both should stop carrying out unilateral steps that causes frustration and killing the chances and the horizons for peace."

Ban called on the leaders of both sides to carry out tangible improvement on the ground that leads to settling the basics for the two-state solution, adding that "the international community has to work on promoting this principle towards reaching an everlasting peaceful and comprehensive settlement."

The UN Secretary General also stressed that the choice of peace is still in the hands of both, the Israelis and the Palestinians, adding "our biggest challenge is to stop the current wave of violence and to avoid more loss."

Ban also urged Israel for the highest self restrain "because Israel has an army and those are defenseless children, stressing that "all killing actions must stop between the two sides and investigate these crimes of killings."

He expressed his deep concerns over the provocations against holy places in Jerusalem which led to igniting the flame of the current violent actions, adding "treating the current unrest is so important to relax the current attitude towards violence."

"Israel has repeatedly presented guarantees that it has no intention to change the status quo of the holy places," said Ban ki-Moon, who called on both sides leaders to work hard on facing terrorism and both had to condemn it.

He went on saying that no one can ignore the status of despair and frustration that were the cause of loosing hope, "therefore, I encourage the Palestinians and the Israelis to get back to the peace process." Endit