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Fifty Palestinians killed in Israeli-Palestinian violence in October, says Palestine FM

Xinhua, October 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

A total of 50 Palestinians, including at least 10 children, had been killed amid the recent flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian tensions since the start of October, Palestine's Minister of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

"As we meet, a grave escalation on the ground, particularly in Occupied East Jerusalem, continues to unfold," said Riad Malki, minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine, at a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.

"Israeli occupying forces and extremist settlers and settler militias have unleashed a wave of violence and hatred against the Palestinian civilian population, including our youth," Malki said.

More than 1,900 Palestinians have been injured, many severely due to Israel's use of live ammunition against an unarmed, defenseless civilian population, he said.

"Hundreds more Palestinians have been detained and arrested," he said. "Homes are being demolished in blatant acts of reprisal and collective punishment. Tensions are extremely high and the situation has deteriorated on all fronts."

Malki called on the Security Council to play a constructive role in de-escalating the current crisis.

"A practical step in this regard is for the Security Council to reaffirm the basis for justly resolving the conflict, redressing that historic injustice that befell the people of Palestine," he said.

"The Council must contribute to creating a credible political horizon that can help to restore hope to our people that the 48-year Israeli military occupation of their land and their oppression will soon end," he said.

The Israel-Palestine conflict has "once again entered a dangerous phase," United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson briefed the Security Council at the same meeting.

Eliasson noted that the priority for all is to immediately take steps to de-escalate the situation and urgently achieve real progress toward the negotiated two-state solution.

Israel occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank territories in the 1967 Mideast War, and annexed Palestinian villages in east Jerusalem in 1981, a move deplored by the international community. More than 300,000 Palestinians live in east Jerusalem.

Palestinians fear Israel's takeover of the holy site in East Jerusalem, and view East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state, based on the two-state solution.

Thursday's meeting was convened as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is wrapping up a three-day mission to the region, including Jordan, to ease tensions. Enditem