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UN urges efforts by int'l community to break impasse in Middle East peace process

Xinhua, November 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

The international community can and must play a greater role to break the impasse of the Middle East peace process, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said on Monday.

"The Middle East Quartet must continue its efforts to preserve the viability of a Palestinian State and establish conditions for a return to meaningful negotiations," Ban told a meeting on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in a statement delivered by Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson.

Ban called on the leaders of Israeli and Palestinian sides to play a constructive role toward resolving the ongoing violence in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and other parts.

Violence has flared up recently over the holy site of the al-Aqsa compound in east Jerusalem, holy to both Jews and Muslims, amid dim prospect of a peace treaty based on the two-state solution.

"Both sides must reject inflammatory public statements, which only escalate the already tense and volatile situation," Ban said.

The use of excessive force feeds anger and frustration, he said. "I urge Israeli security services to exercise maximum restraint."

Ban added that the State of Palestine joined the United Nations as a non-Member Observer State on Nov. 29, 2012, and its flag now flies at the United Nations next to those of the 193 UN member states.

"On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, let us reaffirm our commitment to bring about the just peace that the peoples of both Israel and Palestine so desperately need and deserve," he said.

In 1977, the UN General Assembly called for the annual observance of Nov. 29 as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. On that day in 1947, the assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine.

The observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People also encouraged UN member states to continue to give the widest support and publicity to the observance of the Day of Solidarity. Enditem