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UN chief reports no sense of optimism for Middle East peace process

Xinhua, December 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday reported to the UN Security Council for the last time on the situation in the Middle East, saying it saddened him that his last such briefing brought no sense of optimism for the future.

The outgoing secretary-general called on the 15-nation Security Council to reaffirm without reservations that there is no alternative to the two-state solution, which means a secure Israel to live in peace with an independent State of Palestine. The solution is widely backed by the international community.

The status quo entrenches a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and conflict, he warned, adding that "we must not give up on the right of Palestine to exist, just as we must protect the right of Israel to exist in peace and security with its neighbours."

Ultimately, Ban said, "it is up to the Israelis and Palestinians to make peace -- we cannot do it for them."

"They must rebuild trust in each other, as the only way to address the fears and suspicions that have led to the deep polarization we see today," he said. "At the same time, we all can and must contribute to building trust, so sorely needed in the Middle East and the world today."

The U.S. efforts to promote the Middle East peace process have so far been fruitless, with the last round of peace talks collapsing last year, despite relentless work by the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

The Israeli-Palestinian negotiations reached an impasse primarily over the continuation of the construction in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, on lands that the Palestinians consider as their future state, and the declaration of a unity government between Fatah and Hamas.

Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, home to more than 4.7 million Palestinians, since its foundation in 1948. Endit