Ban Ki-moon’s comments come following a United Nations development body (UNCTAD) report, which stated that Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank has had a damning effect on Palestine’s economy.
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“Unfortunately, we are further than ever from its goals”. “His investments in the settlements do not only come on the expense of the Negev, the Galilee and the rest of Israel but also lead towards a one state reality”.
“Despite warnings by the global community and the region, leaders on both sides have failed to take the hard steps needed for peace”, he said.
The World Bank said on Thursday that less than half the money pledged by donors to rebuild the Gaza Strip after the 2014 war between Hamas and Israel has been disbursed.
Ban quoted Israeli data as showing that since April, there had been the highest number of construction starts in three years, confirming the Israeli push on settlements.
“I am troubled by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s latest statement, which presented those who object to new construction beyond the Green Line as supporting ethnic cleansing”, Ban told the UN Security Council during a discussion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
According to these reports, Ban said the “decades-long policy that has settled more than 500,000 Israelis in Palestinian territory is diametrically opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state”.
“We obviously strongly disagree with the characterisation that those who oppose settlement activity or view it as an obstacle to peace are somehow calling for ethnic cleansing of Jews from the West Bank”.
Power said the USA shares Ban’s views on rising Israeli-Palestinian tensions and urges all parties to “exercise restraint, refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric”.
The elections, if held in line with worldwide standards, could provide an important renewal of Palestinian democracy and a first step towards advancing national unity, he stressed.
The two-state solution, widely backed by the worldwide community, means a secure Israel to live in peace with an independent State of Palestine. But 65,000 people remain displaced, he said, underscoring the need for more assistance to rebuild almost 5,000 destroyed houses. More than 1.3 million of its 1.9 million people need assistance, explained the UN chief, and he encouraged Member States to provide in a predictable manner financial support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East UNRWA. On both occasions, Israeli Defense Forces had responded with an airstrike.
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The United States has also provided Israel with several C-130 heavy-lift cargo planes; four SAAR 6 Corvettes; ten additional F-15 aircraft; Merkava tanks and Namer Armored Personnel Carriers; Hellfire missiles; the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and other Precision Guided Munitions.
