Ban Ki-moon urges Arab states to push for renewed Israeli-Palestinian talks

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the United Nations and the League of Arab States to “create the conditions for meaningful negotiations” between Israel and the Palestinians.

“The Palestinian Authority needs the continuing support of the international community for its commendable state-building efforts, including financial help to ensure the payment of salaries and delivery of services to the population,” Ban said in a message delivered on his behalf to the United Nations-League of Arab States General Meeting on Cooperation, held in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday.

Ban added that both organizations must ensure that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East receives the funds it needs to provide its vital assistance.

Earlier Tuesday in a message delivered on his behalf to the Asian and Pacific Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, held in Bangkok, Ban warned of the current “dangerous standstill” in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and called on the international community to help steer the situation towards negotiations and a historic peace process.

“Recent actions on the ground have not contributed to a conducive environment for dialogue. Israel has continued settlement activity, contrary to international law and its commitments under the Road Map, and violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians has escalated,” Ban said to the Bangkok conference participants.

The UN chief also noted that the situation in Gaza remains unsustainable, with more than 80 per cent of families there depending on humanitarian aid while being subject to restrictions on import, exports, and the movement of people by land, air and sea.

“Lifting these restrictions… would help to rebuild self-reliance and sustainability of the Gazan economy, and reduce dependency on donor aid. I continue to call on Israel to take measures to that end,” Ban said. “The only way to avoid more suffering and violence is through negotiations aimed at resolving all permanent status issues.”

In addition to the Middle East peace process, the UN chief covered in his message to the Arab League a range of issues related to the two bodies’ cooperation, including the Arab Spring and the crisis in Syria.

“The Arab Spring has provided new avenues for collaboration and a new sense of purpose. The United Nations has long cooperated with the League, but today those ties are much, much closer and are bringing more tangible results,” Ban said.

“Unity among the international community will be critical for the success of our efforts to end the bloodshed, alleviate the suffering of the population and find a peaceful solution through a political transition,” Ban said in relation to Syria. “I greatly value the continued support of the League of Arab States, and I hope that we will be able to make the launching of a political process a reality.”