UN head to brief Security Council on Israel visit
After visiting region and warning against danger of escalation, Ban prepares to report on his efforts to restore calm
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will brief the Security Council on Wednesday on his trip to the Middle East, where he is seeking to defuse weeks of violence, diplomats said.
Ban made the request to urgently speak to council members by video-conference from the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah.
The closed-door emergency meeting is scheduled for 1900 GMT (10 p.m. Israel time).
Ban’s report from the region will come on the eve of a ministerial-level debate at the Security Council on the way forward in the Middle East amid fears that the violence could spiral out of control.
On a snap visit to the region, Ban on Tuesday warned of an escalation “into a religious conflict with potential regional implications” and urged both sides to make efforts to ensure this did not transpire.
Speaking as he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Ban also told reporters that “security measures can be counterproductive if they are applied without special efforts to defuse the situation before people lose their lives.”
Any misuse of force, he said, “may breed the very frustrations and anxieties from which violence” can erupt.
Israeli security forces have bitterly denied accusations of excessive force against Palestinians in the current wave of violence, which has seen 10 Israelis killed and dozens wounded in Palestinian terror attacks since mid-September. More than 40 Palestinians have died either carrying out attacks or during violent clashes with Israeli security forces.
“Israel is acting as any democracy would to defend its citizens,” Netanyahu said Tuesday. “We are not — I repeat — we are not using excessive force.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is “fanning the flames” of the violence, Netanyahu said, and again accused him of incitement.
Netanyahu also rejected claims that Israel is planning to change the arrangements on the Temple Mount, a site holy to Jews and Muslims where Jews can visit but not pray.
Ban acknowledged the security challenges facing Israel in the face of a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car attacks, while condemning militant groups who have expressed support for them.
“Over the past weeks I have been deeply troubled by statements from Palestinian militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad praising such heinous attacks,” he said.
“In a recent call with President Abbas I voiced my deep concern over instances of inflammatory rhetoric… I have also condemned the arson attack last week, and I welcome Abbas’ condemnation of that,” Ban added.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Tuesday that Ban wants to determine if Israeli and Palestinian leaders are willing to return to negotiations on a two-state solution.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Netanyahu in Germany this week and Abbas later at an unspecified location in the Middle East.
AP contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.