UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned Israel against what he called provocative steps Tel Aviv is currently taking in Eastern Jerusalem. The Voice of Russia’s Vyachslav Solovyov has more.
In a statement on Tuesday, the UN chief regretted Israel’s drive to go ahead with its settlement construction in West Bank which Ban said rides roughshod over interests of ordinary Palestinians. He lamented the fact that the Israeli authorities continue to turn a blind eye to what he described as illegal settlement activity by Israeli settlers on occupied territories. This undermines efforts to promote peace in the region, Ban said, urging Tel Aviv to remain committed to its road map obligations on the Mideast settlement earlier agreed by the Middle East Quartet of Russia, the US, the EU and the UN. Additionally, the UN chief admonished against archeological excavations near the Jerusalem-based Al-Aqsa mosque, known as a major Islamic shrine. In Moscow Vladimir Akhmedov , of the Institute for Oriental Studies , echoes Ban’s words that more confidence-building efforts are needed to add to more peaceful Middle East.
The UN Secretary General’s statement comes amid the Quartet’s incessant efforts to put the stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks back on track, Akhmedov says. In this sense, Israel’s persistent push for settlement construction may well prove critical for the resuscitation of the two’s full-blown dialogue, Ajkhmedov warns, urging the resumption of the parleys as soon as possible. For this to happen, Israel should extend an olive branch to Palestine by pledging to immediately freeze its settlement construction activity in West Bank, the Russian expert concludes.
Tackling the Eastern Jerusalem status remains a main bone of contention between Israel and Palestine, which both consider the city their own capital. Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered to give a nod to Israel building private and public facilities in Eastern Jerusalem in exchange for a 6-month freeze of its settlement activities on occupied territories. The move drew anger from both Arab states and Palestine which questioned the feasibility of the resumption of the dialogue if Clinton’s proposal is approved. At the end of the day, the top US diplomat retracted her words, quoting the Obama administration as saying that Washington does not recognize Israel’s settlement construction in West Bank.
Vyacheslav Solovyov
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