Ban calls on Israelis and Palis to show courage needed to make peace (UN Solidarity with Palis Day!)

un ^ | 11/29/10

[Cinnamon Girl]

29 November 2010 – The United Nations today marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People with a challenge from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to both Israelis and Palestinians to show the statesmanship and political courage needed to reach peace.

He noted that there was little optimism on either side that peace could be achieved soon, let alone within the one year target date set by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when they resumed direct talks in September, and he reiterated his calls to Israel to freeze settlement activity and to the Palestinians to fight terrorism and curb incitement.

“Soon after direct talks on final status began in September, they were undermined by the expiry of Israel’s commendable settlement moratorium,” Mr. Ban said in a message marking the Day. “Construction of hundreds of new units throughout the West Bank commenced, and new approvals for settlements in East Jerusalem were given.

“This development is a serious blow to the credibility of the political process. The obligation remains on Israel to meet its responsibilities under international law and the Road Map to freeze settlement activity,” he added, referring to the internationally-endorsed peace plan that foresees two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.

Noting the lack of optimism in Israel, he called on all Israelis to “look with fresh eyes at the indisputable emergence of a reliable security partner on the ground, and the continued commitment of President Abbas to Israel’s right to live in peace and security, and to his rejection of violence and terrorism.”

He commended steps taken during the past year to improve conditions on the ground but said much more is needed. “The Palestinian Authority must continue to roll out the institutions of statehood, combat terrorist attacks and curb incitement,” he urged. “Meanwhile, it is both Israel’s interest and its duty to begin rolling back the measures of occupation, particularly with respect to movement, access and security actions.”

Mr. Ban noted that an overwhelming international consensus exists on the need to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory that began with the 1967 war, address the major security concerns of both parties, find a solution to the refugee issue and see Jerusalem emerge from negotiation as the capital of two States.

“I challenge the two leaders to show statesmanship and political courage in reaching a historic peace,” he said. “The international community, for its part, must be ready to assume its own responsibilities for peace.”

Addressing an observance at UN Headquarters to mark the Day, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro reiterated Mr. Ban’s message, adding: “Let the year ahead be the one in which we realize, finally, a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

General Assembly President Joseph Deiss also called on the parties to step up their efforts to engage each other in honest negotiations and overcome deadlocks.

“Violence and acts of terror must cease,” he said in his message. “International law and UN resolutions must be respected and actions which could aggravate the situation and increase suspicion and mistrust must be stopped.”

He noted that the Day marked the date in 1947 when the General Assembly adopted the resolution partitioning then-mandated Palestine into two States, one Jewish and one Arab, which has not happened. He urged that everything be done to alleviate the daily suffering of the Palestinian people.

The Chairman of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Abdou Salam Diallo, highlighted the human tragedy of the Palestinians and stressed that Israel must be “called upon to adhere strictly to international humanitarian law,” particularly on the issue of settlements.

The Committee has repeatedly urged the parties to refrain from unilateral acts, including building new settlements or expanding existing ones, but “unfortunately, it appears that Israel found itself unable to assume this undertaking, recognized by the entire international community as a minimum confidence-building measure,” he said.

“Member States, individually and collectively, must demonstrate their active solidarity and take immediate action to improve the lives of the Palestinian people,” he added, calling for the lifting of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, and for all the appropriate international bodies to prevent impunity, “particularly during military operations in the territories, and to ensure that the status of East Jerusalem and the holy sites is respected.”

In a cultural performance entitled “The Gaza Monologues” by the Ramallah-based Ashtar Theatre, 25 young people narrated personal statements written by children in Gaza in the wake of the 2008-2009 Israeli offensive. In addition, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is presenting a photo exhibit entitled “Summer Games in Gaza” at UN Headquarters in conjunction with the Day.

[Cinnamon Girl]

READ THIS. Just read what that total hater Ban Ki-Moon is saying. They are still pushing the apartheid thing. US OUT OF THE UN.

[Cinnamon Girl]

This is the Bibi Ping list.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an annual meeting with journalists in Tel Aviv November 29, 2010, marking the U.N. vote on November 29, 1947 to partition Palestine which paved the way for the creation of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948. Netanyahu said on Monday leaked U.S. diplomatic cables had exposed widespread Arab fear of Iran's nuclear programme and vindicated his priorities in peacemaking.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the media in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Nov. 29, 2010. A U.S. diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks suggests that Israel told Palestinian leaders and Egypt that it was going to attack the Gaza Strip before the war began two years ago, indicating a level of prewar cooperation never officially confirmed before.

[JoyjoyfromNJ]

for your review and possible ping. Expletives deleted. The gall to do it on the anniversary of the partition vote!

[onyx]

Eleanor Roosevelt’s UN can go to Hell. It’s anti-America, anti-Israel and anti-Liberty and Freedom.

[SunkenCiv]

The United Nations today marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People with a challenge from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to both Israelis and Palestinians to show the statesmanship and political courage needed to reach peace.

It's actually pretty simple -- the ethnically undifferentiated Arab squatters calling themselves need to kill themselves -- a practice they've shown some aptitude for doing -- and that will bring peace to both Israel and its enemies. Thanks Cinnamon Girl.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

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