Posted on 12/20/2011 10:49:32 PM PST by Olog-hai
Most members of the U.N. Security Council voiced deep concerns on Tuesday about the impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and criticized Israel for pressing ahead with the construction of new settlements.
Council members were reacting to a briefing by U.N. assistant secretary-general for political affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, who told them the search for peace "remained elusive in a context of tensions on the ground, deep mistrust between the parties and volatile regional dynamics."
Statements criticizing Israel were made on behalf of at least nine of the 15 council members.
Representatives of Britain, France, Germany and Portugal said Fernandez-Taranco's briefing made clear to the council that Israeli settlement activity was undermining attempts to restart stalled peace talks with the Palestinians.
"One of the themes that emerged was the severely damaging effect that increased settlement construction and settler violence is having on the ground and on the prospects of a return to negotiations," the four European Union council members said in a joint statement.
"Israel's continuing announcements to accelerate the construction of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, send a devastating message," said the statement, which was read to reporters by British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant.
The Europeans called for an immediate halt to Israeli settlement activity, adding they hoped the government would follow through on promises to bring settlers guilty of violence to justice.
Without explicitly naming the United States, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin accused Washington of turning a blind eye to the way efforts to restart the peace process have come to nothing. …
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Until the Arabs and Muslims around Israel stop wanting to destroy Israel, and until they stop teaching their kids to hate Jews ther can be no “peace”. It really isn that hard to understand.
Any word from the UN on the Palestinians putting the destruction of Isreal into their constitution?
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