{"id":202315,"date":"2016-09-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T18:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?p=202315"},"modified":"2026-04-24T13:04:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:04:33","slug":"auto-insert-202315","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-202315\/","title":{"rendered":"We must encourage Israeli, Palestinian leadership to change “destructive trajectory” towards one-state reality, Secretary-General tells Security Council – Press release"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

15 SEPTEMBER 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

SG\/SM\/18062-SC\/12521-PAL\/2205<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

We Must Encourage Israeli, Palestinian Leadership Change \u2018Destructive Trajectory\u2019
\ntowards One-State Reality, Secretary-General Tells Security Council<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon\u2019s remarks to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, in New York today:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

First of all, I would like to thank [New Zealand] Foreign Minister [Murray] McCully for organizing this meeting at a crucially important time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Before I say something, allow me to begin by wishing all Muslims who celebrated this week, \u201cEid Adha Mubarak\u201d.\u00a0 I also want to reiterate my hope for a swift and full recovery of former Israeli President Shimon Peres, who has been tireless in seeking peace between Israelis and Palestinians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Twenty-three years ago, almost to the day, the first Oslo Accord was signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.\u00a0 Unfortunately, we are further than ever from its goals.\u00a0 The two-State solution is at risk of being replaced by a one-State reality of perpetual violence and occupation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Despite warnings by the international community and the region, leaders on both sides have failed to take the difficult steps needed for peace.\u00a0 Just yesterday, militants in Gaza fired yet another rocket into Israel, which I condemn.\u00a0 Israel fired four missiles at targets in Gaza in response.\u00a0 Once again I reiterate that such attacks and the response they elicit do not serve the cause of peace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In the past two weeks alone, plans were advanced for yet another 463 housing units in four settlements in Area C of the occupied West Bank.\u00a0 Official Israeli data shows that the second quarter of 2016 had the highest number of construction starts in three years.\u00a0 The decades-long policy that has settled more than 500,000 Israelis in Palestinian territory is diametrically opposed to the creation of a Palestinian State.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Regrettably, the reporting period also saw the continuation of statements by both sides that only perpetuate an environment of mistrust.\u00a0 I am disturbed by a recent statement by Israel\u2019s Prime Minister portraying those who oppose settlement expansion as supporters of ethnic cleansing.\u00a0 This is unacceptable and outrageous.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Let me be absolutely clear:\u00a0 settlements are illegal under international law.\u00a0 The occupation, stifling and oppressive, must end.\u00a0 The international community, including the Security Council and the Middle East Quartet, universally views the expansion of settlements as an obstacle to peace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I continue to be appalled that Palestinian parties choose to praise despicable acts, such as the 1972 terrorist attack against Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics.\u00a0 The glorification of terror is disgraceful and the Palestinian leadership must put an end to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

As Palestinians prepare for the first local elections in over 10 years, we see increasing threats to the electoral process and the credibility of elected institutions, including politically motivated attacks and a growing number of questionable rulings. \u00a0I am particularly concerned by last week\u2019s decision of the Palestinian High Court to suspend all preparations while deliberations continue on a petition to cancel elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Local elections in the West Bank and Gaza, if held in line with international standards, could provide an important renewal of Palestinian democracy and a first step towards advancing national unity.\u00a0 Regional efforts to encourage reconciliation and strengthen moderate political forces can also play a positive role.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Turning to Gaza, there has been progress in the two years since the 2014 ceasefire.\u00a0 Houses, hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure have been repaired, thanks to generous donors and good cooperation between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the Â鶹APP.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

At the same time, 65,000 people remain displaced.\u00a0 More assistance is needed to rebuild nearly 5,000 destroyed houses.\u00a0 More coordination is required to accelerate ongoing reconstruction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Since 2014, the <\/span>Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism<\/a>\u00a0has facilitated the entry of more than 1.5 million tons of construction material and helped significantly boost imports into Gaza, positively impacting the private sector.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Israel has legitimate security concerns with regard to the smuggling or seizure of materials.\u00a0 Nevertheless, the mechanism is closely monitored and all sides continue to ensure that appropriate controls are in place for aid to reach its intended recipients.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I encourage Israel and the Palestinian Authority to continue their cooperation with the Â鶹APP, and facilitate the import of reconstruction materials that are so vital to rebuilding people\u2019s lives, while ensuring that materials are not diverted for military use.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Apart from reconstruction, Gaza\u2019s humanitarian needs run deep.\u00a0 More than 1.3 million of its 1.9 million people need assistance.\u00a0 Continued humanitarian access and funding services to the Palestinian population in Gaza remain critical.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In this dire context, UNRWA [Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] continues to face serious financial challenges.\u00a0 I appeal to Member States for their generosity to ensure that UNRWA can carry out its activities effectively and in a predictable manner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Looking at the broader situation, Gaza remains under closures and is a ticking time bomb.\u00a0 Instability and the risk of violent escalation are ever-present.\u00a0 The continued arms build-up and militant activities by Hamas and other radical groups keep both sides of the border in a state of constant alert.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The continued humanitarian deprivations of Gaza\u2019s nearly 2\u00a0million residents smother dreams and ambitions, and feed instability and extremism.\u00a0 The corrosive Palestinian political divide worsens the humanitarian situation and stifles development.\u00a0 And the absence of a Government of national unity, espousing the principles upon which to build peace, inhibits the realization of an end to the occupation and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian State.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In its <\/span>July repor<\/a>t, the Quartet highlighted these complex political, security and socioeconomic dynamics in Gaza as one of the negative trends severely undermining hopes for peace.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Lasting progress in Gaza can only be realized on the basis of Palestinian unity, an end to the illicit arms build-up and militant activities, and a full lifting of movement and access restrictions in line with Security Council resolution <\/span>1860<\/a>\u00a0(2009).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Turning to the Golan, I remain concerned by the continued breaches of the ceasefire line, and by fighting in the areas of separation and limitation.\u00a0 These developments undermine the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, and jeopardize the ceasefire between Israel and Syria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In particular, recent fire from the Syrian Arab Armed Forces impacted the Israeli-occupied Golan.\u00a0 On both occasions, Israeli Defense Forces responded with an airstrike.\u00a0 I call on Israel and Syria to abide by the terms of the Disengagement Agreement and exercise maximum restraint.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In a matter of days, the Ad-hoc Liaison Committee will meet here in New York.\u00a0 I encourage both sides to focus on positive policy shifts, consistent with the transition to greater Palestinian civil authority in Area C, contemplated by prior agreements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

To this end, I welcome the parties\u2019 recent agreement on outstanding electricity debts and the creation of a new energy market, which will transfer authority to the Palestinian Government for the management of energy infrastructure.\u00a0 Such steps, echoing the intentions of Oslo, are critical to the viability of a future Palestinian State.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

At the same time, international stakeholders must continue to work towards a negotiated end to the occupation, now entering its fiftieth year, and the establishment of a viable, democratic Palestine which lives in peace with Israel \u2014 each respecting the other\u2019s historic and religious connections to this holy land.\u00a0 Building on its report, the Quartet will continue its role to promote consensus to that end.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I wish to thank my Special Coordinator, Nickolay Mladenov, for his unwavering commitment and continued engagement with the parties in what remains a challenging context.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

For the sake of regional and indeed global peace, we must intensify our efforts to encourage the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to take the difficult steps to change the destructive trajectory currently leading us towards a one-State reality.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

For information media. Not an official record.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  15 SEPTEMBER 2016 SG\/SM\/18062-SC\/12521-PAL\/2205 We Must Encourage Israeli, Palestinian Leadership Change \u2018Destructive Trajectory\u2019 towards One-State Reality, Secretary-General Tells Security Council Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon\u2019s remarks to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, in New York today: First of all, I would like to thank […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2377,1329,3205,4259,2805,4389],"document-source":[5352,1362,1897],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[6156,1945,2265,1937,2209,2005,2237,2029,1741,1857,2297,2349,2181,1805,1749,1905,1638,2385,2137,2729,2117],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-202315","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-multimedia","document-category-press-release","document-category-secretary-general-press-release","document-category-security-council-briefing","document-category-video","document-category-webcast","document-source-secretary-general","document-source-security-council","document-source-united-nations-department-of-public-information-dpi","document-subject-agenda-item","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-ceasefire","document-subject-economic-issues","document-subject-expulsions-and-deportations","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-golan-heights","document-subject-house-demolitions","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-incidents","document-subject-land","document-subject-living-conditions","document-subject-negotiations-and-agreements","document-subject-occupation","document-subject-palestine-question","document-subject-peace-proposals-and-efforts","document-subject-quartet","document-subject-security-issues","document-subject-settlements","document-subject-shelter","document-subject-terrorism","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/202315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/202315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":317384,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/202315\/revisions\/317384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=202315"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=202315"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=202315"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=202315"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=202315"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=202315"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=202315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}