UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said here on Wednesday that the ongoing Gaza conflict must end.
Ban said that he wishes to "underline in the strongest possible terms the world's call for an immediate ceasefire that is fully respected by all parties." "This must be achieved now," he stressed.
Addressing an open Security Council meeting with its focus on the Gaza conflict, the UN chief said: "The parties must step back from the brink. All this violence must end."
"I am profoundly troubled that the call of this council, issued nearly four days ago, for an end to the violence has gone unheeded," Ban said.
"There must be an immediate ceasefire that is fully respected by all parties," Ban said. "This must create new conditions on the ground that ensure at last that crossings into Gaza will be reopened; that rocket attacks and weapons smuggling will end; and that we will pursue political dialogue, and only political dialogue, to reunite Gaza with the West Bank; and that the root cause of this suffering, the absence of Israeli-Palestinian peace, is ended."
"Even as this crisis rages, let us never forget the underlying issue: there must be an end to occupation, an end to conflict, and the creation of a Palestinian State," he said. "Let us not lose sight of our goal: two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region."
"The conflict must end, and it must end once and for all," he urged.
The UN chief said he condemns "unequivocally and in the strongest possible terms" the ongoing rocket and mortar attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian militants, but at the same time also condemns the excessive use of force by Israel.
"All parties must fully uphold international humanitarian law,"he said. "It is the civilian populations that are bearing the brunt of this escalation, and there must be swift and decisive action by the international community to bring to an end their suffering."
"All parties must address the serious humanitarian and economic needs in Gaza and take necessary measures to ensure the continuous provision of humanitarian supplies," he said. "Without the violence stopping, it is extremely difficult to get food to people who need it."
"It is too dangerous for civilians to leave their homes to seek urgent medical treatment, buy supplies and assist people in distress," he said. "Conditions for parents and children in Gaza are dangerous and frightening."
Wednesday's open Council meeting was convened after Council members met behind closed doors to discuss the current Gaza conflict. The president of the Security Council for December, Croatia's UN Ambassador Neven Jurica, called the Council meeting at the request of Egyptian UN Ambassador Maged Abdleza.
The Egyptian ambassador, in his letter to the Council president, said that the Arab countries want the council "to adopt an enforceable and binding resolution that would ensure immediate ceasefire, cessation of the Israeli military aggression, lifting of the blockade, opening of collective punishment, providing international protection to the Palestinian people and ensure calm."
The UN Security Council on Sunday released a press statement, calling on Israelis and Palestinians to immediately halt all violence in Gaza.
Taking the floor at the open Council meeting, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian permanent observer to the United Nations, echoed the appeal of the Egyptian ambassador and asked the Security Council to adopt "a binding resolution" that would ensure an end of the Israeli military assaults on Gaza by all means.
Meanwhile, Giadalla Ettalhi, Libya's UN ambassador, urged the Council to adopt a resolution drafted by the Libyan Mission that seeks the condemnation of the Israeli attacks. Libya is the only Arab country in the Security Council.
However, Western diplomats doubted whether there will be a vote on the draft resolution.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security
Council kicked off an emergency session on Wednesday evening to discuss the
ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip.
CAIRO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Arab foreign ministers met
Wednesday to hammer out a unified Arab stance on the current Israeli military
offensive against the Gaza Strip, as warplanes struck Hamas targets for a fifth
day and Palestinian militants fired back with rockets.
Earlier in the day, the Cairo-based Arab League (AL)
started an emergency meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the latest
developments in the Gaza Strip and means of putting an end to the ongoing
Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave. Full story
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The diplomatic group
in search of peace in the Middle East, or Quartet, Tuesday held a meeting on the
situation in Gaza and southern Israel, and called for "an immediate cease-fire
that would be fully respected," a conference readout said here. Full story
JERUSALEM, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Wednesday cast
off a French proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip,
insisting on continuing the ongoing offensive in the devastated enclave.
Full story
BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- China is deeply concerned at
the current situation in Gaza,and hopes parties involved could immediately halt
the armed conflict, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said here on
Tuesday.
China is deeply concerned over the ongoing armed
conflict in Gaza, Qin said at a regular press conference. Full story
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Chief Ban Ki-moon
said on Monday that he was deeply alarmed by the current escalation of violence
in and around Gaza, and that such continued violence is "unacceptable." Full story
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States on
Tuesday reiterated its call for a "durable and sustainable" ceasefire between
Israel and Hamas militants ruling the Gaza Strip.
"The ceasefire, in order to be productive, has to be
maintained," State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid told reporters. "It can't
be a ceasefire in which one side uses it to launch periodic
attacks." Full story
An Israeli soldier stands on the hood of
a military vehicle near the border with the Gaza Strip Dec. 28, 2008.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
JERUSALEM, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Tuesday denied a report that the Israeli defense establishment will recommend a
48-hour truce with Hamas.
"The report is not true, our plan is to continue the
Gaza operation," an IDF spokeswoman told Xinhua on the phone. Full story
JERUSALEM, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Tuesday rejected
worldwide appeals for a truce as its air strikes on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip
went on for a fourth day.
The operation, dubbed Cast Lead, continued early
Tuesday, with at least 10 people killed and 40 others wounded when Israeli war
planes bombed a series of Gaza targets, according to Palestinian reports.
Full story
