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UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Israel and Palestine should work to de-escalate tensions and demonstrate a genuine commitment to the two-state solution, said the Middle East Quartet in a report published on Friday.
The diplomatic Quartet, which comprises the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and Russia, put forward recommendations for Israel and Palestine to advance a peaceful two-state reality on the ground and create conditions for final status negotiations.
The Quartet recommends that Israel should cease the policy of settlement construction and expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, designating and for exclusive Israeli use, and denying Palestinian development.
It also recommends that Palestinian authority should act decisively to cease incitement to violence and strengthen the efforts to combat terrorism, according to the report.
Israel occupied the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip territories, where five million Palestinians lived, during the 1967 Mideast War. The last round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority ended on April 2014 with no results.
Since then, the peace process has been stalled due to deep differences between over borders and continued Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank. By now, there have been no serious actions to resume the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Tensions have increased in recent months as Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem were encouraged to carry out attacks against Israelis, amid a wave of unrest since October which claimed the lives of 28 Israelis and nearly 200 Palestinians.
The Quartet reiterates that a negotiated two-state outcome is the only way to achieve an enduring peace that meets Israeli security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, ends occupation that began in 1967, and resolves all permanent status issues.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday said the report finds that there is a strong need for affirmative steps to reverse negative trends on the ground.
He strongly encourages the parties to engage with the Quartet on implementing the report recommendations to seek a political solution and meaningful negotiations, said Ban in a statement. Enditem
