UN Declares 2014 Year Of Solidarity With The Palestinians

Source : http://www.qassam.ps/news-7754-UN_Declares_2014_Year_Of_Solidarity_With_The_Palestinians.html

28-11-2013,08:22 Gaza - The United Nations has declared the year 2014 as a “Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People”, after the resolution passed by 110 votes, with seven countries opposing and 54 abstaining.The UN said it will be working with various governments, organizations and civil society institutions, in 2014, to ensure the urgently needed support to the Palestinian people.In a message read on his behalf, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called on world countries to translate their solidarity with the Palestinian people by working together for justice and peace.The message of Ki-Moon stated that Israel’s occupation of the rest of historic Palestine in 1967 must end, and stressed on the importance of establishing a sovereign, independent and viable Palestinian State based on the 1967 borders.In November of 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of granting Palestine an observer status, a move which indirectly resembled a UN recognition of Palestine as a state. The resolution passed by 138 votes, with nine including the US vote against, and 41 countries absenting.Israeli occupation and the United States were angered by the move, considering it “counterproductive”. Israeli occupation then stopped the transfer of tax money it collects on behalf of the Palestinians at border terminals, and the US froze its financial support.Israeli occupation and its allies are attempting to prevent the Palestinians from joining the International Criminal Court (ICC), as joining the ICC gives the Palestinian Authority the chance to sue Israeli occupation for war crimes against the Palestinian People

Cyprus to help Syrias weapons inspectors

Source: LBCI

Cyprus has approved the creation of a support base for the chemical weapon working in Syria, including the use of an old airport that will allow them to tr the two countries by helicopter.

The Cypriot government said Friday its goal is to help with the inspectors' dif destroying Syria's chemical weapons arsenal during the country's civil war.

The base will be located at a disused Nicosia airport inside the U.N.-controlle that separates the island's Greek-speaking south and Turkish-speaking north

Inspectors also will be able to stay at hotels in Nicosia, which is about 140 m kilometers) from the Syrian port of Latakia.

The mission in Syria is being conducted by the U.N. and the Organization for of Chemical Weapons.

Jordan's king calls for China to exercise influence in resolving Syrian crisis

Source : Fox News

BEIJING – Jordan's King Abdullah is calling on China to exercise its influence to help resolve the conflict in Syria.

Abdullah made his appeal in his opening remarks at a meeting Wednesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state visit to China. Abdullah praised relations between the two countries and said they shared a commitment to promoting progress on global issues of concern.

Abdullah then referred to the Syria conflict specifically, saying China was in a position to use its influence as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and a "friend of Jordan and the Middle East."

Beijing has called for a political settlement to the more than two-year-old conflict in Syria and joined Russia in blocking moves at the United Nations that could lead to the regime's removal.

Israel still tightens the Gazans' access to their land and sea waters: OCHA

Source : Ahlul Bayt News Agency

The escalating restrictions imposed by Israel on access to land along Gaza’s perimeter fence and to fishing areas along Gaza’s coast undermine the security and livelihoods of Palestinians, the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories stated in a recent report.

According to the report, Israel has tightened its restrictions on the Gazans' access to the sea and to land located near the fence since September 2000 at the pretext of security concerns.

Up to 35 percent of Gaza’s agricultural land and as much as 85 percent of its fishing waters have been affected at various points, the report said.

The Palestinian access to farming land within 300 meters of the perimeter fence separating Gaza from the 1948 occupied lands is largely prohibited and risky.

Fishermen are currently allowed to access less than one third of the fishing areas allocated under the Oslo accords, about six out of the specified 20 nautical miles from the coast.

There are currently 3,500 registered fishermen in Gaza and 2,000 people work in fishing-related industries, the report noted.

The fish catch lost as a result of access restrictions between 2000 and 2012 is estimated at approximately 1,300 metric tonnes per year.

The report pointed out that these Israeli restrictions caused 95 percent of Gaza fishermen to receive regular international aid.

Prior to November 2012, access restrictions resulted in a loss of approximately 75,000 metric tonnes of agricultural produce, valued at 50.2 million dollars per year.

12 percent of the homes destroyed during operation Cast Lead in 2008/2009 was located in access restricted areas.

13 schools with 4,800 students and staff are located within 1,500 meters from the fence and have had class sessions disrupted due to Israel's enforcement of access restrictions.

Since June 2007, 214 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 127 civilians, and 825 injured, including at least 761 civilians, in the access restricted areas.

During the same period, five Palestinian fishermen were killed and 25 others were injured when the Israeli naval forces opened fire at them to enforce access restrictions.

Syrian FM says Syria to grant Red Cross access to Qusair when fighting over

Source : LBCI

Syrian government official said on Sunday a car bomb exploded in a suburb of the capital Damascus, killing eight persons and wounding several others.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the Sunday explosion in Jouber, which it said has seen heavy clashes recently between rebels and the Syrian army. It did not have any immediate word on casualties.

It said the blast targeted a police station and was carried out by the al-Nusra Front; a militant group linked to al-Qaida.

On another note, the state-run TV channel reported that Foreign Minister Walid al- Moualem told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday that Syria will allow the Red Cross to enter the besieged town of Qusair after military operations are over.

UN humanitarian officials have called for an immediate ceasefire in Qusair, where President Bashar al-Assad's forces and Hezbollah fighters are battling to drive out rebels, saying 1,500 wounded people are in need of emergency medical treatment.

Moualem expressed surprise at the international concern over the fighting around Qusair, saying the world had been silent when rebels took over the town 18 months ago and that Syria was now clearing it of "terrorism".

For his part, an Iraqi official said that more than 7,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq have crossed back to the rebel-held Syrian border town of Albu Kamal in recent weeks due to better security there.

The mayor of the Iraqi border town of al-Qaim said 7,000 out of 11,000 Syrian refugees hosted there had returned home.

Around 152,000 Syrian refugees have been registered in Iraq, according to the UN refugee agency, most of them Kurds and Sunni Muslims who fled to Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region and the Sunni-dominated western province of Anbar.

In turn, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius suggested that an international peace conference aimed at ending the Syrian civil war could take place in July.

The United States, Russia and others have been pressing for the conference to take place this month. But details of how it could be organized have yet to be agreed and there is still no firm agreement on the date.

"The Geneva II conference is the last chance. I hope it will take place. I think it could take place in July," Fabius said in an interview with Europe 1 radio and i-tele television.

Fabius said the Syrian government and the opposition must attend.

"It's not just about getting round the table and then asking what are we going to talk about. It needs to be prepared. That is why I say that the July date would be suitable," he said.

Syria presses for international probe into Qatari special services

Source : The Voice of Russia: News

Syria is pressing for an international inquiry into the role that the Qatari special services have played in abducting UN officials on the Golan Heights on May 7th, the Syrian Ambassador to the UN, Baashar Jafari, told a news briefing

An unidentified person instructed the abductors by telephone from Qatar in a move, confirmed by an official email message that a UN mission member in Damascus has sent to the UN Headquarters, the Syrian Ambassador said. Jaafari feels that Qatar seeks to destabilize the situation in Syria, undermine the UN personnel security and replace the UN force by the armed groups that are resisting the government in Damascus. According to the Financial Times Magazine, Qatar has spent three billion dollars on assistance for the enemies of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Iran Calls for Termination of Arms Supplies to Terrorists in Syria

Source : islamicinvitationturkey.com

Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York in a statement on the threshold of holding the friends of Syria conference in Tehran underlined the necessity for an end to certain foreign countries’ arm supplies to the rebel groups which are committing crimes against the Syrian people.

The full text of the statement is as follows:

In the Name of God

Press Release on the International Conference on Syria in Tehran on 29 May 2013

Pursuant to the two previous meetings on the developments in Syria, held in the Islamic Republic of Iran the third meeting is scheduled to be held in Tehran on 29 May 2013. We are confident that this Conference could enhance consultations and coordination among the countries that are real friends of Syria with view to assisting this country in surmounting the crisis. We are hopeful about the achievements that thi Conference would have and, especially, the practical solution for the crisis that it could come up with. The fact that a great number of countries and international organizations will take part in this Conference i indicative of the increasing determination of world public opinion towards the peaceful resolution of the crisis and also the growing role that the Islamic Republic of Iran is playing in dealing with it.

With regard to this International Conference on Syria, the following are also noteworthy:

- The Islamic Republic of Iran plays an important role in peacefully resolving the crisis in Syria. Iran is major country in the region and has put forward an important plan for the peaceful resolution of the crisis It has so far organized two major conferences on the topic and is one of the members of the Group of 4 major regional countries (Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey) tasked with tackling the Syrian crisis.

- On the same understanding, Iran has always criticized the actions by those countries that, while interfering in the Syrian domestic affairs and supporting the extremists and armed and illegal opposition groups, deliver arms to these groups . These countries are, undoubtedly, responsible before the Syrian and world public opinion. Instead of shipping arms and munitions, they should take part in rebuilding Syria.

- The Islamic Republic of Iran has always endeavored towards constructing and developing Syria. During the crisis, instead of shipping arms into that country to bring about destruction and stoke conflicts, Iran ha provided the Syrians with food, medicine, fuel and the like on a constant basis to enhance the livelihood o the Syrian people.

- Since the onset of the crisis, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always maintained a consistent and balanced position, stressing the need for fulfilling the legitimate demands of the Syrian people and encouraging reforms in Syria. Unfortunately, following the foreign intervention, the crisis turned into a proxy war blocking the way of reforms by the Government towards improving the livelihood of the people.

- Iran has always been part of the solution in Syria, spared no effort in this direction and supported the good-intentioned plans aimed at justly resolving the crisis in a Syrian-led framework and dialogue between the Government and the opposition.

Israel bars UN investigators from visiting Jerusalem

Source : Al Akhbar English

Israel on Monday barred a UN commission from visiting Jerusalem to investigate ongoing violations of religious freedom against Muslims and Christians in the Holy Land.

"Israel has cancelled the delegation," which was due to have arrived the same day, a foreign ministry official told AFP.

Israel in late-April agreed that the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization could assess the state of the Old City of Jerusalem, the first such monitoring mission since 2004.

Palestinians had urged for the visit after an escalation of Israeli attacks on non-Jewish worshippers in the Old City in recent weeks.

Israel said it decided to cancel the visit because it feared Palestinians wanted to “politicize” the issue.

"The Palestinians were not respecting the understandings. The visit was supposed to be professional, (but) they were taking measures that showed they were politicizing the event and not letting the delegation focus on professional sides of it," the official said.

Israeli forces as recently as Saturday used tear gas and rubber bullets to attack a demonstration after right-wing Israelis raided al-Aqsa mosque two days earlier.

Tensions have been high around the mosque in recent weeks, as Israel has limited access to Palestinian worshipers while allowing Israelis to tour the compound under armed guard.

And earlier this month religious groups condemned Israel for attacking Orthodox Christians celebrating their easter in the Old City.

Tens of thousands of Orthodox Christians had gathered in the streets around the holy sites where clashes erupted after police blocked them from entering certain areas.

The Palestine Liberation Organization last week denounced Israel for causing "countless difficulties" for Palestinian Christians and Muslims to reach their holy sites.

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki on Thursday announced that the UNESCO would spend five days in Jerusalem before returning to its headquarters in Paris to submit a detailed report.

Maliki said that Israeli assaults against holy places in Jerusalem were part of a systematic policy crystallized recently.

(AFP, Ma’an, Al-Akhbar)

55,000 Palestinians displaced from Syria to Lebanon: PLO official

Source : APA

Baku-APA. The number of Palestinians displaced from Syria to Lebanon has reached the mark of 55,000, said a representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon on Friday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Fathi Abu Al-Ardat called on the UN Relief and Work Agency ( UNRWA) and the international and Arab communities to help shelter the Palestinians, while thanking Beirut for keeping Lebanon's border open and waiving the residence fees for the Palestinian refugees.

He said the PLO has allocated 750,000 U.S. dollars per month for the displaced Palestinians in Syria, 200,000 dollars for people who have fled Syria to Lebanon, 40,000 dollars for those who have been displaced to Egypt and 10,000 dollars for those who headed to Gaza.

The Lebanese authorities, which took strict measures in granting Palestinians residence permits, have eased those restrictions for the displaced Palestinians from Syria, and are granting them monthly residence permits without providing them with any kind of aid as they consider it is the responsibility of the UNRWA.

UN: about 20 peacekeepers detained by armed fighters in Golan

Source : The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Syrian rebels say they have seized a convoy of United Nations observers near the Golan Heights, according to videos posted on the Internet site YouTube on Wednesday by a violence monitoring group.

A young man saying he was from the "Martyrs of Yarmouk" brigade said the convoy would not be released until forces loyal to President Bashar al- Assad withdrew from the village of Jamla, a mile east of the ceasefire line with the Israeli- occupied Golan.

Surrounded by several rebel fighters with assault rifles, the man stood in front of a two white armoured vehicles and a truck with "UN" written on them. At least five people seen sitting in the vehicles were wearing United Nations light blue helmets and bullet-proof vests.

"The command of the Martyrs of Yarmouk announced that it is holding forces of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force until the withdrawal of forces of the regime of (President) Bashar al-Assad from the outskirts of the village of Jamla," said the man, wearing civilian clothes.

"If no withdrawal is made within 24 hours we will treat them as prisoners," he said, accusing them of collaborating with Assad's forces to push the rebels out of Jamla. UNDOF supervises a 1974 ceasefire agreement between Syria and Israel.

UN agency cancels Gaza marathon over ban on women

Source : MiamiHerald.com

JERUSALEM -- A U.N. aid agency has canceled the marathon in Gaza following a ban on women runners imposed by the territory's militant Islamic Hamas rulers.

UNWRA, which assists Palestinian refugees and also sponsors and organizes the event, announced on Tuesday that plans for the April race have been scrapped.

A statement from agency says that "this disappointing decision follows discussions with the authorities in Gaza who have insisted that no women should participate" in the marathon.

Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007 when it ousted its rival Fatah movement in street battles in the coastal strip.

The group is cracking down on behavior it deems contrary to Islam and has already banned women from riding on the backs of motorbikes, smoking water pipes, and men from working in hair salons.

OCHA: 440 Palestinians wounded in one week of protests

Source : Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades

RAMALLAH - At least 440 Palestinians were injured in the West Bank in violent clashes with Israeli forces during protests held in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jail, the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) said in a new weekly report.

The report, which covered some of the Israeli violations against the Palestinians from 19 to 25 February, added that these clashes escalated following the death, on 23 February, of the Palestinian detainee Arafat Jaradat in Megiddo Prison.

His death angered the Palestinians whose protests were responded to by Israeli soldiers with tear gas canisters, rubber-coated metal bullets and live ammunition, the report said.

Over half of those injured were treated for tear gas inhalation, and one third for injuries sustained from rubber-coated metal bullets, while 16 Palestinians sustained injuries from live ammunition and the remaining from other means, according to the report.

In the gravest incident, a 16-year-old boy from Ayda refugee camp was seriously injured in the head by live ammunition fired by Israeli troops.

The report also pointed to the remarks made lately by the special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, saying that he called on Israel to fully respect the human rights of all Palestinian detainees and prisoners in its jails.

OCHA quoted him as saying that "those held in administrative detention should be charged and face trial with judicial guarantees in accordance with international standards, or promptly released."

"He also stated that the United Nations expects the autopsy to be followed by an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Jaradat's death, the results of which should be made public as soon as possible," it added.

Its report also covered in detail the settler-related incidents, saying that at least 28 Palestinians were injured and different kinds of their property were destroyed in settlers' attacks during the reporting week.

UN ready to help talks between Syrian government, opposition

Source :   Voice of Russia

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Special Envoy of the UN to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi say that the UN is ready to help the Syrian government and the opposition to start a dialogue.

They said this during their recent meeting in a place called Mont Pelerin in Switzerland.

Mr. Ban and Mr. Brahimi are concerned with the fact that the world community is still unable to make the conflict in Syria end. Besides, both the Syrian government and the opposition undertake many actions that are unlikely to end the conflict, they say.

The conflict in Syria started 2 years ago and has already taken the lives of more than 70,000 people.

Voice of Russia, TASS

Israel secretly expelled 1,000 Sudanese: report

Source : Al Akhbar English

Israel has secretly repatriated more than 1,000 Sudanese immigrants over the past several months in violation of a UN charter on refugees, Haaretz reported Tuesday.

The refugees were likely to face persecution upon their return to Sudan, which has issued stern warning to its citizens against visiting Israel, the newspaper said, citing official sources.

Israeli officials said the immigrants, who were in detention prior to their expulsion, had voluntarily agreed to be deported. But the UN High Commissioner on Refugees rejected that claim, saying that there is no “free will from inside a prison,” according to the Haaretz report.

The report also cited Michael Bavli, the UNHCR’s top representative in Israel, as warning immigration authorities that “deporting Sudanese to Sudan would be the gravest violation possible of the convention that Israel has signed – a crime never before committed.”

He was referring to the 1951 Refugee Convention which prohibits the repatriation of refugees to a country where they could face persecution.

The convention states:

Sudanese officials have repeatedly warned its citizens against travelling to Israel. The Haaretz report said that Sudan’s interior minister in 2007 said any Sudanese who took up residence in Israel “would be punished.”

Tensions between the two countries escalated last October after Israeli jets bombed a factory near Sudan’s capital Khartoum, killing two.

Israel’s interior minister had previously threatened to deport undocumented Sudanese following a wave of arrests of African immigrants last June.

"Infiltrators from Sudan have until October 15 to leave Israel, after which … they will be placed in detention," Minister Eli Yishai said in a statement last August. He added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approved the expulsions.

(Al-Akhbar)

Israel pressures UN over Palestinian status report: diplomat

Source : Xinhua

RAMALLAH, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israel puts pressure on the United Nations to prevent any criticism of Israeli policies by the UN chief's upcoming report on upgrading the Palestinian status, a Palestinian diplomat said Thursday.

The report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon aims at putting into effect the UN General Assembly's November resolution which recognized the Palestinian state as a non-member state despite Israeli and U.S. opposition.

"The Israeli pressures on Mr. Ban and the UN did not stop," said Ibrahim Khraishe, the Palestinian representative to the UN in Geneva. "These pressures are derived from unlimited American support to Israel," he said.

He pointed out that Israel's pressures "will not lead to peace and stability in the region," stressing that the recognition of the Palestinian state will make peace and security in the area.

Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) await the report, which should be issued around the end of February.

Israeli newspaper Maariv reported Thursday that Israel was extremely worried about the report, especially about its wording and terminology.

It said Israel is worried that the report may attack the settlement activities in the West Bank and the development projects in E1, which would effectively separate Jerusalem from the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Israel is also concerned that the Palestinians will join other UN organizations, including the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians stopped in 2010 due to Israel's continued settlement building in territories it occupied in 1967.

Brahimi to extend his mission in Syria

Source : Islamic Invitation Turkey

A UN diplomat says UN-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi has agreed to extend hi mission in the country.

According to AFP, the diplomat, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remarks on Wednesday. The diplomat stated “Brahimi has agreed a six month extension… He clearly feels that there is some life in his mission.” The envoy’s six-month contract with the United Nations and the Arab League is due to end on Friday. The 78-year-old veteran Algerian diplomat was appointed as a replacement for Kofi Annan in Augus 2012. On Sunday, Brahimi invited the Syrian government and the opposition to hold talks at the UN. He said “We believe that if a dialogue begins at the offices of the United Nations, at least at the start between the opposition and an acceptable delegation from the Syrian government, we think this will be a start to get out of the dark tunnel.”

Iran installs new generation uranium centrifuges

Follow : MIDEAST

Iran has announced that it started installing a new generation of uranium enrichment machines as experts from the U.N. atomic watchdog were holding talks in Tehran.

Iran started installing a new generation of uranium enrichment machines at its Natanz nuclear site last month, Iran’s atomic energy organization chief Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani said yesterday. The U.N. nuclear watchdog had told its member states that Iran had announced plans to install and operate advanced uranium enrichment machines, in what would be a technological leap allowing it to significantly speed up activity that the West fears could be used to develop a nuclear weapon.

Meanwhile, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and an Iranian nuclear team led by Tehran’s IAEA envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh began talks in Tehran aimed at reaching accord on inspections that would allow investigations into a possible military dimension of Iran’s nuclear drive. The discussions are taking place two weeks ahead of a new round of talks between Iran and six world powers in parallel diplomatic efforts, which are due to resume in Kazakhstan on Feb. 26 after an eight-month hiatus.

Iran, IAEA meeting ends, talks to be continued: envoy

  Xinhua | English.news.cn

TEHRAN, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The new round of nuclear talks between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was concluded here on Wednesday, with Iran's permanent representative to the IAEA saying that Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog will discuss new proposals in the next meeting, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Some differences were settled and agreement was reached on some points of modality to resolve the alleged subjects over Iran's nuclear program, Ali-Asghar Soltanieh said, adding that both sides will consider new proposals made in the meeting and will put forward their opinions in the next meeting session.

The Iranian nuclear official did not elaborate on the details of agreements, proposals, the date or venue for the next round of the meeting.

Experts of the IAEA arrived in Tehran Wednesday morning with hopes to resolve the differences between the UN nuclear watchdog and Iran over the latter's disputed nuclear program.

Editor: Mu Xue

“Supporting Palestinian Nation Rights Iran’s Strategy”

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that supporting the rights of the Palestinian nation is a major strategy of Iran.

He made the remarks in Cairo in a meeting with the Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas which took place at the sideline of the 12th Summit of Organization of the Islamic Cooperation.

Praising the United Nations recognition of Palestine as a non-membe state, Ahmadinejad said the Zionist regime was already objecting to such recognition.

He said he was confident that nations are to meet a better destiny i they continue with resistance to the bullying powers, calling fo supporting Palestinian nation.

The Iranian President said enemies have been benefiting from disagreements within the Palestinian nation but there is high hope tha efforts underway to create unity among them will be fruitful.

Abbas, for his part, appreciated Iran’s supports for the Palestinian nation stating that Iranian brothers have always stood by the oppressed nation of Palestine.

Pointing to west’s pressures and the negative attitudes of a number o western and Arab governments towards membership of Palestine in the United Nations, he said Palestinians will safeguard their achievemen which he said is a big one.

Referring to his efforts to establish unity and reconciliation amon Palestinian groups, Abbas noted that the Palestinian youth are as befor seeking new ways to continue with resistance movement.

UN Chief Blasts Israeli Settlement Activity

Source : RIA Novosti

UNITED NATIONS, February 6 (RIA Novosti) - Israel’s settlement activity on Palestinian territories remains the key obstacle to the resolution of the Middle East conflict, the UN secretary general said.

“Settlement activity is a major obstacle to the two-State solution and must cease immediately,” Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday at the opening of the 2013 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

“I repeat that all settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law and cannot prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations,” he said.

“Negotiations must result in an agreement ending the conflict and the occupation that began in 1967 and leading to two States - Israel and Palestine - living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition of each other’s legitimate rights, including self- determination,” Ban said.

In November 2012, the General Assembly recognized Palestine as a non-member observer state.

The Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of West Bank, East Jerusalem, partially occupied by Israel, and the Hamas- controlled Gaza Strip and want Israel to pull from the Palestinian territories occupied after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

Israel, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to raise the issue of Jerusalem, which it says is the indivisible capital of the Jewish state.