Ban doubles down on Israel comments

Ten days ago, Israel also announced the biggest land grab since August 2014, which seized 1,540 Dunams (380 acres), of land near Jericho in the Jordan Valleys, and demolished dozens of Palestinians’ homes, who they claim have carried attacks and were killed or detained, or under the pretext of no building license.

It was not clear when the last time such a move had been taken by Israel, though heavy restrictions were put in place during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, between 2000 and 2005.

The Israeli army on Monday partially closed off Ramallah, the main Palestinian city in the West Bank, following a shooting attack near there the previous day.

Enforcement of the restrictions varied significantly yesterday.

Recently, the terrorist group Hamas, bragged about their ongoing tunnel digging activities from Gaza under the border fence for the goal of attacking Israel and also to abduct IDF soldiers.

The Palestinian Authority and Fatah, the party led by President Mahmoud Abbas, have not endorsed this wave of attacks except to honor the dead as martyrs to the cause of Palestine.

“A number of meetings have been called off because Palestinian interlocutors have not been able to get to the meeting site”.

The Israeli authorities have struggled to halt a wave of stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians or Israeli Arabs that have left 28 Israelis dead since October.

The military said Monday that only humanitarian cases will be allowed to leave Ramallah and only residents can enter.

The violence has killed 25 Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean.

A Palestinian security source named the assailant as Ahmed Toba, 17, from a village in the northern West Bank. The checkpoint shooting was one of two attacks on Sunday.

The Palestinians then accused Israel of making irrational security demands, and foot dragging and expanding the Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Salit is near Israeli territory, not far from Tel Aviv.

Ban wrote that he would always stand up for Israel’s right to exist, but added: “the time has come for Israelis, Palestinians and the global community to read the writing on the wall: The status quo is untenable”. “Of course, a lasting agreement between Israel and Palestine will require hard compromises by leaders and peoples on both sides”.