UN chief calls on Israel to freeze settlement-building

Ban said that the attacks by Palestinians are a “human nature” reaction to occupation, which oppressed people have been carrying out throughout the ages, and “often serves as a potent incubator of hate and extremism”.

Ban, for his part, speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council, attributed the violence to mounting Palestinian frustration and a stalled peace process.

“He condemned the attacks but said Israel’s settlement-building programme cast doubt on its commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state”.

“They want to murder Jews for being Jews and they say this openly”. They want to destroy a state as they declare publicly. They are not killing for the cause of peace, they are not killing to aid human rights.

Dion’s statement drew a swift attack from the Conservative Party, which had adopted a resolutely pro-Israel policy while in power, for not laying blame “for recent terrorist rocket and knife attacks with Hamas, a listed terrorist organization in Canada”.

Liu Jieyi, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations told the council that the global community should urge both Palestine and Israel to take immediate actions to ease tension. The two Palestinian assailants were shot dead by a security guard.

“The U.N. Secretary General’s remarks give a tailwind to terrorism”.

Shlomit Krigman, 24, died overnight of wounds sustained in Monday’s attack.

The United States, the United Nations and the European Union oppose all Israeli settlement building but have voiced particular concern about plans for E1.

On Monday, two Palestinian men were shot and killed after they stabbed two Israeli women outside a supermarket in the West Bank settlement of Beit Horon, according to Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

About 370,000 Israelis live in at least 120 West Bank settlements, with additional 200,000 in East Jerusalem.

Although the Israelis claim they bought the homes legally, the settlers did not follow established procedure during their move, Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said.

The Israeli leader retorted that such comments encourage violence against Israelis and that the United Nations had lost its neutrality on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Ban Ki-moon’s remarks have angered Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who accuses Mr Ban of exacerbating a dangerously tense situation.

On 17 January, a mother of six was stabbed to death inside her home at the settlement of Otniel.

Two homemade pipe bombs were also found near the scene of the attack, she said.