Pretoria - While the Security Council mulls over the Palestinian application to become a Member State, the United Nations political chief today called on the Israelis and the Palestinians to return to negotiations to reach a comprehensive and lasting settlement.
"Judged by the passions of last week, the parties remain far apart. No one can deny the depth of their dispute," Under-Secretary-General B. Lynn Pascoe told the Security Council in his monthly update on the Middle East.
"But there are now some building blocks in place that could help make negotiations more effective than before - a clear timetable, expectations that the parties must come forward with proposals, and an active role of the Quartet," he said, referring to the diplomatic group comprising the European Union, Russia, the UN and the United States.
"It will not be easy to chart a way forward, but now is the time for everyone to give diplomacy a chance," he stated.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled since late September last year after Israel's refusal to extend a 10-month freeze on settlement activity. The talks had only resumed a few weeks earlier after a two-year hiatus.
Last Friday, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, submitted an application to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for Palestine - which currently has observer status - to be a Member State of the UN.
South Africa has given its support to this Palestinian's bid, saying "it is a decisive step towards achieving lasting peace, economic co-operation and prosperity for millions of people in the Middle East and we urge that it be viewed favourably."
Ban transmitted the application to the President of the Security Council, which is set to meet tomorrow to refer the application to the committee that deals with new members.
"As these deliberations continue, we must spare no effort to help the parties back to the negotiating table," said Pascoe.
"The main obstacles to a Palestinian State are not institutional, but political: the unresolved issues in the conflict between the parties, the continuing Israeli occupation, and the ongoing Palestinian divide," he added.
Pascoe recalled that the Quartet, which also met on Friday after the application was submitted, called for resumed negotiations and urged concrete proposals from the parties on territory and security within three months of talks resuming. It also urged them to avoid provocations on the ground.
Given the human cost of the ongoing conflict, Pascoe also said it is essential that all sides impress on their security forces and civilian population the need to act responsibly.
"They must do their utmost to avoid escalation, and take early action to defuse possible tensions," he said, adding that extremists on both sides must not be allowed to inflame the situation. - BuaNews
