UNITED NATION: The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a dire warning on Tuesday saying “the prospects of a two-state solution in the Middle East were getting dimmer with potentially explosive consequences for the entire region”.

In a statement he urged the international community to boost efforts at bringing ‘Israeli and Palestinian delegations back to the negotiating table”.

“Over the years, we have seen determined efforts to achieve a comprehensive, negotiated peace based on a two-state solution,” Mr Ban told a meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh of Jordan, which holds the Security Council’s presidency for the month.

“Instead of peace, however, there have been decades of missed opportunities and failures that have come at an enormous cost.”

The council meeting comes on the heels of Israel’s most recent election and the impending formation of a new Israeli government but also a flare-up in tensions between the government in Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2015

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