JERUSALEM: The Israeli prime minister reacted with fury on Wednesday to the United Nations secretary general’s remarks that the Jewish state must stop construction of homes for settlers in Palestinian territories in order to boost the peace process.

Ban Ki-moon’s remarks “give a tailwind to terrorism”, Benjamin Netanyahu said, and ignore the fact “Palestinian murderers do not want to build a state”.

“The United Nations lost its neutrality and moral force a long time ago,” he added, singling Ban out for personal criticism.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday described Israel’s settlements as “provocative acts” that raised questions about its commitment to a two-state solution, nearly 50 years after occupying lands the Palestinians seek for a state.

Ban also laid some of the blame for four months of stabbing and car rammings by Palestinians at Israel’s door, saying “as oppressed peoples have demonstrated throughout the ages, it is human nature to react to occupation, which often serves as a potent incubator of hate and extremism”.

While terse words between Israel and the United Nations are nothing new, Israel’s closest allies, the United States and the European Union, have publicly expressed their own frustration with the policies of Netanyahu’s right-wing government.

Speaking at a security conference last week, US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro questioned how equitably justice is applied in the occupied West Bank, saying: “At times there seem to be two standards of adherence to the rule of law: one for Israelis —Reutersnother for Palestinians.”

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2016