联合国敦促以色列改变政策

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is calling on Israel to change its settlement policies and demonstrate its commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Action on the ground, together with a genuine readiness to negotiate on all core issues, including Jerusalem, borders and refugees, based on Israel’s existing commitments will be the true tests of Israel’s commitment to the two-state solution."

At a Security Council debate on the Middle East, Ban also demanded an end to Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel and said the Palestinian Authority must develop an effective security structure and state institutions. He said the international community must kick-start negotiations for a settlement. The debate comes a few months after the election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has called for talks with Palestinians but has not specifically supported a Palestinian state. Netanyahu is to meet with US President Barack Obama in Washington on May 18. Ban said Palestinians continue to see unacceptable unilateral actions by Israel in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. These included house demolitions, intensified Jewish settlement activity, settler violence and oppressive movement restrictions, all linked to settlements, he said.

"The time has come for Israel to fundamentally change [for] its policies in this regard as it has repeatedly promised to do, but not yet done."

The UN chief said indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel were deeply unacceptable, totally counterproductive and must cease. Russia, which is currently president of the Security Council, had called for the debate, which Israel boycotted. Diplomats say Russia's seeking greater influence in the region. A Middle East conference is scheduled to take place in Moscow later this year.

Karina Huber, Reuters.

Glossary [only for reference]

 a two-state solution: a consensus solution which envisions two separate states in the Western portion of the historic region of Palestine, one Jewish and another Arab to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict.

core issues: the issues that are most important to someone

kick-start [transitive]: to do something to help a process or activity start or develop more quickly

demolition: the act of demolishing

indiscriminate: an indiscriminate action is done without thinking about what harm it might cause

counterproductive: achieving the opposite result to the one that you want

boycott [transitive]: to refuse to buy something, use something, or take part in something as a way of protesting