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UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- A senior UN official on Monday called upon both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to make the "difficult compromises" that will promote stability and ensure long-term security in the region.
Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen, assistant UN secretary-general ad interim1 for UN political affairs, made the statement as he was briefing the UN Security Council on the current situation in the Middle East.
Preventing a further escalation2 of tensions in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and returning to negotiations3 has never been more important, he said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is alarmed by the rising tensions -- particularly attacks against religious sites -- that has continued since the Security Council's emergency session on Oct. 29, he said.
Israeli, Palestinian leaders urged to make difficult compromises for peace
"The secretary-general has expressed his deep concern about the upsurge in violence and calls on all sides to do everything possible to avoid further exacerbating4 an already tense environment," Toyberg-Frandzen said.
"The continued reality of the close to 50-year-long occupation and the lack of progress towards the two-State solution ensure that the next round of violence is never too far below the surface, " he said. "The time has come for leaders on both sides to make the difficult compromises that will promote stability and ensure long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians."
The two-State solution, widely backed by the international community, means a secure Israel to live in peace with an independent State of Palestine.
Ties between Israelis and the Palestinians have been tensed for several months, and this tension has recently grown due to deterioration5 in the security situation in east Jerusalem and at al-Aqsa Mosque6, one of the most holy shrines7 for all Muslims all over the world.
Clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli security forces in many parts of East Jerusalem and the West Bank have been taking place on an almost daily basis, and escalating8 tensions surrounding access to holy sites have contributed significantly to the spike9 in violence. Violence has also spread elsewhere in Israel and the West Bank, according to Toyberg-Frandzen.
He said that incidents have included Israeli police shooting and killing10 an Israeli Arab man in the village of Kafr Kanna in northern Israel on Nov. 8, alleging11 that the man had threatened them with a knife.
On the same day, thousands of people reportedly protested the killing, leading to clashes with police in the village. On Nov. 10, an Israeli soldier in Tel Aviv and an Israeli woman in the West Bank were stabbed to death, while on Nov. 11, a Palestinian man was reportedly shot to death by Israeli security forces during clashes at a refugee camp near Hebron.
The secretary-general welcomes the renewed assurances by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there will be no changes made to the status quo regarding the holy sites, saying he expects Israel to continue to ensure the protection of the holy sites and the safety of all worshippers, as per its agreement with Jordan.
While voicing hope that the announced confidence-building measures and firm commitments to maintain the status quo regarding the holy sites will "translate immediately into a de-escalation of tensions," Toyberg-Frandzen said he was encouraged by the lifting on Nov. 14 of age restrictions12 for access to the Haram Ash-Sharif/ Temple Mount, where Friday prayers reportedly occurred without incident.
Another worrying development, however, is the increase in demolitions13 of Palestinian buildings, which is also contributing to rising animosity in Jerusalem. Since Oct. 21, a total of 82 structures -- of which 47 are residential14 -- were demolished15 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The demolitions displaced 169 Palestinians, including 80 children.
Meanwhile, Israel's ongoing16 settlement activity "continues to undermine efforts to calm the tensions in Jerusalem," said Toyberg- Frandzen, who noted17 plans have been advanced to build some 500 residential units in the settlement of Ramat Shlomo, and 28 new building permits and 200 new residential units were approved in the settlement of Ramot, in East Jerusalem.
He also stressed that such actions are in defiance18 of the unanimous opposition19 to increased settlement activity expressed in the recent Council session on Jerusalem.
"As the secretary-general has consistently repeated, such unilateral actions will only further impede20 the chances for long- term stability and a durable21 peace and should therefore be reversed," Toyberg-Frandzen said.
Reiterating22 that the secretary-general urges the parties to return to peace talks, Toyberg-Frandzen noted the recent meeting on the peace process held in Washington and the call for the resumption of peace talks by the European Union's High Representative during her visit to the region this month.
"Returning to negotiations has never been more important," he said. "The absence of a credible23 political framework is further hardening positions on both sides and is providing greater political space to those seeking to exploit the lack of trust between the two parties for personal or political gain."
The last direct peace talks between Israelis and the Palestinians, which were sponsored by the United States, stopped last March. The talks went on for nine months, but hadn't achieved any tangible24 progress due to deep differences on settlement issue and the recognition of a Palestinian State.
Turning to Gaza, Toyberg-Frandzen said that while some signs of progress have gradually started to emerge, the overall state of affairs in the region remains25 "volatile26 and fraught27 with potential pitfalls28."
On a positive note, he noted that the temporary Gaza reconstruction29 mechanism30 began its operations earlier this month.
Led by the Palestinian Government of National Consensus31 and working through the private sector32, the mechanism's priority is the provision of reconstruction material for urgent shelter repairs.
He also noted that by Nov. 13, 1,086 Gazans had been able to purchase much-needed construction material, including some 10,146 bags of cement to start the rehabilitation33 of their homes.
In addition, there are currently 62 million U.S. dollars worth of UN construction projects awaiting approval by the Israeli authorities for an average of 24 months. Timely approval of these projects would be an important step towards accelerating the recovery and reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip, he said.
"The United Nations is actively34 assisting in facilitating the implementation35 of the mechanism," Mr. Toyberg-Frandzen said. "But in order for it to be successful we need a conducive36 environment and the cooperation of all the parties concerned." He also said that it is "critically important" that donors37 honor the pledges made at the Cairo Conference on Oct. 12.
It is encouraging that Israel reportedly plans to increase the number of truckloads of construction materials entering the Gaza Strip, up to 800 trucks daily, instead of the current 350 trucks.
Calling on the Palestinian factions38 to uphold their responsibilities to ensure that the reconstruction material is not diverted to support illegal activities, he also encouraged both Israel and Egypt to accelerate efforts to come up with sustainable solutions that will address their legitimate39 security concerns while progressively easing border restrictions.
Toyberg-Frandzen, however, stressed that the reconstruction of Gaza is "doomed40 to fail" without a long-term ceasefire between Israelis and the Palestinians. He also mentioned Egypt's intention to host talks during the second half of November after their postponement41 last month.
"The importance of urgently continuing the negotiations cannot be overstated," Toyberg-Frandzen said. "We strongly encourage the parties to use the opportunity of the talks to reach agreement on concrete arrangements that will sustain the ceasefire and reinforce reconstruction efforts."
Specifically, he said the talks should involve discussion of tangible steps leading to the lifting of the closures that continue to "perpetuate42 Gaza's socio-economic despair and embolden43 the proponents44 of extremism and violence."
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1 interim | |
adj.暂时的,临时的;n.间歇,过渡期间 | |
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2 escalation | |
n.扩大,增加 | |
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3 negotiations | |
协商( negotiation的名词复数 ); 谈判; 完成(难事); 通过 | |
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4 exacerbating | |
v.使恶化,使加重( exacerbate的现在分词 ) | |
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5 deterioration | |
n.退化;恶化;变坏 | |
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6 mosque | |
n.清真寺 | |
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7 shrines | |
圣地,圣坛,神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 ) | |
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8 escalating | |
v.(使)逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 );(使)逐步扩大;(使)更高;(使)更大 | |
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9 spike | |
n.长钉,钉鞋;v.以大钉钉牢,使...失效 | |
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10 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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11 alleging | |
断言,宣称,辩解( allege的现在分词 ) | |
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12 restrictions | |
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则) | |
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13 demolitions | |
n.毁坏,破坏,拆毁( demolition的名词复数 ) | |
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14 residential | |
adj.提供住宿的;居住的;住宅的 | |
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15 demolished | |
v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 );推翻;拆毁(尤指大建筑物);吃光 | |
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16 ongoing | |
adj.进行中的,前进的 | |
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17 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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18 defiance | |
n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗 | |
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19 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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20 impede | |
v.妨碍,阻碍,阻止 | |
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21 durable | |
adj.持久的,耐久的 | |
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22 reiterating | |
反复地说,重申( reiterate的现在分词 ) | |
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23 credible | |
adj.可信任的,可靠的 | |
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24 tangible | |
adj.有形的,可触摸的,确凿的,实际的 | |
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25 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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26 volatile | |
adj.反复无常的,挥发性的,稍纵即逝的,脾气火爆的;n.挥发性物质 | |
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27 fraught | |
adj.充满…的,伴有(危险等)的;忧虑的 | |
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28 pitfalls | |
(捕猎野兽用的)陷阱( pitfall的名词复数 ); 意想不到的困难,易犯的错误 | |
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29 reconstruction | |
n.重建,再现,复原 | |
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30 mechanism | |
n.机械装置;机构,结构 | |
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31 consensus | |
n.(意见等的)一致,一致同意,共识 | |
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32 sector | |
n.部门,部分;防御地段,防区;扇形 | |
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33 rehabilitation | |
n.康复,悔过自新,修复,复兴,复职,复位 | |
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34 actively | |
adv.积极地,勤奋地 | |
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35 implementation | |
n.实施,贯彻 | |
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36 conducive | |
adj.有益的,有助的 | |
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37 donors | |
n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 );献血者;捐血者;器官捐献者 | |
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38 factions | |
组织中的小派别,派系( faction的名词复数 ) | |
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39 legitimate | |
adj.合法的,合理的,合乎逻辑的;v.使合法 | |
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40 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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41 postponement | |
n.推迟 | |
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42 perpetuate | |
v.使永存,使永记不忘 | |
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43 embolden | |
v.给…壮胆,鼓励 | |
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44 proponents | |
n.(某事业、理论等的)支持者,拥护者( proponent的名词复数 ) | |
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