Earlier on Sunday, Ban Ki-Moon condemned “in the strongest terms” Saturday night’s attack in the Old City of Jerusalem.
By DANIELLE ZIRIUpdated: OCTOBER 6, 2015 00:54Ron Prosor, then Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, speaks to the media outside the Security Council chambers July 20, 2014(photo credit: AFP / STAN HONDA)
NEW YORK – Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor told Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday to put pressure on Palestinian leaders, and to “let them know that their words fan the flames of hatred, before there are more Israeli victims.”“Just this week, [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas told the General Assembly that he is working to promote peace but families are being murdered on their way back from holiday events,” Prosor said. “Is this the peace he is talking about?” The ambassador also said Abbas’s statements and his failure to condemn the recent murders of Israelis put him in line with the positions of radical groups, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.The Palestinian leader should “bear the responsibility for his words,” he said.Prosor also pointed a finger at the Security Council for maintaining its “usual radio silence” despite the attacks on Israelis.“Palestinian terrorists are trying to turn the beautiful days of the holiday period into days of mourning,” Prosor told the council. “Instead of calming the situation, the Palestinian leadership has refused to condemn the attacks, and chooses to escalate into more extreme statements of incitement.”Earlier on Sunday, Ban condemned “in the strongest terms” Saturday night’s attack in Jerusalem’s Old City.He said he was “deeply concerned that these latest incidents signal a dangerous slide towards escalation,” and spoke against statements from Palestinian terrorist organizations praising the attacks.The secretary-general urged Palestinian and Israeli leaders “to condemn violence and incitement, maintain calm and to do everything they can to avoid further escalation.”He also expressed his firm belief that a “just and lasting solution to the conflict” can only be achieved through negotiations for a two-state solution, and reiterated the UN’s readiness to “work with all parties to create the conditions on the ground, in the region and internationally to make meaningful negotiations possible.”