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Netanyahu says UN chief’s comments stoke terror
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the Israeli leaders to react angrily to comments made by United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who yesterday claimed that the wave of terror attacks against Israelis is a natural response to occupation.
Addressing the UN Security Council, Ban urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders “to prevent the two-state solution from slipping away forever” and singled out Israel construction in the West Bank as “an affront to the Palestinian people and to the international community.”
Ban condemned “stabbings, vehicle attacks, and shootings by Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians,” which have taken place on a near-daily basis since October, killing at least 28 Israelis. However, he explained that security measures to tackle the violence “cannot address the profound sense of alienation and despair driving some Palestinians.” Ban said that, “Palestinian frustration is growing” and that “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.”
Ban’s comments came on the same day as 23-year-old Shlomit Krigman was buried in Jerusalem, having been stabbed to death by a Palestinian assailant on Monday in the West Bank community of Beit Horon. Last week, mother-of-six Dafna Meir was killed in a knife attack by a Palestinian terrorist at the entrance to her home. A day later, also in the West Bank, a 25-year-old pregnant Israeli woman survived a similar stabbing.
Prime Minister Netanyahu quickly responded, saying, “The comments of the UN Secretary General encourage terror… There is no justification for terror.” He added, “The Palestinian murderers do not want to build a state, they want to destroy a state and they say it out loud… They do not murder for peace and they do not murder for human rights.”
Yair Atid, leader of the opposition Yesh Atid party, similarly denounced Ban’s comments, saying “Terrorism against innocent civilians cannot be justified. No one should provide excuses for it, especially not the UN Secretary General.”