Ban decries attack on Israelis as bid to derail peace talks
(UNITED NATIONS) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday condemned the killing of four Israeli citizens in the West Bank as a "blatant attempt" to undermine upcoming Middle East peace talks.
"The secretary-general condemns the killing of four Israeli citizens in the West Bank on 31 August," Ban's spokesman said in a statement.
"This attack must be recognized for what it is -- a cynical and blatant attempt to undermine the direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations starting tomorrow," the statement added, extending the UN chief's condolences to the families of the victims and calling for swift justice for "the perpetrators of this crime."
Resumption of long-stalled direct peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas were due to get underway Thursday.
Top level talks in search of an elusive Middle East peace deal broke off in December 2008 when Israel invaded the Palestinian Gaza Strip to halt militant rocket fire on its south.
The fresh peace bid came as Israeli forces on Wednesday sealed off parts of the West Bank while Palestinian security officials said they arrested about 50 people after four settlers were gunned down just ahead of Middle East peace talks.
Text and Picture Copyright 2010 AFP. All other Copyright 2010 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.