UN Secretary-General: Palestinian Attacks Stem from Five Decades of Occupation

Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, criticized Israeli policies, stating that the recent deadly attacks in the country by Palestinian youth are a result of five decades of occupation of Palestinian territories. The Israeli ambassador to the UN has criticized these remarks. According to the Israeli newspaper 'Jerusalem Post', Mr. Ban made these statements in a message sent for the conference on the rights of the Palestinian people and the situation in Jerusalem in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 25. In his message, the UN Secretary-General said, 'These are the results of fear, humiliation, frustration, and distrust.' He added that this situation arises from 'the wounds of decades of bloody struggle; wounds that will take a long time to heal. Especially, Palestinian youth are tired of unfulfilled promises and see no light at the end of this tunnel.' He also criticized the situation in Jerusalem as 'one of the oldest cities in the world whose temples are sacred to billions of people.' According to Ban Ki-moon, 'What is happening in Jerusalem has caused a stir around the world.' The UN Secretary-General called on the leaders of both sides to 'stop inciting' citizens and urged Israeli security forces to 'limit the use of force in response to events.' Danny Danon, Israel's senior representative at the UN headquarters in New York, responded to Ban Ki-moon's remarks, stating, 'Instead of wasting time trying to rationalize Palestinian terrorism, the UN should compel Palestinian leaders to stop incitement coming from the highest levels, in educational frameworks and social networks.' In recent weeks, bloody tensions have erupted in several areas, including Jerusalem, resulting in dozens of deaths from stabbings by Palestinian youth and gunfire from Israeli forces. Most of the Palestinian casualties are those who have attacked police officers, security forces, or Israeli civilians with knives or vehicles. Israel has restricted Palestinian movement in some cities and increased checkpoints in local crossings. In 2014, following the killing of a group of Jewish teenagers by Hamas affiliates and the murder and burning of Muhammad Hussein Abu Khdeir, a new war broke out in Gaza, leaving hundreds of casualties, mostly Palestinians, and destroying large parts of the region. Last August, attacks by a group of extremist Jews on a Palestinian family resulted in the burning of a Palestinian infant. The child's parents also died in the hospital. Following this incident and events related to Al-Aqsa Mosque, a new crisis began.