via Jerusalem Post (click for original)

 

Addressing the UN Security Council in a session on the Middle East, Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe emphasized the hope for a return to Israeli-Palestinian talks as “crucially important.”

 

Pascoe cited regional consultations with the League of Arab States, as well as efforts by Egyptian and American interlocutors to encourage diplomacy between the two sides.

 

“It is essential that the parties engage seriously and make substantive progress quickly once the talks resume, with a view to resolve all permanent status issues,” he said. “Quartet envoys have been in regular contact, and we support a Quartet meeting soon to help move the process forward.”

 

Noting that there has been “significant construction” in settlements as well as plans to construct more, Pascoe said the UN calls “on Israel to fulfill its road map obligation to freeze illegal settlement construction and not to implement plans for additional settlement units.”

 

Pascoe also said “the annexation of east Jerusalem is not recognized by the international community, and that the status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties.”

 

Pascoe urged member states to assist the Palestinian Authority’s state-building agenda in order to improve its “liquidity situation.”

 

The Consolidated Appeal for 2011 for funds is to be presented in Brussels on November 30, articulating humanitarian strategies to address needs in Gaza and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem. Pascoe also cited incidents between Israeli settlers and Palestinians, and said humanitarian workers needed better access to these three areas.