Hiyam Noir

In the second day of UN General Assembly meetings beginning on Sunday, in the opening speech of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Palestinian Authority, on Monday,the UN Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon praised Fatah while he slandered Hamas.Ki-Moon praised the PA for making "great efforts in the public financial management and in the security", since the last meeting in May. While he accused Hamas of "compounding the hardship" afflicting Gaza by" separating Palestinian institutions" from the PA and "interrupting basic service delivery".

He said that the Israelis had removed "certain obstacles" in the West Bank.While donors had shown their commitment by contributing over $1.2 billion in budgetary support. to the West Bank.Ban Ki-Moon said that, an "easing" of Israel’s closures in the occupied Palestinian territory, a "genuine freeze" of Israeli settlement activity and a continued Palestinian efforts to "enhance security" are crucial if the Middle East conflict is to be resolved.

“But this is not enough. More needs to happen,” he told the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, a Norwegian initiative arranged in 1992 to ensure that the assistance of development is used efficiently in relation to the peace process,contributing to the development of the Palestinian society.

Ban Ki-Moon declared that the "Palestinian Authority’s security performance has improved" saying that the PA is "delivering real results", when donors and investors are ready to do more and when the political process is at such a "delicate stage" an easing of closure to enable the Palestinian economy to grow is indispensable.

Ban Ki-Moon setting preconditions:" if, the weight of the occupation is to begin to be lifted"

“This, combined with a genuine settlement freeze and continued Palestinian efforts in the "realm of security", both in accordance with the Road Map, is vital if the "weight of the occupation" is to begin to be lifted,” he added, referring to the internationally sponsored peace plan which foresees a two-State solution with Israel and the Palestinians living side by side in peace.

Ban Ki-Moon added, in regards to the disastrous Gaza economy ( a purposefully induced misery brought upon Gaza by the Israelis, and a Western boycott in collaboration with Fatah) that - “Without a significant rise in imports and the revival of the economy through exports, the population of Gaza will continue to endure hardship and become increasingly aid dependent”. Salam Fayyad of Fatah in the West Bank caretaker government attended the meeting.

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