UN chief tells Israel that designation of holy sites could hinder Palestinian peace talks

UN chief raises concern over Palestinian talks

UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon raised concern at a meeting Wednesday with Israel’s defense chief that Israel’s recent designation of holy sites in the West Bank as heritage sites and demolitions in East Jerusalem could hinder a resumption of stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, a U.N. spokesman said.

The U.N. chief discussed prospects for reviving peace negotiations and broader Mideast issues with defense chief Ehud Barak for about an hour, including a 15-minute tete-a-tete, officials said.

U.N. associate spokesman Farhan Haq said that in the discussion on efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks, “the secretary-general regretted certain recent developments on the ground, including new demolition orders in East Jerusalem and the inclusion of holy sites in the occupied West Bank on an Israeli heritage list.”

The Palestinians consider the West Bank as part of a future Palestinian state and want East Jerusalem as its capital.

At a special Cabinet meeting Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added the Cave of Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron and the traditional tomb of the biblical matriarch Rachel in Bethlehem, to the list of some 150 national heritage sites.

Palestinian President Mahmoud warned Tuesday that the region could plunge into a “religious war” over Israel’s plans to recognize the disputed Hebron shrine, which is holy to both Jews and Muslims, as its own.

Barak’s meeting with Ban was his first on a brief trip to New York and Washington. He is also scheduled to meet U.S. envoy George Mitchell, who is trying to revive the stalemated Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior U.S. officials.

The United Nations is part of the so-called Quartet which has been trying to promote a Mideast peace settlement along with the U.S., the European Union and Russia. The U.S. and Russia are trying to convene a Quartet meeting and a tentative date of March 19 has been discussed, diplomats in Washington said.

During his meeting with Barak, the secretary-general also expressed concern at the situation in Gaza “and his disappointment that Israel has not accepted the U.N.’s proposal to kickstart civilian recovery,” Haq said. “He underscored the need for Israel to take positive steps on the entry of reconstruction materials into Gaza.”

Barak did not speak to reporters at U.N. headquarters but Mirit Cohen, spokeswoman for Israel’s U.N. Mission, said the defense minister told the U.N. chief that Israel is doing “the utmost” to make life easier for the citizens of Gaza and to prevent a humanitarian crisis.

On Lebanon, Ban expressed hope for “speedy progress” on a proposal by the U.N. peacekeeping force for an Israeli withdrawal from the disputed border village of Ghajar, Haq said.

Ban also urged an end to Israeli overflights of Lebanon and expressed his continuing concern at the lack of progress in disarming Lebanese militias as called for in a 2004 Security Council resolution, he said.

Israel and Hezbollah militants fought a 34-day war in Lebanon in the summer of 2006, and Cohen said Barak accused Iran and Syria of arming Hezbollah with over 40,000 missiles aimed at Israel like “weapons of terror.” The defense minister also called for enforcement of severe sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, she said.