By Xinhua
United Nations : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday he was deeply concerned about the renewed violence in Gaza.
Addressing the Security Council at an open debate on the Middle East, Ban said he was deeply concerned about the prospect of renewed violence in Gaza and southern Israel, and what this would mean both for the civilian populations in the conflict zone and for the peace process we are all trying to advance.
He added that the peace process is too important to be allowed to lose momentum through inaction or indifference, or to be overwhelmed by violence.
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe also briefed the council, saying he regretted that, over the past month, continuing efforts to advance the political process were once again overshadowed by violence, high numbers of civilian casualties and a lack of concrete improvements on the ground.
But he added that the very fact that the political process between Israelis and Palestinians is continuing is extremely important.
Pascoe called on the international community and all regional parties to give strong support to efforts to bring about a cessation of violence in and around Gaza and a reopening of crossings, in an atmosphere where the security concerns of the Palestinians, Israel and Egypt are addressed.