UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon addressed the UN Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace today, being held at the EU Parliament in Brussels. Ban Ki-Moon could not attend the conference in person, but a speech that he had written for the event was read out by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Angela Kane. In his speech, the UN Secretary General praised the meetings being held by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and said that recent initiatives "all have the potential to result in a significant breakthrough".

Quote: "Mr. Ban stressed that a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains "one of the foremost priorities of the United Nations. The continued occupation of the Palestinian territory prolongs hardship and injustice for millions of Palestinians, yet it has also failed to ensure the security of Israeli civilians." Both sides need to demonstrate renewed commitment to a two-State solution, he said, calling on Israel to stop settlement activity and construction of the barrier and to ease restrictions of Palestinian movements, and urging Palestinians to make every effort to end the violence of militants and to make more progress on building robust institutions.

The conference was organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, a group that has been criticized for another conference held in Durban in 2001, which ended up becoming an Israel-bashing session and resulted in the UN equating Zionism with racism. Many world leaders were present at today's event, including representatives of 140 civil society organizations, members of the European and national parliaments, 53 government observers and 16 intergovernmental organizations. Conference delegates once again blasted Israel as a racist, apartheid state, and called for an international boycott against it.

Quote: "According to the Bnei Brith organization, which sent delegates to attend the conference from its European Affairs Office, British Member of Parliament Clare Short said during her speech that Israel was not interested in a two-state solution, and blasted the EU for "allowing" Israel to build "an apartheid wall". "The boycott worked for South Africa, it is time to do it again," Short was quoted as saying. The security fence was also attacked by the European Parliament's vice president, Edward McMillan-Scott, who maintained that it would not bring peace to Israel. McMillan-Scott added that the European Parliament was committed to "a two state solution with safe borders," according to the Bnei Brith report of the conference. 

It seems even Israelis are joining in the demonisation of the Jewish state. Speaking at the conference, a columnist for the left-wing Israeli daily Haaretz stated that Israel was an "apartheid state with different status for different communities". Whoever thought that a tiny strip of land around 200 miles long could evoke so much raw emotion in people? Governments are burdening themselves with this conflict, in a vain hope of finding a peaceful solution to it. Israeli and Palestinian leaders are at loggerheads over the status of Jerusalem. Just like the prophet Zechariah stated, the whole world will burden itself with this issue. Jerusalem has literally become a burdensome stone and a cup of trembling for all people. Woe to the nation that seeks to divide God's land!

Zechariah 12:9
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

But for the believer, there is hope. The Lord Jesus Christ will soon return to take His waiting people home. Are you on the Lord's side? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation?

Exodus 32:25-26
And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

Just like the tribe of Levi, the Bible teaches that every true believer in Jesus Christ is a priest unto God (Revelation 1:6). When the Lord comes, He will gather His saints unto Him, and then the judgement of this world will come.

Source UN, YNet News, Jerusalem Post