UN Chief's blunt message to Israel

The message couldn't be more blunt and direct. The UN Secretary-General has thrown down the gauntlet to Israel. It must "do" something about those illegal settlements.

Only problem is that the Israelis will, as in the past, ignore the warning - and the only country which might exert some influence over Israel, the USA, will do absolutely nothing. Obama has shown himself as almost worse than Bush in "pushing" the Israelis to effect a decent and proper settlement with the Palestinians.

"United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel Wednesday to halt settlement building in the West Bank and put a stop to all forms of violence and incitement, the UN News Center reported.

Speaking in Uruguay at the UN Latin American and Caribbean Meeting in support of Middle East peace Ban said it was a "crucial time" for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon speaks after a Security Council meeting regarding the situation in Libya Thursday, March 24, 2011 at the UN headquarters in New York.

“Time is of the essence in realizing the two-State solution, " Ban said, "the occupation that started in 1967 is morally and politically unsustainable, and must end. The Palestinians have a legitimate right to the establishment of an independent and viable State of their own".

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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