UN Chief to visit Israel, Palestinian territories amid clashes

PanARMENIAN.Net - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will make a surprise visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Tuesday, October 20, in a high-profile gambit to bring an end to the month-long wave of violence that has plagued the region, the Associated Press reports.

The visit comes amid unrest that erupted in Jerusalem a month ago over tensions surrounding a Jerusalem holy site sacred to Jews and Muslims. It soon spread to Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem and then to the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. The spate of daily attacks have caused panic across Israel and raised fears that the region is on the cusp of a new round of heavy violence.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki told Palestinian radio that Ban, who is currently in Europe, will arrive later Tuesday and meet with both sides. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin's office confirmed that the president will meet with Ban.

Additional details of the visit were not immediately available, but reports said the country's new ambassador the United Nations, Danny Danon, was on his way home to prepare for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Over the past month, nine Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings. In that time, 41 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 20 labeled by Israel as attackers, and the rest in clashes with Israeli troops. An Eritrean migrant died after being shot and beaten by a mob that mistakenly believed he was a Palestinian attacker.