Activities of Secretary-General in Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territory, 1-3 February

On Wednesday, 1 February, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Israel from Amman, Jordan.

In Jerusalem, he had a working breakfast with President Shimon Peres and later the two met with the media.

He also met that morning with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he held a working lunch, and both later met with the press.  He also met with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

He later travelled to Ramallah, where he met with the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.  They also held a press encounter.  He also met that day with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

He discussed the situation in the Middle East with all leaders, especially the talks initiated in January by King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Judeh of Jordan.  He noted that negotiations are the only path for a sustainable resolution of all final-status issues.

While in Ramallah, he met with Palestinian civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations, and met with the media at the Rawabi Housing Project.  The Secretary-General attended dinner that evening hosted by President Abbas at the Muqata.

On Thursday, 2 February, the Secretary-General continued his visit, driving to Gaza in the morning where he visited a girls’ school, met with victims of a family that suffered a civilian casualty as a result of conflict, visited an United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) housing project at Khan Younis, and met with the media.

He later travelled to Erez in Israel, where he visited Sapir College.  He met there with survivors of a rocket attack on a school bus that killed one Israeli student.  He also spoke to the media.

He then travelled to Herzliya, where he delivered the keynote address to the Herzliya 2012 Conference.  (See Press Release SG/SM/14097)

That evening, he attended a dinner hosted by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak.

He departed Israel after midnight on 3 February for New York, where he arrived early the same day.