The Secretary-General pointed out that Israel’s “excessive and disproportionate” use of force only serves to intensify rage, desperation and a desire for revenge. At the same time, “cruel and devastating” terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, including suicide bombings, have claimed large numbers of innocent lives while setting back the Palestinian cause. “The result of these actions has been the near-total destruction of the belief on either side that there is genuine partner for a just peace,” he observed.
