UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Israel "don't shoot the messenger" as he renewed criticism of the "humiliating" Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Ban said in an opinion piece published in the New York Times that Israel cannot keep "lashing out at every well-intentioned critic" of its policies and that he had "pointed out a simple truth."
"Palestinians - especially young people - are losing hope over what seems a harsh, humiliating and endless occupation," he said in the editorial posted on the website late Sunday. At the same time, Israelis are reeling from near-daily attacks and "losing sight" of the possibility of a peace deal, he said. "The time has come for Israelis, Palestinians and the international community to read the writing on the wall: the status quo is untenable," he wrote. The op-ed was the latest salvo from the UN chief on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been deadlocked since a US peace mission collapsed in April 2014.