The PLO Executive Committee will report on implementation of this decision to the PLO Central Council in three months which still provides a “window of opportunity” for both sides to take necessary actions to honour their obligations, said a statement released by Ban’s spokesperson this afternoon.

The Secretary-General urged both parties to exercise utmost restraint and “reverse unhelpful cycle of actions and counter-actions” and repeated his call on Israel to resume the transfer of tax revenues legally due to the Palestinian Authority as per the Paris Protocol.

“In the absence of effective international engagement, the situation may further unravel,” Ban said, urgently calling on the international community, including the Security Council, to exercise leadership and help create conditions for a negotiated final peace agreement.

Such an agreement will have to end the Israeli occupation and realize the creation of a viable Palestinian state, living in peace and security alongside Israel, he added.

Photo: UNRWA Archives/Alaa Ghosheh