UN chief plans visit to M East on Gaza crisis

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is planning to visit the Middle East shortly due to the escalation in violence between Hamas and Israel. “The secretary-general has continued to speak with international and regional leaders and officials by telephone and in person as part of his efforts to call for restraint and push for an end to violence,” U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said Friday. “As part of those efforts, he plans to visit the region shortly.” The spokesman did not specify when exactly Ban’s visit would take place or where he would visit. “A new cycle of bloodshed will make neither Israelis nor Palestinians more secure,” Ban said in a statement. “Nor will bloodshed open the door to negotiations that could achieve the two-state solution necessary to end such violence permanently.” Nesirky said Ban “urgently appeals to all concerned to do everything under their command to stop this dangerous escalation and restore calm.” “Rocket attacks are unacceptable and must stop at once,” Nesirky said, referring to the launching of rockets into Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. “Israel must exercise maximum restraint.”