The UN Political Affairs chief warned: “Both parties should be concerned that the political track is falling behind the significant progress being made by the Palestinian Authority in its state-building agenda,” The UN Security Council held another debate on the Middle East, particularly the Israel/Palestine impasse under circumstances of growing urgency and irritation. Mr. B. Lynn Pascoe continued with the following warning: “The international community is rightly concerned at the protracted stalemate in the peace process. We stress the importance of supporting and empowering the leadership of [Palestinian) President [Mahmoud] Abbas and Prime Minister [Salam] Fayyad, and of bringing the parties back to the table,” Rebuke to Israel? Under Secretary Pascoe called upon both the Israeli’s and Palestinian Authority to move the process toward settlement and with urgency. Nonetheless, Israel was called upon to catch up with not only the opportunities (and risks) rapidly unfolding in the broader Middle East but also the recent efforts/achievements of the Palestinian Authority: “Far-reaching rather than incremental steps should be taken by Israel to lead to progress on the ground, by rolling back measures of occupation to match the Palestinian Authority’s achievements,” Evaluation of “Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee” Mr. Pascoe offered also the assessment of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) meeting in Brussels which met earlier in Brussels: “in the six areas where it is most engaged with the Palestinian Authority, governmental functions are now sufficient for a viable government of a State. In parallel, Israeli measures to facilitate movement have also supported economic activity and access to basic services, . Mr. Pascoe voiced “concern that the Palestinian Authority has not able to extend its State-building work to Gaza due to the ongoing Palestinian political divide. “ He added that the latest reporting period “saw the highest level of violence in Gaza and Israel since Operation Cast Lead took place more than two years ago”. UN News Release April 21, 2011 Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas, fired 111 mortar shells and 155 rockets while Israel conducted six incursions and 57 air strikes into Gaza since the last briefing to the Security Council. One Israeli child was killed and two civilians were injured by Palestinian rocket fire. Some 19 Palestinian militants and 15 civilians were killed, while 17 militants and 60 civilians were injured, as a result of Israeli military actions. (UN News Release) Mr. Pascoe also described the following in his Briefing: “ We are alarmed at actions of Hamas to escalate violence, endangering civilians on both sides and risking a deeper confrontation with Israel, The Secretary-General strongly condemns rocket fire from Gaza and calls for it to end. He also reiterates his calls for maximum restraint by Israel. All parties must fully respect international humanitarian law. In the interest of the civilian populations on both sides, we call on the parties to uphold and solidify the prevailing fragile calm,” Israel & Palestine Reply Israel’s Ambassador Meron Reuben said “Israel’s commitment to recognize a future Palestinian State must be met with an equal acknowledgement that Israel is the Jewish State for the Jewish people." In his statement to the Council, Riyad Mansour, Ambassador of the Permanent Observer of Palestine, said Palestinians remained committed to the achievement of peace through political means, despite the stalemate in the process. He urged the UN Security Council and the international community in general to “redouble their efforts at this critical time to uphold the principles for which the United Nations stands in order to bring an end to this conflict and allow the Palestine to take its rightful place among the community of nations.” The Middle East debate also encompassed the situation in Lebanon. No significant progress in resolving underlying issues was reported. However, it can be said that no news may be better than bad news in this area. It is the Israeli/Palestine divide that is in focus and probably needs solution before progress in broader Arab-Israeli relations. As is frequently the case on the issue, many states opted to join the "debate." Over 40 Ambassadors participated in the discussion before the UN Security Council. See our Previous Report: diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/blog_post/israelpalestine-talks-where-next-un-security-council-hearing-scheduled-for-april-21-2011-by-ambassador-mo/27423 By Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey Face Book at “Diplomatically Incorrect” Twitter - DiplomaticallyX