In a statement attributable to his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern about the upsurge in violence and killings over the past few days in Israel and the West Bank.

“Violence only deepens distrust, while making more distant the prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians,”  Ban said.

According to media reports, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been increasing in intensity over the past few weeks following a series of separate incidents which left a total of three people dead. Earlier today, the press noted, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian man at a West Bank refugee camp during clashes between the troops and residents.

 Dujarric noted that the Secretary-General called “on all sides to do everything they possibly can to avoid further exacerbating an already tense environment” and added that  Ban’s thoughts were with the families of the victims.