‘Door closing’ on two-state solution: Ban tells U.N. Assembly.

‘Door closing’ on two-state solution: Ban tells U.N. Assembly.(AA).U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon painted a dismal picture over the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Tuesday, saying the “door may be closing [on the solution], for good.” The U.N. chief told the U.N. General Assembly the continued growth of Israeli settlements undercuts any peace efforts within the conflict. “The two-state solution is the only sustainable option. Yet the door may be closing, for good,” Ban said. “The continued growth of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory seriously undermines efforts towards peace. We must break this dangerous impasse.” Ban was one of the speakers at the annual meeting of world leaders. His speech also appeared to address the Iranian-Israeli tensions. In an apparent reference to recent comments by Israeli, Iranian and U.S. officials, the U.N. chief said he rejected threats of military action by one state against another.While he did not specify what countries he was talking about, after criticizing Israeli settlement building, Ban told the U.N. General Assembly, “I also reject both the language of delegitimization and threats of potential military action by one state against another. Any such attacks would be devastating.”Read the full story here.