UN source: Ban's Israel visit 'won't be friendly'

NEW YORK - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to make an unambiguous demand that Jerusalem take immediate steps to improve living conditions in Gaza during his visit to Israel next week, high-level sources at UN headquarters said yesterday.

While the U.S. government hinted yesterday that it was beginning to move past this week's diplomatic crisis and tone down criticism of Israel, Ban will arrive here with the express goal of raising humanitarian assistance to Gazans and emphasizing Israel's responsibility for their plight.

A high-level UN official told Haaretz that Ban intends to speak bluntly to Israeli leaders during his visit.

"It won't be a friendly trip," he said.

On Wednesday, U.S. journalists were surprised to hear the harsh wording with which Ban recently described Israeli policy.

"The Israeli policy of closure destroys hope - hope of a better life for all people, hope for recovery from the destruction and pain of the recent war," he told a press conference. "As policy, it is counterproductive. It undercuts moderates and empowers extremists. It destroys legitimate commerce and encourages smuggling. It blocks the road to a peaceful future for both sides in this conflict."

Ban is currently in Moscow for today's meeting of the Quartet for Mideast peace. He will land in Israel Saturday, then immediately travel to Ramallah for meetings with Palestinian officials before returning to Israel for a meeting with President Shimon Peres.

On Sunday he will visit Gaza, then return for talks with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The UN chief's visit to the region is likely to have wide-ranging diplomatic repercussions. On March 24, two days after Ban returns to New York, the UN Security Council will convene for a discussion on the status of the Middle East.

Ban, usually absent from such discussions, will likely tell diplomats what he saw in Gaza - remarks which are expected to damage Israel's image at UN headquarters.

Meanwhile, diplomats in New York said yesterday they did not expect major developments to arise from the Quartet meeting in Russia.

A week ago Quartet representatives issued a statement condemning Israel's decision to erect 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem. Yesterday diplomats said the Quartet meeting - attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov - would focus on the Iranian nuclear program and not Mideast peace.