REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and all members of the UN Security Council except the United States are criticizing Israel and demanding an immediate halt to new settlement construction.

Representatives of the 14 council members stepped to the microphone outside the chamber after their monthly Mideast briefing Wednesday to denounce the Israeli settlement plans, which they warned is threatening a two-state peace settlement with the Palestinians. The council president said they did so because efforts to get all 15 members to agree on a resolution or statement had failed, almost certainly because of US opposition.

Separately, Ban told reporters that Israel's heightened settlement activity "gravely threatens efforts to establish a viable Palestinian state." He urged Israel "to refrain from continuing on this dangerous path."

Abbas meets Pope

On Monday, Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has met with Pope Benedict XVI to thank him for supporting the recent UN resolution recognizing a Palestinian state.

Abbas chatted privately with Benedict for 25 minutes Monday and then met with the Vatican's top diplomats. Abbas gave Benedict a mosaic of the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, with the inscription saying it was presented by the "President of the state of Palestine."

The Vatican said the discussions referred to the Nov. 29 UN vote upgrading the Palestinians to the same status as the Holy See: nonmember state observer. The Vatican had warmly welcomed the vote, and a Vatican statement said "it is hoped that this initiative will encourage the commitment of the international community to finding a fair and lasting solution" to the conflict.

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