Former UN chief says Israel’s treatment of Palestinians may constitute apartheid

By TIA GOLDENBERG
Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says Israel is inching toward apartheid and drifting further away from the hopes of creating a Palestinian state. Ban spoke to The Associated Press at the end of a three-day visit to the region, which coincides with a spike in deadly violence in the West Bank. Ban said he encountered a bleaker reality than the one he faced while head of the world body. Ban was in the region as part of The Elders, a group of statespeople that engages in peacemaking and human rights initiatives around the world.