UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon criticized Israeli settlement building on Saturday by saying that it undermines peace efforts, Israeli Haaretz reported
Speaking at an impromptu press conference in Ramallah, Ban said Israel must improve the Palestinian situation in order to make way for the creation of a Palestinian state.
Landing in Israel on Saturday, Ban traveled to Ramallah for a tour of the area with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
Fayyad said that it was important to show Ban the situation on the ground in the West Bank because the United Nations is very important in establishing an independent Palestinian state.
Ban is planning on returning to Israel for a meeting with President Shimon Peres after finishing his meeting in Ramallah.
On Sunday he will visit Gaza, and then return for talks with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ban emphasized that he arrived to the region with a message of peace.