UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked both Israelis and Palestinians to show the statesmanship and political courage needed to reach peace. Marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People yesterday, he noted that there was little optimism on either side that peace could be achieved soon. He reiterated his calls to Israel to freeze settlement activity and to the Palestinians to fight terrorism and curb incitement. Commending the steps taken during the past year to improve conditions on the ground, he said much more is needed.