UNITED NATIONS - A senior UN official on Wednesday described the two-state solution as "the best available and most realistic option for the Israelis and Palestinians, saying that the international community should make more efforts to bring the two parties closer to such a solution, which was widely backed in the world.

The statement came as Jeffrey Feltman, the UN under-secretary- general for political affairs, was briefing the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East. It is the first such briefing by Feltman since the veteran US diplomat was appointed to the current UN post by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on June 11.

"Despite the current stagnation in the negotiating process and the obstacles to be overcome, it is clear that the two-state solution remains the best available and most realistic option for the Israelis and Palestinians," Feltman said.

The internationally supported two-state solution means a secure Israel to live in peace with an independent Palestinian State.

"It is the view of the United Nations that there is a responsibility not only on the parties themselves but on all member states to consider their action and their language in light of the goal," he said.

"All member states can ask themselves a simple question, as to whether a certain course of action brings the Israelis and Palestinians closer to a two-state solution or makes that goal even harder to achieve in practice," he said.