JERUSALEM (JTA) — United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “deplored” the recent upsurge in anti-Semitic attacks, particularly in Europe, as a result of Israel’s operation in Gaza.

Ban “emphasizes that the conflict in the Middle East must not constitute a pretext for prejudice that could affect social peace and harmony anywhere,” read a statement issued late Sunday by Ban’s spokesman in New York

Anti-Semitic attacks, violence and hate speech have increased as a result demonstrations throughout Europe and elsewhere against the conflict in Gaza.

Ban in the statement also called for an “immediate cessation of violence” in Gaza and negotiations, according to the statement.

The statement came a day after Ban condemned the shelling of a U.N. school serving as a shelter for displaced Gazans, calling it “yet another gross violation of international humanitarian law.”