Reporting that over the past three months, Israel has advanced 22
plans for some 1,200 housing units for one area of the West Bank, a
United Nations envoy warned Monday that such ongoing settlement
expansion is eroding the prospect of a two-state solution to the
long-standing Middle East conflict.
In a briefing to the Security Council focused mainly on
implementation of its resolution 2334, Nickolay
Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace
Process, said the text urged Israel to “immediately and
completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied
Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.”
“[However] no such steps were taken
during the reporting period,” he added, noting that Israel’s
“illegal settlement expansion and related activities continue
further threatening the viability of the two-state solution and
eroding the prospects for peace.”
Mr. Mladenov also warned that violence and incitement continue to
fuel hatred, division, distrust and fear, and continuing terror
attacks on Israelis as well as the recent assassination attempt
on the Palestinian Prime Minister exemplify the growing risk of
destabilization and the empowerment of radicals and extremists.
He further told the 15-member Security Council the reporting
period was marked by continuing demonstrations and clashes
following to the announcement by the United States, on 6 December
2017, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, to the growing
tensions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and along
the Gaza fence.
“Despite the call in […] resolution 2334 for the parties to
refrain from acts of provocation, incitement, and inflammatory
rhetoric, such statements continued,” added Mr. Mladenov, calling
on all political leaders to refrain from provocative statements
and actions that fuel an already tense environment.
Concluding his remarks, the senior UN official called on
Israelis, Palestinians and the international community to
take concrete steps to reverse the current course of the conflict
and advance the goal of a just and sustainable peace.
“Generations of Palestinian and Israeli lives have been shaped by
this conflict. It is time to begin constructing a different
future, a future built on mutual respect, dignity, and the belief
that even the deepest and most painful divisions can be resolved
if there is a genuine desire for change,” he said.
