The UN’s Middle East peace envoy issued a stern warning on
Wednesday against any unilateral action – including an Israeli
annexation of parts of the West Bank – that could undermine
diplomatic efforts to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the
negotiating table.
Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council that all sides
must do their part in the coming weeks and months to preserve the
prospect of a two-State solution, in line with internationally
agreed parameters, international law and UN resolutions.
“These efforts must begin immediately. There is no time to lose”,
said Mr. Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East
Peace Process.
“The fate of the Palestinian and Israeli people must not be
determined by destructive unilateral action that cements division
and may put peace beyond reach in our lifetime.”
Ending ‘all agreements’
He addressed the Council – meeting via video-teleconference -
just hours after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
reportedly announced that he is ending "all agreements" with
Israel and the United States in response to Israeli plans to
annex parts of the West Bank.
His remarks also came three days after a new coalition Government
was sworn into office in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, according to news reports, determined to declare
Israeli sovereignty over Jewish settlements in the occupied
territory.
Such a move would dovetail with US President Donald Trump’s
“Peace to Prosperity” blueprint for the region, which he unveiled
in January alongside Mr. Netanyahu - and which the Palestinians
have rejected as a denial of their rights.
Annexation: ‘A most serious violation of international
law’
Mr. Mladenov told the 15-member Council that annexation would
represent “a most serious violation of international law” and
deal a devastating blow to the two-State solution.
It would also slam the door on fresh negotiations and threaten
efforts to advance regional and international peace, he said.
The Palestinian reaction to annexation is “a desperate cry for
help (and) a call for immediate action” from a generation of
Palestinian leaders who have been preparing for full Statehood
since the Oslo Accords signed in Washington, in 1993.
“The Palestinian leadership is not threatening. It is
calling for urgent action to preserve the prospect of peace”,
said the Special Coordinator, who plans to meet Palestinian Prime
Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Thursday.
He added: “Whatever the future young Palestinians and Israelis
decide to build, we have an obligation to prevent violence and
protect the chance for peace.”
Council plea
He urged the Council to join Secretary-General António
Guterres in his call against unilateral action, noting
that recent opinion polls indicate that the Israeli public is
split on the annexation question.
He also urged the Middle East Quartet – comprising the Russian
Federation, United States, European Union and United
Nations – to quickly come up with a proposal that would enable it
to take up its mediation role, and work jointly with countries in
the region to advance prospects for peace.
Everyone must do their part
“Israel must abandon threats of annexation”, he added, “and the
Palestinian leadership must re-engage with all members of the
Quartet. Everybody must do their part.”
For the moment, the situation on the ground remains dominated by
the COVID-19 pandemic, with
Palestinian and Israeli authorities – despite growing political
tensions – continuing to coordinate their efforts to limit the
spread of the deadly virus while also carefully reopening
economic life, Mr. Mladenov said.
However, while Palestinians are experiencing the same shock and
uncertainty as the rest of the globe, their Government – the
Palestinian Authority - cannot respond with the same agency as an
independent and sovereign country, he noted.
