The holding of free and fair elections in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory will help “clear the path” for restoring a
legitimate political horizon to realize a long sought two-State
solution, the leading UN diplomat for the region told the
Security Council on Friday.
“The depth of the task is daunting, but not insurmountable”, said
Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace
Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General. “We
must seize emerging opportunities.”
With the upcoming elections offering just such an occasion, he
pointed to the “extraordinarily high” registration rate among
Palestinians as a “resoundingly positive” response.
The elections will provide a crucial step towards re-establishing
Palestinian national unity – and renewing the legitimacy of
national institutions, including a democratically elected
Legislative Council and Government in Palestine, he assured.
Palestinian Progress
He said Palestinian factions are making progress towards holding
legislative, presidential and Palestinian National Council
elections. Earlier this month, they met in Cairo, reaching
agreement on several outstanding issues and emphasizing that
elections must be held throughout the occupied West Bank,
including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, without exception.
Meanwhile, on 17 February, the Central Elections Commission
announced 421,000 new registrants during the period, he said,
raising the total registered voters to over 2.6 million - 93 per
cent of all eligible voters, according to estimates from the
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. “It is encouraging to
see such strong public participation in the democratic process”,
he said.
International support
For its part, the international community is focused on helping
the parties return to the negotiating table, he said. On 8
February the League of Arab States reiterated its support for the
establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State
based on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Envoys of the Middle East Quartet – the Russian Federation,
United States, European Union and United Nations - met virtually
on 15 February to discuss the political developments, with all
agreeing to meet on a regular basis. And a Chair’s summary of a
23 February virtual meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee
highlighted that the parties expressed renewed commitment to
enhance cooperation.
For its part, the UN is working with the parties and
international partners to address the pressing socioeconomic
needs of Palestinians, including in the context of the pandemic.
It is also advancing the goal of ending the occupation and
realizing a negotiated two-State solution based on UN
resolutions, international law and prior agreements.
Vaccine Roll-out
On COVID vaccination prospects, he welcomed the announcement of
the Palestinian vaccination strategy and the initial allocation
to the Palestinian Ministry of Health of 37,440 doses of vaccines
by the COVAX-AMC
facility. In February, 30,000 doses of vaccines were delivered to
Palestinians, including in Gaza, by the Russian Federation and
the United Arab Emirates.
He said this is in addition to Israel’s earlier transfer of 5,200
vaccines to the Palestinian Authority, vaccination of 5,000
Palestinian educational and health workers working in Israel, and
efforts to vaccinate the population in East Jerusalem, which is
50 per cent complete.
Home demolitions
He went on to describe developments on the ground, expressing
concern over Israel’s demolition or seizure of 170 Palestinian
structures in Area C and 10 in East Jerusalem. The demolitions
were carried out due to the lack of Israeli-issued building
permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to
obtain.
Regional tensions simmer
Turning to the region as a whole, on the Golan, he said the
ceasefire between Israel and Syria has been generally maintained.
However, the security situation continues to be volatile, with
continued violations of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces
Agreement by the parties.
In Lebanon, the population faces increasing hardship, due to
deteriorating economic conditions and impact of COVID-19. In the United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) area of operations,
incidents of weapons pointing between the Israel Defense Forces
and the Lebanese Armed Forces across the Blue Line contributed to
heightened tensions.
