The top UN official involved in the Middle East peace process
raised the alarm on Tuesday following an Israeli military
operation which reportedly killed more than a dozen Palestinians,
including three commanders from the militant group, Islamic
Jihad.
“I am deeply alarmed by developments in Gaza after Israel
launched a military operation this morning targeting members of
the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ),” said Tor Wennesland, UN Special
Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.
The Israeli airstrikes inside Gaza resulted in the
killing of 13 Palestinians, including three
members of PIJ, a doctor, five women and four children, and more
than 20 injured, he said, condemning the incident.
“This is unacceptable,” he added, urging all
parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid an escalation.
The Special Coordinator, who works with peace process parties to
advance progress on realizing a two-State solution, said his
Office remains “fully engaged with all sides in an attempt to
avoid a broader conflict with
devastating consequences for all”.
According to news reports, the multiple Israeli airstrikes were
carried out in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Other violations must stop
His statement came a day after he had condemned the demolition of a European
Union-funded primary school in the West Bank.
Persistent drivers of conflict, including school demolitions,
“breed a climate of mistrust and tension between Palestinians and
Israelis and undermine the prospect of achieving a
political solution,” he said in the statement issued on
Monday following the Israeli authorities’ demolition on 7 May.
The European Union-funded Palestinian primary school had served
Jubbet adh Dhib village, east of Bethlehem, in Area C of the
occupied West Bank, directly affecting the education of at least
40 children.
58 schools face illegal demolition
The demolition followed an Israeli court order citing safety
concerns in response to a petition by a settler organization.
Currently, 58 schools, serving 6,500 children, face the
threat of demolition due to a lack of building permits
that are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain, Mr.
Wennesland said.
“A child’s right to education must be respected,” he said,
calling on Israeli authorities to cease such demolitions
and evictions, which are illegal under international
law, and to approve plans for Palestinian communities to build
legally in Area C to address their development needs, including
for schools.
“Such acts that negatively impact basic service delivery for
Palestinians, threaten stability, and undermine the Palestinian
Authority,” he said.
