The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process
reminded the Security Council on Monday of the Secretary-General’s
renewed appeal for a global ceasefire to respond to COVID-19,
highlighting that the “the virus feeds off instability”.
In his virtual briefing, Nickolay Mladenov told the 15-member
body that “a coherent, coordinated approach” was needed to
contain the pandemic, saying that the UN would continue to
advocate for increasing cooperation, including urging the parties
to “work together to mitigate risks, save lives and avoid
unilateral actions that undermine these efforts”.
COVID complications
With a significant tightening of restrictions in Israel and Gaza,
a state of emergency extension throughout the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (oPt), the resurgence of COVID-19 has “seriously
compounded the humanitarian and economic challenges on the
ground”, Mr. Mladenov informed the Council.
And while UN-brokered arrangements continue to allow medical
patients to be transferred from Gaza to hospitals beyond, and
humanitarian supplies into the enclave, the Palestine Authority’s
(PA) decision to halt coordination with Israel remains.
“The UN cannot replace the roles and responsibilities of the
Palestinian Authority or the Government of Israel”, he upheld.
“Any increased responsibilities for the UN in this regard should
be limited and timebound”.
Advancing peace
While the international community’s commitment “remains
unwavering” in its support to both sides in finding a solution to
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the UN envoy asserted that the
process requires “leadership from both Israelis and Palestinians
to work together and advance the cause of peace”.
This means focusing on preventive diplomacy, alleviating health
and socio-economic consequences, modernizing economic relations
between Israel and Palestinians and re-establishing credible
bilateral negotiations for a two-State solution.
Fiscal crisis
The UN envoy noted that the viability of the PA is being
“severely undermined” by an economic and fiscal crisis that has
been exacerbated by it decision to end civilian and security
coordination with Israel.
“The fiscal crisis derives primarily from a collapse in domestic
tax revenues during the COVID-19 emergency and from the
Government’s refusal to receive its clearance revenues”, he
elaborated.
The UN “stands ready to mediate solutions to the fiscal crisis
and to get the Palestinian economy on better footing”, said Mr.
Mladenov, reiterating the UN chief’s call for both sides to
“re-examine the nature of their economic relationship and improve
it for the benefit of both peoples”.
He appealed to the Palestinian leadership to resume its
coordination with Israel and accept its clearance revenues,
calling it “money that belongs to the Palestinian people and
cannot be replaced by donor funding”.
Heightened urgency
“No one wants war and conflict”, the UN envoy said, adding that
the pandemic has “heightened the urgency” to explore “all
avenues” toward ending the conflict and the occupation, to
achieve the “vision of two States”.
If leaders do not deliver on the hope for peace, they “will only
feed radicals and extremists”, he warned.
The Council has often spoken of “the urgent need to act, to
prevent the collapse of the two-State paradigm and to give hope
to the Palestinian people – particularly the youth…[that] young
Israelis want too”, reminded the UN official.
To this end, the UN envoy informed that Palestinian President
Abbas has called for an international conference to “restart the
peace process” for “an independent, democratic, contiguous,
viable and sovereign Palestinian State” within secure and
recognized borders, based on the 1967 lines, with Jerusalem as
the shared capital.
New avenues of cooperation
Pointing to recent normalization agreements between Israel and
Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sudan, along with
statements from international partners and the League of Arab
States, the Special Coordinator observed that “the commitment to
the two-State solution, in line with UN resolutions and
international law, continues to be affirmed by broad regional and
international consensus”.
Against this backdrop, he shared his hope that “new avenues of
cooperation to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace will emerge”.
