United Nations: A ‘peaceful and just solution’ to the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict can only be achieved through creation of two states living side-by-side in peace and security, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said, asserting that there is no ‘Plan B’.
In his address to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, which was established by the UN General Assembly in 1975, Guterres said Friday that ‘based on relevant UN resolutions, long-held principles, previous agreements and international law’, Jerusalem should be the capital of both States.
“Unfortunately, over this past year, the situation has not moved in that direction,” Guterres rued, pointing to the protests that began along the border fence with Gaza last year that left hundreds dead and thousands wounded by Israeli security forces.
He also cited ‘security incidents and provocations by Hamas and other militants in Gaza’, including the launching of rockets and incendiary kites that dangerously escalated the situation.
“Thanks to the UN and Egyptian mediation efforts, a major escalation was avoided,” said Guterres. He also appealed to Hamas authorities in Gaza to ‘prevent provocations’.
The UN chief said under International Humanitarian Law, Israel too has a responsibility to exercise ‘maximum restraint’, except as a last resort.
Guterres stated he regretted Israel’s decision not to renew the mandate of the ‘Temporary International Presence’ in Hebron, and said, ‘I hope an agreement can be found by the parties to preserve this long-standing and valuable arrangement’.
“Palestinians have endured more than a half century of occupation and denial of their legitimate right to self-determination with both sides continuously suffering from deadly cycles of violence,” the Secretary-General pointed out.
Guterres praised the committee for keeping the focus on the ultimate objective of a ‘peaceful solution with two states coexisting in peace and security’ as the only way to achieve the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. “As I have said repeatedly, there is no Plan B,” Guterres asserted.
PTI