UN Secretary-General: Two-State Solution Only Path to Peace and Security for Palestinians and Region
UN Secretary-General António Guterres affirmed there is no alternative to the two-state solution for achieving peace, warning of the specter of ethnic cleansing and the impacts of settlement.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
UN Secretary-General António Guterres affirmed on Tuesday evening that there is no alternative to the two-state solution to achieve lasting peace and security for Palestinians and the entire region, warning that the pressures and coercion faced by Palestinian families “evoke the specter of ethnic cleansing.”
His remarks came during a high-level meeting held on the sidelines of the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, where Guterres stressed that there is “only one reliable path” to achieving lasting peace and security for both sides of the conflict. He warned that the foundations for an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable, and sovereign Palestinian state “are being systematically undermined.”
He noted that demolitions, evictions, displacements, land confiscations, and violations of the status quo at holy sites are creating an environment in which pressures and coercion are intensifying, forcing Palestinian families to leave their homes and lands and “evoking the specter of ethnic cleansing.”
Guterres emphasized that proceeding with the “E1” settlement plan would deal a “fatal blow” to the prospects of establishing a contiguous and viable Palestinian state, calling for the full implementation of the peace plan for Gaza.
He stressed that promises of a better future for families surrounded by destruction and despair would remain “empty” unless accompanied by tangible changes on the ground, highlighting the need for continued political, economic, and regional integration between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, under a single legitimate and sovereign Palestinian government.
He stated that the goal is the establishment of two independent, democratic, and sovereign states living side by side in peace and security within safe and recognized borders based on the 1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, saying, “There is no alternative to this, and time is running out.”
