UN official stresses necessity of renewing commitment to the two-state solution before it is too late
New York, September 28 (KUNA) -- A UN official affirmed today, Monday, the necessity of renewing commitment to the two-state solution before it is too late, and of continuing efforts to end the occupation and settle the Palestinian issue in accordance with international law, United Nations resolutions, and bilateral agreements. This came during a briefing delivered by Ramzy Ezzeldin, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, at a session held by the UN Security Council on the implementation of Resolution 2334 (2016), which calls for the immediate and complete cessation of all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.
Ezzeldin stated that as the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the resolution approaches, the current situation is “morally, legally, and politically unacceptable.” He pointed to the New York Declaration, endorsed by the General Assembly alongside existing Security Council resolutions, as providing a political vision and coordinated international effort to advance the two-state solution and settle the conflict.
Ezzeldin highlighted the continued settlement expansion, violence, and displacement in the occupied West Bank, alongside the fragility of the ceasefire and the ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip. He noted that settlement activity has continued “at high levels,” with Israeli planning authorities advancing or approving plans for approximately 4,570 housing units in Area C of the West Bank and 3,515 units in East Jerusalem. He warned that settler violence in the West Bank has reached “unprecedented levels,” noting that the UN documented 630 settler attacks during the reporting period that resulted in injuries, property damage, or both.
He condemned the continued Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, affirming that it fuels tensions, impedes Palestinian access to their lands, and threatens the possibility of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous State of Palestine. He also expressed concern over the demolition and confiscation of Palestinian civilian structures and the scale of Palestinian displacement in the West Bank, warning that such displacement “may amount to forced transfer,” which is prohibited under international law.
Regarding the Gaza Strip, Ezzeldin noted that the ceasefire “remains extremely fragile” amid ongoing military operations by the occupying forces and aerial strikes in densely populated areas. The UN official stated that, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 360 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,600 others, including women and children, were injured during the reporting period. (End) A.S.T. / R.J.
