{"id":113744,"date":"2017-09-26T17:44:22","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T17:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=113744"},"modified":"2020-07-22T00:57:58","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T04:57:58","slug":"two-state-solution-increasingly-unattainable-as-israel-continues-settlement-activity-at-high-rate-special-coordinator-tells-security-council","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/two-state-solution-increasingly-unattainable-as-israel-continues-settlement-activity-at-high-rate-special-coordinator-tells-security-council\/","title":{"rendered":"Two-State Solution Increasingly Unattainable as Israel Continues Settlement Activity at High Rate, Special Coordinator Tells Security Council"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

SECURITY COUNCIL<\/a>
\n8054TH MEETING (AM)
\nSC\/130032
\n25 SEPTEMBER 2017<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Israel had moved forward with illegal settlement activity at a high rate since late June further dashing hopes for a two-State solution, the Â鶹APP top envoy for the Middle East peace process told the Security Council today.<\/p>\n

\u201cContinuing settlement expansion, most notably during this period in occupied East Jerusalem, is making the two-State solution increasingly unattainable and undermining Palestinian belief in international peace efforts,\u201d Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov told Council members.\u00a0 Violence against civilians and incitement had also perpetuated mutual fear and suspicion, impeding efforts to bridge gaps between the two sides.<\/p>\n

Over the last three months, Israel had not stopped settlement activities, as called for by Council resolution\u00a02334\u00a0(2016), he said.\u00a0 In occupied East Jerusalem, plans were advanced for more than 2,300\u00a0housing units in July, 30\u00a0per\u00a0cent more than for the whole of\u00a02016.<\/p>\n

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the destruction of Palestinian-owned property across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continued; albeit at a significantly lower rate, he said.\u00a0 Since the beginning of\u00a02017, 344\u00a0structures had been demolished, a third of them in East Jerusalem, displacing more than 500\u00a0people.\u00a0 In Area\u00a0C of the occupied West Bank, three educational facilities serving 175\u00a0children were demolished or confiscated due to the lack of building permits, which were virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain.<\/p>\n

Violence persisted as one of the main obstacles to resolving the conflict, he underscored, adding that, although the reporting period had been characterized by relatively low levels of fatalities, several incidents had occurred. \u00a0Nineteen Palestinians had been killed in attacks, clashes and Israeli military operations.\u00a0 Further, eight Israelis had been killed in clashes and attacks, including three Israeli-Arab perpetrators of the 14\u00a0July attacks against two Israeli policemen in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City.\u00a0 In response to the events at the Holy Esplanade, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a freeze of all contacts with Israel on all levels, including security coordination.<\/p>\n

After three months of quiet, on three separate occasions, Palestinian militants fired rockets towards Israel with no injuries reported, he said.\u00a0 In response, the Israeli Defense Forces conducted five airstrikes in Gaza, resulting in three Palestinians being injured.\u00a0 Settler-related violence also continued, with 25\u00a0such incidents taking place, the majority which involved Palestinian agricultural property around Nablus being vandalized and assaults against Palestinians in or around Hebron.\u00a0 Punitive demolitions also persisted, while the space for civil society and freedom of expression continued to shrink.<\/p>\n

He recalled that resolution\u00a02334\u00a0(2016) called upon both parties to refrain from acts of provocation, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric, and to condemn all acts of terrorism.\u00a0 At the height of the July crisis around the holy sites in Jerusalem, officials and representatives on all sides employed provocative rhetoric.\u00a0 In the midst of largely peaceful protests, Hamas and senior Palestinian Authority officials called for an escalation and a \u201cday of rage\u201d across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while Hamas and others continued to glorify terror attacks.\u00a0 President Abbas explicitly condemned the 14\u00a0July attack, and some Palestinian leaders and religious authorities on both sides called on protestors to avoid violence and provocation.<\/p>\n

Israeli officials continued to use provocative rhetoric in support of settlement expansion, he said.\u00a0 Other senior Israeli politicians made repeated calls for annexation of the West Bank, with one member of the Knesset expressing his desire to \u201cdestroy\u201d hopes for Palestinian statehood.<\/p>\n

The situation remained extremely fragile in Gaza, he emphasized, adding that the chronic energy deficit had been substantially worsened by the Palestinian Authority\u2019s decision to reduce the electricity supply to the Strip.\u00a0 As a result, \u00a0electricity service was down to about four hours a day.\u00a0 Some 190\u00a0health, water and sanitation facilities continued to rely on back-up generators.\u00a0 On 17\u00a0September, Hamas officially accepted the Palestinian Authority\u2019s demands for Hamas to dissolve the Administrative Committee it established in March and allow the Government of National Consensus to take up its responsibilities in Gaza.\u00a0 However, it remained unclear whether the agreement would be implemented and electricity supply restored to Gaza.<\/p>\n

On the political front, the envoys of the Middle East Quartet continued to meet to discuss current efforts to advance peace, as well as the deteriorating situation in Gaza, he said.\u00a0 In August, a United States\u2019 delegation travelled to the Middle East and met with regional interlocutors with a focus on reviving the peace process, with all parties agreeing to continue working towards a sustainable peace and promote security and stability across the region.\u00a0 On 27\u00a0August, the Secretary-General arrived in the region for his first official visit, during which time he strongly reaffirmed the Â鶹APP position that there was no alternative to the two-State solution.\u00a0 Earlier this month, Egypt hosted delegations from Hamas and Fatah in an effort to advance Palestinian unity.<\/p>\n

The Jenin agreement was an important first step towards a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian power purchasing agreement that would lead to greater Palestinian energy autonomy, he said.\u00a0 While all initiatives to improve the Palestinian economy were welcome, much more needed to be done to support the political process aimed at establishing Palestinian statehood.\u00a0 Economic development was no substitute for sovereignty and statehood.\u00a0 Intra-Palestinian reconciliation remained critical to preventing the continuing militant build-up and restoring hope for the future.\u00a0 In that context, he welcomed Hamas\u2019s recent announcement on the dissolution of its Administrative Committee in Gaza and the agreement to allow the Government of National Consensus to assume its responsibilities.<\/p>\n

He went on to emphasize that collective and determined action by the parties, the region and the international community was needed to initiate a serious political process that would realize a two-State solution, ending the occupation and resolving all final status issues.<\/p>\n

Speaking after the briefing, Luis Berm\u00fadez\u00a0(Uruguay), requesting that all relevant reports be distributed in writing prior to Council meetings, expressed concern that, nine months after the adoption of resolution\u00a02334\u00a0(2016), no progress had been made in its implementation. \u00a0Israel\u2019s continued expansion of illegal settlements remained an immense impediment to peace efforts, he said, noting how multiple schools in the occupied territories had been demolished by Israel. \u00a0The dramatic and alarming humanitarian situation of the 2\u00a0million people living in Gaza remained a serious threat to peace and further carried with it the risk of triggering another conflict.<\/p>\n

A legitimate government in Gaza was essential to bringing humanitarian relief there, he added, urging Hamas to renounce all violence and abandon rhetoric of hatred. \u00a0That was essential to humanizing the other side in the conflict. \u00a0There were no alternatives to the two-State solution, he stressed, adding that it was time to reinvigorate political measures to return all parties to the negotiating table. \u00a0Israeli and Palestinian authorities must make every effort to avoid provocative measures that had the potential to increase tensions.<\/p>\n

Pedro Luis Inchauste Jord\u00e1n (Bolivia) said that engaging in sincere dialogue was the only way to guarantee a lasting and fair peace in the Middle East. \u00a0The international community must continue to pressure Israel to halt its settlement activities. \u00a0Israel continued to reject the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and refused to recognize that its settlements were a clear breach of international law, he noted. \u00a0The humanitarian situation continued to unravel due largely to the electrical outage and shortage of fuel in Gaza. \u00a0Palestinians must be able to live in humane conditions, he stressed, urging Israel to end its illegal blockade of Gaza. \u00a0He also requested that the trimester Middle East report be distributed in writing prior to meetings. \u00a0All resolutions must be implemented with the same amount of vigour and urgency as was required of them, he added, stressing that Palestinians had a right to an independent State.<\/p>\n

Kairat Umarov (Kazakhstan) said that it was important to consider that the two-States-for-two-people option had been accepted by both sides. \u00a0He called on both parties to refrain from any action that would put that solution into jeopardy. \u00a0Palestinians had an inalienable right to statehood and Israel had a right to security. \u00a0He called on the Middle East Quartet to reinvigorate talks and urged all political parties on each side to integrate into one political track. The humanitarian situation in Gaza continued to fuel conflict and tensions, he added.<\/p>\n

The meeting started at 10:04\u00a0a.m. and ended at 10:40\u00a0a.m.<\/p>\n

For information media. Not an official record.<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ais<\/a><\/p>\n

Video<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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