Briefing by Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, on the situation in the Middle East.
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UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said Israel’s illegal settlement activity “erodes remaining hopes for peace” adding that the actions of Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza “put at risk not only the lives of Israelis and Palestinians alike, but also efforts to ensure a liveable future for people in Gaza.”
Briefing the Security Council today (19 Jun), Mladenov said Israel had not taken any steps recently to cease settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. He said some 3,500 housing units in settlements in Area C of the occupied West Bank were advanced, approved or tendered, while there was also an overall increase in demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures.
The Special Coordinator reiterated that “all settlement activity is illegal under international law” and called for the plans to demolish Khan al- Ahmar - Abu al-Helu to be cancelled as they would set “a significant precedent” that may affect other Bedouin and herder communities in Area C.
Mladenov said Hamas and other militants in Gaza engaged in “violent and provocative acts” under the cover of protests. He said hundreds of people “attempted to breach the fence, burned tires, threw rocks and fire bombs at Israeli forces, launched incendiary kites and laid improvised explosive devices (lEDs).” He noted that Israel “has a duty to protect its citizens, but it must do so while exercising maximum restraint in the use of live fire, and to not use lethal force, except as a last resort against imminent threat of death or serious injury.” Mladenov stressed that the actions of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other groups in Gaza “put at risk not only the lives of Israelis and Palestinians alike, but also efforts to ensure a liveable future for people in Gaza.” He added that the groups must prevent the launching of rockets and breaching of the fence.
The Special Coordinator underscored the need to “reverse, or at the very least contain the impact of, negative trends, especially illegal settlement activity, violence and incitement” which is critical to preserving hope “for a meaningful return to the negotiating table” and preventing the escalation of “broader regional tensions.”
Screenshot Source: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
