Tue 28 June 2022:
The escalating violence in Palestine and Israel over the past few months has alarmed the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, and urged all sides to defuse tensions.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation between Palestine and Israel, Tor Wennesland pointed to the recent uptick in violence in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, and Israel.
“In recent months, violence has continued at a high level, leading to scores of Palestinian and Israeli casualties,” Wennesland told the Council.
He said 49 Palestinians have been killed in demonstrations, clashes, Israeli security operations and in settler-related violence since mid-March.
“The period has also been marked by the most serious terrorist attacks inside Israel in years, in which 11 Israelis and three foreign nationals were killed,” he said.
“The firing of a rocket from Gaza towards Israel, the first since April, is also a concerning reminder of the fragility of the situation in the Strip,” said Wennesland, adding: “Mounting violence has been further fueled and exacerbated by provocative steps and inflammatory rhetoric.”
In his remarks, the UN coordinator called on parties to take immediate steps to reduce tensions and reverse negative trends for a peaceful two-state solution to the conflict.
“This will require not only specific actions to defuse crises and maintain calm but also redoubled efforts to strengthen the Palestinian Authority and support a broader strategy that can ensure that collective efforts by the parties and the international community are geared towards establishing a two-state reality,” he added.
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