Ban Encourages Security Council to Support Mideast Quartet Efforts
New York, 07 Syawal 1437/13 July 2016 (MINA) – The UN Secretary General encouraged the Security Council to support efforts of the Middle East Quartet – of the US, Russia, the European Union and the UN – and urged its members to work with the parties, the region and interested stakeholders in advancing peace in the region, KUNA reported.
Speaking before the Security Council’s open debate on the situation in the Middle East, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged both Israeli and Palestinian parties to immediately begin discussions with the Quartet on implementing the recommendations made in a recent report published by the diplomatic partners mediating the peace process as efforts continue to restore hope for a lasting political solution.
The UN chief also urged them to work in coordination with key stakeholders including regional countries and the UN Security Council — to restore hope in a political solution.
At the beginning of this month, the Quartet released its report analyzing the impediments to a lasting resolution to the conflict and offering recommendations on the way forward, urging Israelis to stop settlement policy and Palestinians to end incitement to violence.
The report highlighted trends, of which it think it is severely undermining hopes for peace, starting with the continuing violence, terrorist attacks against civilians, and incitement to violence.
Another trend is the continuing policy of settlement construction and expansion, designation of land for exclusive Israeli use, and denial of Palestinian development is steadily eroding the viability of the two-state solution; in addition to the illicit arms build-up and militant activity, continuing absence of Palestinian unity, and dire humanitarian situation in Gaza feed instability and ultimately impede efforts to achieve a negotiated solution.
Despite some on both sides criticizing the reportآ’s content, Ban urged in todayآ’s meeting the parties to make the necessary compromises for peace, at the same time, he also called on region states and the wider international community to exercise influence to encourage both sides to so.
Days after the Quartet called on Israel to cease settlement construction and expansion, Tel Aviv announced plans to advance building approximately 560 housing units in the West Bank and 240 more in occupied East Jerusalem.
Therefore, Ban expressed in his remarks that this is in flagrant disregard of international law, and added that these actions constitute an undeniable contradiction to Israel’s official support for a negotiated two-state solution.
“I urge Israel to immediately cease and reverse these plans,” he added.
Turning to the leaders of Israel and Palestine, the Secretary-General stressed that their failures to advance peace has created a vacuum, with extremist voices filling that space. In addition, recent incidents reinforce the mounting risks, and those responsible for recent terror attacks must be held accountable, he said.
Extremely volatile and tense situation
On his part, Ambassador Riyadh Mansour of Palestine told the Security Council that the meeting today is against the backdrop of an extremely volatile and tense situation on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and ongoing deadlock in the efforts to create a viable political horizon to resolve for once and for all this deadly, destructive and tragic conflict.
It is also against the backdrop of ongoing regional and international initiatives aimed at salvaging the two-State solution and the prospects for peace and charting a way forward for their realization, he added.
However, the Palestinian official regrettably said for various reasons, none of those initiatives have come to “fruition” and the political will to act responsibly and boldly remains perilously absent.
On the most recent international initiative undertaken by the Middle East Quartet, the long awaited report, Ambassador Mansour said that report did not meet expectations, failing to rise to the urgent needs of this critical juncture and regrettably failing to acknowledge the gravity of the nearly-half century Israeli foreign occupation of land and its existence as the primary source of the instability, violence and violations witnessing, its impact on every single aspect of Palestinian life.
The Quartet report received many mixed reactions, yet the Council is awaiting to adopt a US drafted presidential statement welcoming it, whereas Egypt recommended a press statement instead.
The only Arab representation in the Council also suggested to take note of the report instead of welcoming it. (T/R07/R01)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA
