UN Secretary General in Ramallah Demands that Israel Ceases Settlement Activities
Ramallah, MINA – The Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories are the major obstacle to peace between the Palestinians and Israel and the two-state solution, according to Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of United Nations.
He said after meeting Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in Ramallah that while there are other obstacles to peace, the settlements remain the major obstacle.
“Settlement activities represent a major obstacle in relation to implementation of the two-state solution,” said Guterres in a press conference with Hamdallah, Wafa News Reported.
“A two-state solution, end to occupation, creating conditions to end the suffering of the Palestinian people are the only way to guarantee that peace is established,” he said. “There is no plan B to the two-state solution.”
Guterres also said after visiting the grave of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and his museum in the presidential headquarters in Ramallah that he will do his best as secretary general of the United Nations “to support what I believe is necessary – a serious political process aiming at creating the two-state solution and at the same time to see a process to improve the living conditions of the Palestinian people.”
He said that he had many emotions visiting the Arafat museum “and many feelings, but the most important of that is the feeling of the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Hamdallah welcomed Guterres in Ramallah and said they discussed the latest political developments and the situation on the ground in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem.
He called on the UN to oblige Israel to honor its resolutions on the Palestinian question, the last of which was Security Council resolution 2334 on settlements, otherwise it will lose its credibility among the Palestinian people, who are gradually losing faith in its ability to enforce its own resolutions when it comes to Israel and the Palestinians.
He said Israel is getting away with grave violations and no one is holding it accountable for its actions, foremost of which is its intense settlement activity, land confiscation, detentions, killing of Palestinians, demolitions of homes and many other violations.
“Israel does not care about criticism and UN resolutions and instead escalates its campaign against the Palestinian people,” he said.
He called on the UN and the international community to provide protection to the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.
Can’t wait very long
Hamdallah said the Palestinians had had 21 meetings with the US peace delegation so far but that during all this time nothing was said regarding the settlements and the-two state solution.
He said the US team informed them in their last meeting that they will return in few weeks with answers regarding the US position from settlements and the two-state solution.
“We can’t wait for very long,” he said.(T/R04/RS5)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
