UN Special Coordinator Expresses Concern over Israel’s Eviction of Palestinian in East Jerusalem
New York, MINA – The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland today on Wednesday expressed concern about the potential eviction of a number of Palestinian families from homes they have lived in for decades in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods of East Jerusalem and the risk that such actions pose for escalating violence.
The UN special coordinator called on the Israeli authorities to end the displacement and eviction of Palestinians, in line with its obligations under international law, and to approve additional plans that would enable Palestinian communities to build legally and address their development needs.
This came during a speech he delivered at the UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question, Wafa reported.
He further highlighted the ongoing deterioration of the economic, security, and political situation across the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“The Palestinian Authority’s fiscal situation continues to be dire, threatening its institutional stability and its ability to provide services to its people,” Tor Wennesland added.
Wennesland also touched upon the ongoing settlement activity, demolitions, and evictions, which he stressed are feeding hopelessness and further diminishing prospects for a negotiated solution.
“Without a realistic prospect of an end to the occupation and the realization of a two-State solution based on UN resolutions, international law, and previous agreements, it is only a matter of time before we face an irreversible, dangerous collapse and widespread instability,” he said.
“The UN will continue to actively engage, along with its counterparts in the Middle East Quartet, with regional and international partners, and with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to reach a just, comprehensive, and lasting settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” the UN Special Coordinator concluded. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
