The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, continues to pose a significant challenge
to international peace and security, United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said on Monday.
In a message to mark International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The UN chief warned that persistent violations of the rights of Palestinians, along with the expansion of Israeli
settlements, risk eroding the prospect of a two-State solution.
Despite being ‘encouraged’ by recent engagements between senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, the UN chief said
that “containing the situation is not sufficient”.Two States
Mr. Guterres reiterated that the overall goal of two States living side-by-side in peace and security remains.
This includes fulfilling the “legitimate national aspirations of both peoples, with borders based on the 1967 lines and
Jerusalem as the capital of both States”.
The Secretary-General called on the parties to avoid measures that would undermine the chances for a peaceful resolution
of the conflict. He urged the parties to engage constructively “to end the closure” of the Gaza strip, and improve the
living conditions of all Palestinians who continue to live under occupation.Solidarity
Mr. Guterres’ message comes ahead of a special meeting held in New York on Monday to discuss the unresolved question of
Palestine and the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights.
The occasion will be an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that their rights as
defined by the General Assembly Committee (CEIRPP) in 1975, have yet to be attained. These are namely, the right to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty and the right to return to
their homes and property from which they have been displaced.
Alongside the event, a permanent exhibition has been mounted at UN Headquarters in New York, on “The Question of
Palestine and the United Nations”.Humility needed
Speaking at the meeting in New York, General Assembly President, Abdulla Shahid, said that the Day should be marked with
a “sense of humility”.
Reminding that peace in the Middle East has remained at the forefront of the global agenda since the UN’s founding, he
said that “it is disappointing that despite the priority accorded this issue, the amount of energy expended, the
multiple UN resolutions adopted, and the decades of negotiations, dialogues, and engagements, so little has been
accomplished.”.
Mr. Shahid added that Palestinians in the Gaza enclave, “are trapped inside a cycle of unemployment, limited economic opportunity and poverty - a dynamic that has been severely exacerbated by COVID-19”.
Commending the ongoing work by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Mr. Shahid urged the global community to guarantee “sufficient and reliable financing to ensure that Palestinian refugees receive
adequate assistance”.