Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
With the beginning of the festive period and the blessed month of Ramadan this year coinciding with the Easter and Easter holidays, the UN Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process stressed the need to respect the status quo of the holy places in Jerusalem and urged everyone to refrain from any unilateral actions that lead to an escalation of tension. Before the UN Security Council, he expressed Tor Wiensland extended his best wishes to those celebrating the holidays, and said that these days should be a period of peaceful and safe religious reflection. He called on all leaders to refrain from provocative actions and messages at this sensitive time. According to a news release issued by the United Nations on its official website
The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process turned to reviewing the twenty-fifth report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Council Resolution No. 2334 of 2016. The report covers the period between December 8, 2022 and March 13, 2023.
Settlement activity continues
The resolution calls on Israel to immediately and completely stop all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and to fully respect all legal obligations in this regard.
However, the UN coordinator stated that settlement activities continued during the period covered by the report. He said that Israeli settlers seized a plot of agricultural land rented by a Palestinian family from the Greek Orthodox Church since 1931 in the Silwan area of occupied East Jerusalem.
Wensland pointed out that the settlers mentioned that they had bought the land from the church, but the church rejected that and described it as fraud, according to what the UN official said.
Wensland talked about the government's steps to legitimize, according to Israeli law, the Homesh settlement outpost built on land owned by Palestinians, and its announcement to allow the establishment of 9 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.
demolitions
Tor Wiensland reported that demolitions and confiscations of Palestinian-owned facilities continued throughout the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. He said that the Israeli authorities demolished, confiscated or forced the Palestinians to demolish 331 buildings and facilities, which led to the displacement of 388 people, including 89 women and children.
The Israeli authorities attribute this to the lack of building permits issued by Israel, which is almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain, Wensland said.
Violence
Security Council Resolution 2334 calls for immediate steps to be taken to prevent all acts of violence against Palestinians, including acts of terrorism, as well as acts of incitement and destruction. However, the UN coordinator regretted the significant increase in daily violence during the period covered by the report.
Wensland told the Council, via a communication circle from Jerusalem, that 82 Palestinians, including a woman and 17 children, were killed by Israeli security forces "during demonstrations, clashes, security operations, attacks against Israelis and other incidents. 2,683 Palestinians were wounded, including 123 women and 320 children."
"In addition, 4 Palestinians were killed and 89 injured, including 14 women and 12 children, in an increasing number of attacks by Israeli settlers that also resulted in damage to Palestinian property," he said.
Wensland added, "13 Israeli civilians, including a woman, 3 children, and a foreign woman, were killed and 49 Israelis, including 2 women, 7 children, and 6 members of the security forces, were killed and wounded by Palestinians in shooting attacks, run-overs, clashes, and other incidents."
He said the vast majority were stone-throwing attacks against Israelis, including settlers, resulting in injuries and damage to Israeli property. A member of the Israeli security forces was shot dead by another fellow soldier in the course of a stabbing incident carried out by a Palestinian.
The Israeli security forces also carried out more than a thousand search and arrest operations in the West Bank, which led to the arrest of more than 1,900 Palestinians, including 133 children. The UN coordinator said that Israel is currently holding 967 Palestinians in administrative detention, the highest number in more than ten years.
Notes on the implementation of Resolution 2334
Tor Wiensland expressed grave concern about the continued expansion of Israeli settlement activities. He said that the demolition and confiscation of Palestinian facilities, including the significant increase in such works in occupied East Jerusalem, involved a large number of human rights violations and raised concerns about the risk of forced population transfer. He called on the Government of Israel to end this practice immediately.
The UN coordinator expressed his deep concern about the intensification of the cycle of violence that threatens to plunge the Palestinians and Israelis into a deadly crisis, while undermining hopes for a political solution. It condemned all acts of violence against civilians, including terrorist acts. He reaffirmed the need to hold the perpetrators accountable and bring them to justice promptly.
He stressed that there is no justification for terrorism or the glorification of such acts. He called on leaders of all sides to help calm the situation and avoid spreading inflammatory rhetoric.
The UN official denounced the killing and wounding of children in large numbers. He emphasized that children should never be the target of violence, used or put in danger.
He also expressed concern about increasing levels of settler-related violence in the occupied West Bank, sometimes in the vicinity of Israeli security forces. He urged Israel, as the occupying power, to comply with its obligations under international law to protect the Palestinians against all acts or threats of violence.
He expressed particular concern about the steps, incitement and provocation, which could escalate tensions at the holy sites in and around Jerusalem. He called for refraining from such actions and respecting the status quo in line with the special and historical role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as the custodian of the holy places in Jerusalem.
While the fragile calm continues in Gaza, the UN coordinator said the risk of escalation continues. Although access and movement improved, he stressed The need to do more to alleviate the difficult humanitarian situation and improve the economy with a view to lifting the lockdown.
Tor Wiensland said the absence of Palestinian unity undermines Palestinian national aspirations. He called on all factions to take decisive steps to unify Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, under one democratic government.
He also expressed concern about the critical situation of the Palestinian economy.
He called on the member states of the United Nations to support the Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
He affirmed his commitment to supporting the Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict and end the occupation in line with international law, relevant United Nations resolutions and bilateral agreements, in pursuit of the vision of two states - Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestine - living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders. on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of the two states.
He concluded his speech by emphasizing that there is no alternative to the legitimate political process to resolve the core issues that drive the conflict. He urged Palestinians, Israelis, regional states and the broader international community to take steps to re-engage on meaningful negotiations and ultimately peace.