UN officials releases Middle East Quartet report

NEW YORK, July 1 (KUNA) -- The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released today in collaboration with his counterparts from the Russian Federation, the US and the European Union, the Middle East Quartet report highlighting the major threats to the two-state solution and providing recommendations on how to preserve and advance this goal.
At its meeting in Munich on February 12, 2016, the Middle East Quartet reiterated its concern that current trends are imperiling the viability of the two-state solution. Underlining its commitment to supporting a comprehensive, just, and lasting resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Quartet agreed to prepare the report on the situation on the ground. The Quartet reiterated in its report that a negotiated two-state outcome is "the only way to achieve an enduring peace that meets Israeli security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, ends the occupation that began in 1967, and resolves all permanent status issues.
It also recalled its previous statements and relevant UN Security Council resolutions and pledged its active support for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).
In this regard, the Quartet reiterated in its report its commitment to continue working in coordination with key stakeholders, including regional countries and the UN Security Council, to restore hope in a political solution.
As both sides of the conflict expressed their support for the goal of two states living side by side in peace and security, the Quartet remains seriously concerned that continuing on the current course will make this prospect increasingly remote.
In particular, the report highlighted several trends, of which it thinks it is severely undermining hopes for peace. Starting with the continuing violence, terrorist attacks against civilians, and incitement to violence are greatly exacerbating mistrust and are fundamentally incompatible with a peaceful resolution; 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.
Therefore, the Quartet stressed the "urgent need for affirmative steps to reverse each of these trends in order to prevent entrenching a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and conflict that is incompatible with realizing the national aspirations of both peoples.
The Quartet further reiterated that unilateral actions by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations and will not be recognized by the international community, and stressed that while a permanent status agreement that ends the conflict can only be achieved through direct bilateral negotiations, important progress can be made now towards advancing the two-state solution on the ground.
Moreover, the report called on each side to independently demonstrate, through policies and actions, a genuine commitment to the two-state solution. To that end, the Quartet emphasized the importance of both parties complying with their basic commitments under existing agreements in order to promote this two-state reality and lay the groundwork for successful negotiations.
Being an important part of the Quarter, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon underscored in a statement today, the reportآ’s finding that there is a strong need for affirmative steps to reverse negative trends on the ground.
"These trends risk entrenching a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and conflict which is incompatible with realising the national aspirations of both peoples," he added.
The UN official reiterated the Quartetآ’s pledge to actively support an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and also reiterates that a negotiated two-state outcome that meets Israeli security needs and creates a sovereign Palestinian state, ends the occupation that began in 1967, and resolves all permanent status issues is the only way to achieve an enduring peace.
He strongly encouraged the parties to engage with the Quartet on implementing the report recommendations so as to rebuild hope among Palestinians and Israelis in a political solution and to create the conditions to return to meaningful negotiations. (end) mao.ajs