LOC23:29
20:29 GMT
NEW YORK, Nov 19 (KUNA) -- UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov warned Monday that violence in Gaza risk "unleashing an armed conflict with catastrophic consequences for two million impoverished Palestinians."
In a brief to the Security Council via videoconference from Jerusalem, Mladenov stressed "in recent days, we have witnessed another dangerous escalation in violence in Gaza that risked unleashing an armed conflict with catastrophic consequences for two million impoverished Palestinians."
Noting that those civilians, having endured three wars and crippling Israeli closures, are living under the control of Hamas, Mladenov said that a precarious restoration of calm has now thankfully been achieved.
It was critical that all stakeholders work to maintain this calm, he continued.
The period between 11 and 13 November saw one of the fiercest exchanges of fire since the 2014 Gaza conflict, trigged by an operation by the Israeli Security Defence Forces inside the Gaza Strip in which a local Hamas commander and six other Palestinians were killed.
One Israeli Security Defence Forces officer was also killed and a second was injured in the incident.
In the following days, militants in Gaza launched some 450 rockets and mortars at Israel, killing one Palestinian civilian and seriously wounding one Israeli civilian.
An Israeli Security Defence Forces soldier was also seriously wounded by a targeted anti-tank guided missile on a bus transporting military personnel, after which the Israeli forces responded with a series of airstrikes on 160 militant targets.
The fragility of the situation underscores the urgent need to fundamentally change the dynamics on the ground in order to address underlying political issues, he stressed, pointing out that the latest escalation came just as the UN and its partners were intensifying efforts to alleviate Gaza's humanitarian and economic crises and to provide space for Egypt-led efforts to advance intra-Palestinian reconciliation.
Emphasizing that such efforts are critical to ending the occupation and resolving the wider political conflict, he pledged to continue to engage with the Palestinian Government, donors and partners on the ground to expedite humanitarian interventions in Gaza.
"The clock on intra-Palestinian reconciliation is ticking," he stressed, urging all parties not to waste time.
Instead, they should engage in earnest and work to achieve visible progress in the next six months. "If any side fails, every side fails," he stated, adding that Hamas and other militant groups must stop all provocations and attacks and Israel must significantly improve the movement and access of goods and people to and from Gaza.
He also expressed concern about Israel's persistent use of live fire against protesters, calling on those authorities to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from using lethal force except as a last resort.
Noting that Israeli settlement activity only increased over the reporting period, eating away at the viability of a contiguous Palestinian State, he reiterated that all such activities are illegal under international law, as well as an obstacle to peace. They must cease immediately.
The 13th session of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council, which was held in October in Ramallah, reaffirmed its recent decisions to suspend recognition of Israel until the latter recognized the State of Palestine, he said.
A follow-up committee chaired by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was established to discuss the implementation of those resolutions.
If taken, such measures will not only substantially reverse progress and undermine the 25-year effort to build Palestinian national institutions, but also make a return to negotiations more difficult.
Turning to the situation in Lebanon, where political actors have yet to reach an agreement on national unity, he cautioned that such delays jeopardize the country's stability and economic prosperity.
As the Council will consider that situation this week, he encouraged stakeholders to put the country's interests first and quickly reach an agreement that preserves Lebanon's stability and its ability to deliver on international commitments. (end)
asf.mb