TLTP
\nNEW YORK
\nThe UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to \u201ctake practical steps to enable the parties to re-engage\u201d in the peace process. Addressing the UN Security Council, Nickolay Mladenov told the ambassadors in his final briefing as special coordinator, \u201cThe Middle East Quartet \u2013 alongside Arab partners \u2013 and Israeli and Palestinian leaders, must work together to return to the path of meaningful negotiations.\u201d \u201cIsraelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs have lived with conflict for too long\u201d, said the UN envoy. \u201cLoss and displacement are part of the personal history of every single household\u201d for generations.
\nHe painted a picture of Palestinians being \u201cupended from their homes\u201d and forced to seek refuge across the region while \u201cJews have been upended from across the region\u201d and forced to seek refuge in Israel.
\nMladenov reminded that the conflict is not only over land or history, \u201cit is a conflict over the very right of two nations to co-exist\u201d.
\nA disruption of vital services in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) is hanging in the balance as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) faces a funding gap of $88 million, which includes some $22 million to pay salaries of nearly 30,000 frontline education, health, social and other workers directly assisting Palestine refugees.
\n\u201cThe Agency is not only a lifeline for millions of Palestine refugees, and fully engaged in the fight against COVID-19, but is also critical for regional stability\u201d, said Mr. Mladenov. \u201cSufficient funding is essential for the Agency\u2019s continuity, and I renew my appeal for support\u201d.
\nMeanwhile, last week the Palestinian Prime Minister and the Acting OPT Humanitarian Coordinator launched a 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan, which includes a $417 million appeal to help 1.8 million vulnerable people over the coming year.
\n\u201cThe latest humanitarian needs assessment found that 2.45 million Palestinians \u2014 some 47 per cent of the population currently need aid\u201d, he said.
\nIsraeli settlement-related developments continue, with expansions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Mr. Mladenov added, saying they entrench Israel\u2019s occupation and undermine the prospect of a two-State solution.
\n\u201cThe advancement of all settlement activity must cease immediately\u201d, he spelled out, underscoring that they constitute \u201ca flagrant violation\u201d of UN resolutions and international law.
\nThe special coordinator also called \u201cdeeply concerning\u201d, the continued demolition and seizure of Palestinian humanitarian projects and schools.
\n\u201cI call on Israeli authorities to end the demolition of Palestinian property and the displacement and eviction of Palestinians\u201d, he said.
\nIn closing, he recounted that every Palestinian he met believed that negotiations were \u201conly a fa\u00e7ade\u201d for more land grabs while every Israeli believed they would lead to more \u201cviolence and terror\u201d.
\n\u201cThe world cannot leave the situation unattended\u201d, said the Special Coordinator, pointing to UN resolutions, bilateral agreements and the Middle East Quartet\u2019s efforts, all aimed at resolving the conflict.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TLTP NEW YORK The UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to \u201ctake practical steps to enable the parties to re-engage\u201d in the peace process. Addressing the UN Security Council, Nickolay Mladenov told the ambassadors in his final briefing as special coordinator, \u201cThe Middle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-163771","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n