Israel/Palestine: Extremists on the Rise, Risk of War Looms - Security Council Briefing

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said extremists were “on the rise again and the risk of war continues to loom large” adding that for Israelis and Palestinians to get back on track for a peaceful resolution of the conflict “the first thing that is required is leadership.”
Addressing the Security Council today (20 Feb) via teleconference from Jerusalem, Mladenov said resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict required leadership that believes “peace is possible through negotiations” and international community that “understands that the weaker party - the Palestinian people who have lived under occupation for more than fifty years - need our support more than ever.” He added, “It should never be about Israel or Palestine. It should always be about Israel and Palestine.”
The Special Coordinator said unilateral measures, continuing violence, financial pressures, and the lack of progress towards peace are exacting a heavy toll on Palestinian society and undermining the foundations of peace. He said the Palestinian Authority had a budget deficit of some USD 1.04 billion in 2018, and yet earlier this week the Israeli Government decided unilaterally to withhold some USD 140 million in Palestinian tax revenue transfers.
SOUNDBITE (English) Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations:
“These are very serious developments that put at risk the financial stability of the Palestinian Authority and ultimately the security of both Israelis and Palestinians. The Secretary-General has repeatedly warned that unilateral moves undermine the chances for peace.”
Mladenov also noted that recent Palestinian political moves may further widen the growing divide between the West Bank and Gaza. He said the Fatah Central Committee recommended the formation of a new government comprising PLO factions and independent figures, while Hamas and the other factions have called, instead, for the formation of a government of national unity with the task of organizing legislative, presidential and Palestinian National Council elections. He underscored that elections conducted in line with Palestinian laws and with established international democratic standards throughout the occupied Palestinian territory may be the only way out of the current internal political impasse.
The Special Coordinator stressed that Hamas’ continuing control of Gaza, Israel’s severe movement and access restrictions, and the Palestinian Authority’s restrictive measures are pushing the situation in Gaza “to a breaking point.” He added, “the militant build-up continues as the risk of ever more radical and extremist groups pushing both sides into war grows by the day. With the prospects of intra-Palestinian reconciliation dimming, the people of Gaza feel more and more left to their own devices with no representation, no relief, and no way out.”
Mladenov underscored that the UN and its partners, have provided a series of recommendations that, if implemented effectively, would begin to establish an environment conducive to a return to negotiations. He advocated for a strengthened commitment to bilateral agreements adding that the UN was implementing a series of humanitarian interventions aiming to stabilize Gaza, support Palestinian reconciliation and ultimately lift the closures.
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Briefing by H.E. Mr. Nickolay Mladenov, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority (UNSCOM), on the situation in the Middle East (including the Palestinian question) [via teleconference].