No sustainable future for Gaza that is not part of a viable Palestinian state: Guterres
The United Nations chief has also addressed the “alarming” situation in the occupied West Bank, where Israel has been conducting deadly raids for six weeks now.
“Over 40,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced in the last months, the largest displacement in the West Bank in decades,” Antonio Guterres said.
“Meanwhile, demolitions, evictions and settlement expansions with settler violence are on the rise. All of this is further weakening the Palestinian Authority at a time when its role is more crucial than ever,” he added, calling for “urgent de-escalation”.
“Unilateral actions including settlement expansion and threats of annexation must stop,” Guterres said. “The attacks and mounting violence must end. Israel as the occupying power must comply with all its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and the Palestinian Authority must be supported to govern effectively and to do so in compliance with its own obligations under international law.”
Returning to the issue of Gaza, Guterres said:
- The true foundation of recovery in Gaza will be more than concrete and steel; it will be dignity, self-determination and security.
- It means rejecting any form of ethnic cleansing and it means forging a political solution.
- There is no sustainable future for Gaza that is not part of a viable Palestinian state.
- There can be no recovery without an end to the occupation, no justice without accountability for violations of international law, and no sustainable reconstruction without a clear and principled horizon.
- The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, to chart their own future and to live on their land in freedom and security.
- There must be irreversible steps now towards the realisation of the two-state solution before it’s too late.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stated that:
- We need a clear political framework that lays the foundation for Gaza’s recovery, reconstruction and lasting stability.
- It must be based on principles and respect for international law.
- Israel’s legitimate security concerns must be addressed, but that should not be through long-term Israeli military presence.
- Gaza must remain an integral part of an independent, democratic and sovereign Palestinian state, with no reduction in its territory or forced transfer of its population.
- Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem must be unified politically, economically and administratively by the Palestinian Authority, accepted and supported by the Palestinian people.
- Any transitional arrangements must be designed to achieve unified Palestinian governance within an agreed and limited timeframe.
- The UN welcomes and strongly endorses the Arab-led initiative to mobilise support for Gaza’s reconstruction, clearly expressed in this summit, and the UN stands ready to fully cooperate in this endeavour.
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