New York, Sept. 29 (SANA) The United Nations called for renewed commitment to a two-state solution “before it is too late,” warning that Israeli settlement expansion, settler violence and the displacement of Palestinians are undermining prospects for an independent Palestinian state, while the Gaza ceasefire remains “extremely fragile.”
Ramiz Alakbarov, Acting Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, told a Security Council briefing Monday that the situation nearly 10 years after the adoption of Resolution 2334 was “morally, legally and politically unacceptable.”
The 2016 resolution calls on Israel to immediately and completely cease all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and fully respect its legal obligations.
Alakbarov called for continued efforts to end Israel’s unlawful occupation and reach a settlement based on international law and U.N. resolutions. He said the New York Declaration, endorsed by the General Assembly, together with existing Security Council resolutions, provides a political vision and coordinated international effort to advance the two-state solution.
Settlement expansion and settler violence
Alakbarov said settlement expansion, violence and displacement continued in the occupied West Bank, while the ceasefire in Gaza remained fragile.
During the June 13-Sept. 18 reporting period, Israeli planning authorities advanced or approved nearly 4,570 housing units in Area C of the occupied West Bank and 3,515 in East Jerusalem. Israel’s Housing Ministry published tenders for nearly 2,240 units in Area C, including 1,234 in the E1 area near Jerusalem.
Alakbarov said the Israeli military issued an order to seize privately owned land in Area A near Qabatiya, south of Jenin, to build a road linking the Noa and Emek Dotan settlements, two of 34 settlements recently approved.
He described it as the first reported seizure of Area A land explicitly for settlement infrastructure and noted continued evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem.
Settler violence reaches “unprecedented levels”
Alakbarov said settler violence in the West Bank had reached “unprecedented levels,” often occurring in the presence of Israeli forces.
According to the U.N. report, 32 Palestinians, including nine children, were killed during Israeli military operations, exchanges of fire, settler attacks and other incidents. Three were killed in airstrikes and 29 by live ammunition.
Settlement expansion and settler violenceThe United Nations documented 630 settler attacks resulting in casualties or property damage. Eleven Palestinians were killed and 430 were injured during the reporting period, including 113 injured by Israeli forces, while 343 Palestinians were displaced from 17 communities.
Warning over forcible transfer
Alakbarov condemned continued Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, saying it fuels tensions, restricts Palestinians’ access to their land and threatens the viability of an independent, sovereign and territorially contiguous Palestinian state.
He expressed concern over the demolition and seizure of Palestinian civilian structures, warning that such measures could involve human rights violations and raise concerns about the risk of forcible transfer. He called on Israel to stop unlawful demolitions of Palestinian-owned civilian structures and comply with international law. Alakbarov expressed deep concern over the scale of Palestinian displacement in the West Bank, noting that entire communities had been displaced, in some cases more than once. He warned that such displacement could raise concerns about ethnic cleansing and could amount to forcible transfer prohibited under international law.
Gaza ceasefire remains fragile
In Gaza, Alakbarov described the ceasefire as “extremely fragile” amid continuing Israeli military operations west of the so-called “Yellow Line,” including small-arms fire, drone attacks, shelling, demolitions and destruction.
He cited continuing Israeli airstrikes in densely populated areas west of the line and warned of further deterioration in humanitarian and security conditions.
Alakbarov called for continued international efforts to stabilize the ceasefire and achieve a political settlement based on international law and U.N. resolutions.
At a Security Council briefing on Aug. 26, Alakbarov had warned about the fragility of the Gaza ceasefire and deteriorating conditions in the West Bank, calling for full and immediate implementation of commitments under the roadmap for Gaza.
R.D/RK
