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The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine.

The Secretary-General and President Abbas discussed the Middle East Peace Process noting that the two-state solution is the only viable option to sustainable peace. The Secretary-General reiterated his commitment to a comprehensive and lasting resolution of the conflict. He welcomed the recent developments towards Palestinian unity.

The Secretary-General also highlighted that the United Nations will continue providing development support to the Palestinian people.

https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/readout/2017-09-19/readout-secretar…

Statement by United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, on recent Hamas statement

Jerusalem, 17 September 2017

“I welcome the recent statement by Hamas announcing the dissolving of the Administrative Committee in Gaza and agreement to allow the Government of National Consensus to assume its responsibilities in Gaza.

I commend the Egyptian authorities for their tireless efforts in creating this positive momentum. All parties must seize this opportunity to restore unity and open a new page for the Palestinian people.

The United Nations stands ready to assist all efforts in this respect. It is critical that the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, most notably the crippling electricity crisis, be addressed as a priority."

[ENDS]

بيان صادر عن المنسق الخاص للأمم المتحدة لعملية السلام في الشرق الأوسط، السيد نيكولاي ملادينوف بشأن بيان حماس الأخير

القدس، 17 أيلول 2017

"أرحب بالبيان الذي أصدرته حماس مؤخرا والذي أعلنت فيه حل اللجنة الإدارية في غزة والاتفاق على السماح لحكومة التوافق الوطني بتحمل مسؤولياتها في غزة.

أثني على السلطات المصرية لجهودها الدؤوبة في خلق هذا الزخم الإيجابي. يجب على جميع الأطراف اغتنام هذه الفرصة لاستعادة الوحدة وفتح صفحة جديدة للشعب الفلسطيني.

ان الأمم المتحدة مستعدة لدعم الجهود المبذولة في هذا الصدد. انه لمن الأهمية البالغة ان يتم معالجة الوضع الإنساني الخطير في غزة، وبالأخص أزمة الكهرباء، كأولوية".

]انتهى[

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

We are grateful to Norway for convening and chairing this important forum.

Last month, I accompanied the Secretary-General in his first visit to Israel and Palestine in his new capacity. In the visit, he had the chance to speak with Palestinians and Israelis and with their leadership about their concerns, hopes and aspirations. The Secretary-General came away more convinced than ever that there is no alternative to the two-state solution that can bring an end to the conflict and meet the legitimate national aspirations and security needs of both sides.

The evolving situation in the occupied Palestinian territory these past few months is deeply worrying. A man-made humanitarian crisis in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating, somewhat slowed by the United Nations delivery of fuel to key infrastructure facilities. The situation also remains volatile in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with little hope for a political breakthrough on the horizon.

The development needs of the Palestinian people, however, cannot be held hostage to the political stalemate. Israel, the Palestinian Leadership and the international community must each take tangible steps to improve socio-economic conditions on the ground and to protect human rights.

However, economic development, critical as it is, is no substitute for sovereignty and statehood. Efforts aimed at achieving both must proceed in parallel. We must simultaneously pursue a three track approach — a political process with the clear objectives of two states living side by side in peace, security and mutual recognition; a substantial effort to improve the socio-economic conditions of Palestinians that would reduce the vast discrepancies between the two societies; and an active engagement with the region to support the process.

This approach also requires dealing with the obstacles to meaningful engagement.

Settlement activity remains a substantial impediment to the implementation of the two-state solution. It is illegal under international law and needs to stop. Violence and incitement, as well as the political divisions between Gaza and the West Bank also present substantial challenges to peace.

Let me address also the situation in Gaza which is rapidly deteriorating and remains of grave concern for all of us. Hamas’ rule and militant buildup have continued for ten years. Israel’s restrictive closures also remains a key impediment to Gaza’s development. This long-standing reality is further exacerbated by the internal political divide between Fatah and Hamas.

In this regard, I welcome the recent statement by Hamas announcing the dissolution of the Administrative Committee in Gaza and agreement to allow the Government of National Consensus to assume its responsibilities in the Strip.

I commend the Egyptian authorities for their tireless efforts in creating this positive momentum and I encourage all parties to seize this opportunity to restore unity and open a new page for the Palestinian people. This should facilitate the removal of Israeli closures on Gaza, in line with Security Council Resolution 1860.

The United Nations stands ready to assist all efforts in this respect, most notably to address the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and crippling electricity crisis.

When I visited Gaza with the Secretary-General, I saw firsthand the deep sense of isolation within the population.

Let me be clear - the risk of a major humanitarian breakdown is very high today as essential services are largely operating on back-up generators and with fuel provided by the UN.

Today, our first priority should be to urgently stabilize the electricity supply by restoring the electricity coming from Israel to at least to pre-crisis levels. Once this is done we can seize the momentum and create a facility to finance the necessary infrastructure upgrades and increase electricity supply without a negative effect on the already strained Palestinian budget.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, on the occasion of this AHLC, as we renew our commitment to support the development of the State of Palestine, we must take stock of the progress achieved to date. The formidable challenges notwithstanding, the Palestinian Authority has made tremendous strides in its ability to deliver services and expand its economy. These are laudable achievements, absolutely, but not an end goal. For more than 20 years, we have told Palestinians that they need to focus on institution building and socio-economic development. We have encouraged and supported them in preparing for statehood. The time has come for us to deliver on that promise.

In this context, I want to express the steadfast commitment of the United Nations to do everything in its power to realize the two-state solution, to protect human rights and to advance the development aspirations of the people of the occupied Palestinian territory.

Today, I hope that we can together commit to systematically easing the political constraints to Palestine’s development and statehood. I hope you will all take back to your capitals the urgency of the situation and a clear vision of the way forward.

I wish you the very best in your endeavors.

Press Release

UN Report: Absence of a political process impedes Palestinian development while Gaza humanitarian crisis worsens

Friday 15 September, Jerusalem – Fifty years have passed since the 1967 war and 24 years since the signing of the Oslo Accords, we are no closer to a sustainable solution that meets the needs and aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis alike, according to the latest report issued by the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO). The report will be presented to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) at the bi-annual meeting in New York on September 18, 2017.

The report notes that “the absence of a political process for achieving the two-state solution remains a serious impediment to Palestine’s development”. In its submission to the AHLC, UNSCO calls for renewed international engagement to help the parties overcome key obstacles. However, it also reminds the concerned parties of their responsibilities; Israel to immediately cease settlement activities and to commit itself to implement previously signed agreements. At the same time, UNSCO warns that the deepening of the internal Palestinian divide is undermining the Palestinian cause.

The report cautions that despite efforts by the international community, no significant steps have been taken to create an enabling environment for a return to meaningful negotiations. It urges both sides to comply with their basic commitments under existing agreements. “There continues to be an urgent need for affirmative steps to reverse the negative trends on the ground in order to prevent entrenching a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and conflict that is incompatible with realizing the national aspirations of both peoples,” the report adds.

On Gaza, while the report notes the criticality of restoring unity and returning the legitimate Palestinian Authority to Gaza, it also cautions that the recent measures taken to pressure Hamas into abolishing the controversial Administrative Committee are “profoundly affecting the population and aggravating an already severe humanitarian crisis”, most notably in the Energy Sector. Moreover, attempts to negotiate a compromise that would provide the Government full control of the energy sector in Gaza, stabilize the supply of electricity and guarantee the transparency of revenue collection, did not bear fruit, the report adds.

Meanwhile, and despite the impact of the internal political crisis nearly all schools, hospitals, water and energy facilities that were damaged or destroyed in 2014 conflict in Gaza have now been repaired. The reconstruction and repair of destroyed and damaged houses also continues to progress. The Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) has played a critical role in facilitating increased imports of construction materials, but has been less successful in facilitating the import of “dual use” materials beyond cement and re-bar.

On the West Bank, and over the past five months, the majority of the land continued to remain off-limits to Palestinian development. “Israel’s control over Area C largely prevents Palestinian access to some of the West Bank’s most fertile land and rich natural resources. The restrictive zoning and planning regime, continued settlement expansion, and designation of land for exclusive Israeli use, continues to constrain Palestinian development and further erodes the viability of Palestinian statehood.” The report calls on the international community to strengthen its support to Palestinian communities in Area C, in addition to supporting efforts to facilitate the implementations of agreements on energy and water in particular to help change the reality on the ground and move the parties closer together.

The United Nations continues to demonstrate its commitment by its actions on the ground, the report concludes. “The agreement on a new UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) with the Office of the Prime Minister, stands as a testament to the UN’s commitment to Palestine, its goal of achieving independence and the two-state solution. The UN stands ready to support the parties and the international community in achieving progress wherever possible.”

Note to Editors: The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) serves as the principal policy-level coordination mechanism for development assistance to the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). The AHLC is chaired by Norway and co-sponsored by the EU and the US. In addition, the United Nations participates together with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The AHLC seeks to promote dialogue between donors, the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel. The full report to the AHLC prepared by the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process is attached to this release and includes an executive summary of its main conclusions.