UNITED NATIONS – Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, has voiced great worry over the ongoing violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, as well as the deteriorating security situation.
Clashes, attacks, military operations, and high levels of settler-related violence have continued in recent weeks, he told the Security Council, alongside calls by Palestinian militant factions for further confrontations with Israel.
Continued unilateral actions, such as Israeli settlement expansion, evictions, and demolitions, as well as the occupied Palestinian territory's acute fiscal and economic crisis, intensify the situation and threaten the Palestinian Authority's institutional stability, he noted.
"If left unchecked, I am concerned that not only will the situation in the West Bank deteriorate further, but these dynamics will also have an impact on the security situation in Gaza and jeopardize the cease-fire that has been in place since May," Wennesland warned. "It's critical that all sides act quickly to reduce tensions and restore calm." Throughout the occupied Palestinian land, violent occurrences have continued. Since September 29, Israeli security forces have killed 12 Palestinians, including one woman and four children, and 306 Palestinians, including three women and 53 children, have been injured, 16 of them by live bullets, he said.
Pakistan's wounds are self-inflicted: Imran Khan
Australian PM Scott Morrison rules out lockdowns amid spike in Covid
Moon Jae-in urges readiness over Omicron spread.