Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 26th June. UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland on Tuesday briefed the members of the UN Security Council on the situation in Gaza which he said remains catastrophic, ongoing Israeli settlement expansion and escalating violence in the occupied West Bank is having tension across the whole region.
Tor Wennesland said “I reiterate that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and are in flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions.”
“I urge the Government of Israel to cease all settlement activity immediately.”
He noted intensified armed exchanges between Palestinians and Israeli security forces alongside lethal attacks by Palestinians against Israelis and by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
“All perpetrators of violence must be held accountable and swiftly brought to justice,” he added.
Wennesland reiterated that the occupying security forces “must exercise maximum restraint and use lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life.”
He expressed serious concerns about the risk of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah along the Blue Line the frontier separating Lebanese and Israeli armed forces – calling for urgent steps to de-escalate.
He reiterated the Secretary-General’s concern that further military escalation will only guarantee more suffering, more devastation to communities on both sides, and “more potentially catastrophic consequences for the region”.
Wennesland noted that tensions along the Blue Line have been deteriorating since Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip after the brutal 7 October attack by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups against communities in southern Israel.
He stressed that several people have lost their lives, tens of thousands are displaced, and houses and whole neighbourhoods destroyed.
Top envoy reiterated that civilians in Gaza continue to bear the devastating impact of the hostilities and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Mr. Wennesland witnessed the deteriorating security situation on each of his visits and characterized the scope of death and destruction as “catastrophic and horrifying”.
The use of explosive weapons by Israel in densely populated areas has destroyed entire neighborhoods and damaged hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, and the UN premises, he said.
He expressed his unequivocal condemnation the killing and maiming of civilians in Gaza, including women and children.
Wessenland emphasized that the ongoing military operations and a “near total breakdown” of civil order have resulted in multiple reported incidents of theft of relief supplies and shootings that posed significant risks to the population and humanitarian workers.
He underscored the urgent need for effective mechanisms for humanitarian notification, safe conditions for aid operations, and sufficient access to humanitarian needs.
Mr. Wennesland voiced deep concern over the Palestinian Authority fiscal situation after broader economic and security concerns across the occupied West Bank.
He referred to an announcement by the Israeli Finance Minister to block the transfer of clearance revenues to the PA and end corresponding banking arrangements between Israeli and Palestinian institutions by the end of the month.
These measures could severely worsen the financial crisis and disrupt the entire Palestinian financial system, he warned.
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