JERICHO, Monday, June 22, 2020 (WAFA) – UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, affirmed in a speech he delivered at a mass gathering held in Jericho against Israel’s annexation plans, the United Nations rejection of such plans.
Hundreds of Palestinians, with the participation of a broad international presence, gathered today in Jericho as part of the popular activities to reject and protest Israel’s unilateral annexation plans of large parts of occupied the West Bank.
The mass gathering was attended by representatives of the international community, headed by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, European Union representative, consuls and representatives of foreign countries, including the British Consul General in Jerusalem, the Chinese ambassador, and the Jordanian ambassador who will speak on behalf of the Arab ambassadors.
Mladenov said that the United Nations and all representatives of the international community who are present at the mass gathering, believe that annexation is against the international law, and if it happens it may kill the very idea that peace and statehood for the Palestinian people can be achieved through negotiations.
He said addressing the attendances of representatives of member states of the UN: who have no time to lose, in the coming days and weeks we must do everything to uphold the idea that through negotiations the Palestinians and the Israeli people can live in peace.
He added that
we must stand against unilateral actions and we must ourselves take actions in
support of peace.
He called on all of the international community to join the Secretary-General
of the United Nations in his appeal to our colleagues and friends in the Middle
East, the Russian federation, the European Union the United states to join in
restarting meaningful negotiations between Israel and Palestine for peace based
on international law and in line with UN resolutions.
“We cannot allow to lose one second, one minute, one hour,” he said.
Meanwhile, EU Representative Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff said that the EU position is very clear: first we consider unilateral annexation would constitute a serious violation of international law, reiterating that the EU will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem.
“Other than those agreed by both sides and in line with international law and UN Security council resolutions, we do not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied since 1967, we will therefor closely monitor the situation and its broader implications and we will act accordingly,” he added.
Israeli forces shut down two military checkpoints, in the northern Jordan Valley, and attacked participants with tear gas canisters and prevented hundreds others from crossing the checkpoint to participate in the mass gathering in Jericho.
T.R.
