NEW YORK, November, 18, 2024 (WAFA) – The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, said that after a year of horrific war and bloodshed in the Middle East, the region is at a dark crossroads, calling on the international community to “act now to change the dangerous path we are on.”
In his briefing to the UN Security Council session on Monday to discuss the situation in the Middle East, Wennesland warned that “we are living a nightmare,” and that “the shock and grief that has been unleashed is immeasurable.”
The UN official pointed out that the devastating war and the devastating Israeli military campaign in Gaza have caused massive destruction and heavy losses.
“These events will reverberate for generations, shaping the region in ways that we cannot yet fully comprehend,” he said.
Wennesland also explained that the humanitarian situation in Gaza, with the onset of winter, is “catastrophic,” especially the developments in northern Gaza with the massive and almost complete displacement of the population and widespread destruction, amid what appears to be a disturbing disregard for international humanitarian law.
He stressed that the current conditions in Gaza are “among the worst we have seen during the entire war, and we do not expect them to improve.”
The UN official spoke about the situation in the occupied West Bank, which “remains stuck in a devastating cycle of violence and despair.”
He pointed to the continued Israeli incursions into Palestinian cities and refugee camps as well as the high levels of colonist-related violence.
Wennesland warned that colonial expansion will continue unabated, as the Israeli government has taken many steps to accelerate colonial progress, with some ministers now openly calling for the formal annexation of the West Bank in the coming months, and the establishment of colonies in Gaza.
“In light of the developments in Gaza and Israel’s recent passage of laws against UNRWA operations, I must issue an urgent warning that the institutional framework for supporting the Palestinian people and the Palestinian state is on the verge of collapse, threatening to plunge the occupied Palestinian territory into even greater chaos,” he added.
The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process warned that the steps being taken on the ground in Gaza and the occupied West Bank “are taking us further and further away from the peace process and from an eventual viable Palestinian state.”
He stressed that while preparations for recovery and reconstruction are well underway, humanitarian relief and reconstruction will be no more than temporary assistance in the absence of a political solution.
“The international community must set clear markers for how to end the war in Gaza in a way that paves the way for a viable political future,” he said.
Wennesland identified a set of principles that need urgent protection and attention, including that Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a future Palestinian state, without any reduction in its territory, and that there should be no Israeli military presence in Gaza.
Wennesland added that there is a need for a political framework that allows the international community to mobilize the tools and set a timetable for ending this conflict, based on well-recognized principles, with the ability to leverage the strengths, resources and influence of the region and international partners with the parties.
Local health authorities confirmed that the Palestinian death toll from the Israeli onslaught since October 7, 2023 has risen to 43,922 registered fatalities, with an additional 103,898 individuals sustaining injuries. The majority of the victims are women and children.
According to the same sources, emergency services are still unable to reach many casualties and dead bodies trapped under the rubble or scattered on roads across the war-torn enclave, as Israeli occupation forces continue to obstruct the movement of ambulance and civil defense crews.
K.T
