NEW YORK, December 18, 2017 (WAFA) - The UN Security Council held a special session to discuss a draft resolution submitted by Egypt on Monday rejecting US President Donald Trump‘s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The Middle East peace envoy, Nickolay Mladenov said unilateral steps threaten the two-state solution, calling on Israel to halt its illegal settlement activities.

He said settlements violate international resolutions and are increasing in Jerusalem, while Palestinians are prevented from building in these areas.

He explained that violence has increased since Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, while at the same time there are no real movements to support the peace process, and there is no a mutual agreement or respect for the situation in Jerusalem.

Mladenov added that there were serious developments on the ground. He said last November there was a decision to prevent Palestinians from using their land and confiscate it for the purpose of establishing settlement units inside the West Bank without complying with UN resolutions, as well as the displacement of many Palestinian families and children.

He pointed out that the year 2017 witnessed a 50% increase in settlement in the heart of the West Bank, with an increase in home demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem.

He pointed out that President Mahmoud Abbas demanded recognition of Palestine and accession to international organizations.

Mladenov stressed that the issue of Jerusalem must be finalized through negotiations and UN resolutions, stressing the importance of a two-state solution and the prevention of acts of violence, incitement and respect for Security Council resolutions.

He called on the international community to condemn acts of terrorism and to bridge the gap between Israelis and Palestinians. Mladenov said Israel should assume its responsibilities under international law, and the Palestinian National Authority should be enabled to carry out its duties in the Gaza Strip.

We encourage the parties to stop the process of humanitarian deterioration, especially when it comes to the power crisis in Gaza, he added. 

On his part, the representative of Uruguay in the Security Council, Elbio Rosselli rejected all unilateral actions affecting the final solution, and considered that the policy of Israeli settlements and violence threatens the two-state solution, which is the only option for achieving peace and ending the conflict between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

He said that Palestinian lands is shrinking day after day because of the continued settlements and expansion, which has not stopped despite a resolution issued by the Security Council a year ago demanding the cessation of all settlement activity.

Rosselli stressed that the two-state solution is the only option to resolve the dispute between the two sides, and that voting on this draft resolution today is in the interest of protecting this option.

He called for enabling the Palestinian Authority to extend its control over the Gaza Strip, referring to the reconciliation agreement signed between Fatah and Hamas in October, which he considered an important step to assert Palestinian unity.

Meanwhile, the representative of Bolivia Sacha Soliz requested clarifications on the non-application of resolution 2334, adopted by the Security Council last year on Israeli settlements.

He said a year after the adoption of resolution 2334, “We wonder why the decision was not implemented on the ground, and here I ask the Council to provide explanations on this.”

 He said that building settlements and continuing settlement expansion is a violation of international law.

Soliz stressed that Israel is carrying out violations of human rights in Palestine, including the continuation of settlements construction.

The announcement by US President Donald Trump that recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would increase violence in the region, as well as being contrary to international law.

He stressed that the only solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the two-state solution.

M.H