GAZA, July 15, 2018 (WAFA) – Gaza was on the brink of another war with Israel, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said on Sunday.

“Yesterday we were on the brink of war. And it is taken the concerted efforts of everyone to make sure that we step back from confrontation. A confrontation that nobody wants, nobody needs, and a confrontation from which everybody will lose,” he said at a press conference in Gaza.

“We are one step away from another confrontation. Everybody needs to take a step back. I hope that within the next few days you will see the results of our efforts to contain the situation and to chart a political path forward.”

Mladenov appealed to the Palestinians and Israel to de-escalate the tense situation that existed over the past two days, and to the international community not for forget the people of Gaza who lived through three devastating wars by Israel in the last decade.

“For the last decade Palestinians in Gaza have lived through 3 conflicts. Israelis across the fence have lived with a constant threat of rocket attacks for the last decade. This cycle has to stop. It has to end,” he said.

“I appeal to the Palestinian factions to not provoke incidents at the fence, to stop the firing of rockets and mortars, to stop the incendiary kites and to give peace a chance.

“I appeal to Israel, to be very restrained in its responses to the situation in Gaza. I appeal to snipers not to shoot children.

“I appeal to everybody to step back from the brink!

“But last if not least, I appeal to my colleagues in the international community not to forget the people of Gaza, not to forget the Palestinians who have lived for generations without a state. And to work with us, the United Nations, and with everyone else who is trying to resolve the situation right now. People in Gaza have had enough wars.”

The UN official admitted that resolving the humanitarian situation in Gaza will not be enough without a political solution.

“But even if we help fix the humanitarian problems of Gaza we will not be doing enough unless we fix the political problems,” he said.

Mladenov urged the Palestinians to reconcile their differences, stressing that there cannot be a Palestinian state without Gaza and there cannot be a state in Gaza.

“We need to do everything in our power to revive the reconciliation process and to restart the talks that would bring Gaza and the West Bank under one government, under one legal system, and establish one legitimate control of all weapons,” he said.

“You cannot have a Palestinian state without Gaza, and you cannot have a Palestinian state only in Gaza.”

M.K.