The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate end to the Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories as a major roadblock on the way to peace.
“Across the occupied West Bank and Gaza, hopelessness is spreading, feeding anger and despair. Each new settlement is another roadblock on the path to peace,” Guterres said yesterday at the opening of the 2023 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
Referring to the “concerning news” early Wednesday that Israeli occupation forces killed 11 Palestinians and injured more than 100 others in a brutal raid on Nablus, Guterres said: “Deadly cycles of violence keep accelerating. Tensions are sky-high. And the peace process remains stalled.”
“The status of Jerusalem cannot be altered by unilateral actions,” he said.
“Jerusalem’s demographic and historical character must be preserved — and the status quo at the Holy Sites must be upheld, in line with the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” he added.
The UN chief said the “ultimate goal is to end the occupation, realize a two-state solution.”
“What is needed is the political will and courage to make the difficult choices for peace,” the UN chief said.
“A peace that ends the occupation and ensures two states – Israel and an independent, viable, and sovereign Palestinian state — living side by side within secure and recognized borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states,” he said. “A peace in which Palestinians and Israelis alike enjoy equal measures of democracy, opportunity, and dignity in their lives.”
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency