United Nations- Robert Serry, Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process, said it was critical for Security Council to work toward effective framework for progress in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and devastating war in Gaza.
Serry made this known in his regular briefing to the 15-member body in New York on Monday.
According to him, now is the time to deescalate and refrain from provocative steps, re-build trust and set conditions for return to negotiations that will resolve this conflict.
He said making headway in at least salvaging prospects for resolving the conflict would require the active role of the international community.
“Israelis and Palestinians still demand an end to the conflict despite their strong malaise on the peace process itself,” he said.
He noted the legislative action in Europe toward recognising a Palestinian state, as well as the agreement by the League of Arab states to present to the Council a draft resolution setting a timeframe for its creation.
Serry said those actions were important but not a substitute for genuine peace process recognised by both parties.
In that context, he conveyed the Secretary-General’s hopes that the 15-member body would generate momentum toward meaningful and constructive framework for renewed negotiations.
He said “such a move by Security Council will constitute a major step on this conflict since the adoption of Security Council resolution 242 (1967), almost 50 years ago.’’
He said that what he called a “deadly diplomatic vacuum”, due to the collapse of the ruling coalition in Israel and the scheduling of early elections for March 17, 2015, was no excuse for either side to let the present situation worsen.
According to him, the conditions on the ground remain explosive.
On the West Bank, he expressed concern that the violence had assumed a more religious character, citing the November killings of five Israelis in a Jerusalem synagogue, condemnations of which he reiterated.
He said the Secretary-General rejected any attempts to honour those who carried out such crimes.
In the past month, he said, a Jewish-Arab school in Jerusalem had been vandalised, and overall 633 Palestinians had been injured and 406 more had been arrested during the reporting period.
He added that nine soldiers and 20 settlers were injured in clashes.
On the death of Palestinian Minister Ziad Abu Ein, this week, after confrontations during a demonstration, the Council, he noted, had encouraged the parties to ensure a swift and transparent investigation.
In Gaza, he reported a significant scale-up of delivery of construction materials in the past two weeks via temporary Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism.
He emphasised that the mechanism was not a substitute for the lifting of all closures.
Trade between Gaza and the West Bank, he said, had been re-established but remained well below the potential volume.
He said that the ceasefire with Israel had still not been solidified; the Government of National Consensus had still not taken up its rightful functions; and civil service reform was urgently required.
The Rafah crossing to Egypt also remained closed, he noted.
If such challenges were not addressed, tensions could worsen, he warned.
Turning to Syria, he reported on Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura’s efforts to bring about a “freeze” of the conflict in the city of Aleppo,
intended as a building block towards an inclusive national political process without preconditions.
He said the situation on the Golan remained volatile, with clashes and fly-overs in the areas of separation and limitation.
On Lebanon, he condemned deadly attacks on the Lebanese Armed Forces by militants near the Syrian border, with 25 Lebanese security personnel still held hostage by extremist groups.
Serry, however, welcomed preparations announced by legislators for dialogue between Hizbullah and the Future Movement, expressing hope that it would ease tensions and help resolve the seven-month-long vacuum in the presidency. (NAN)
