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UN / ISRAEL PALESTINE
STORY: UN / ISRAEL PALESTINE
TRT: 2:50
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 25 AUGUST 2020, NEW YORK CITY
1. Split screen, Security Council in virtual meeting
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
“Israel’s commitment to suspending annexation removes an immediate threat that had the potential to upend the peace process and regional stability. The Secretary-General has consistently called for Israel to abandon these plans. Annexation would constitute a most serious violation of international law, effectively close the door to a renewal of negotiations and destroy the prospect of a viable Palestinian State and the two-State solution. The Israel-UAE deal also has the potential to change dynamics across the region. It creates new opportunities for cooperation at a time when the Middle East and the world face grave dangers from the Covid-19 pandemic and radicalization. It will create economic opportunities and opportunities for peace.”
3. Split screen, Security Council in virtual meeting
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
“The Palestinian economy is in freefall. Now that the imminent threat of annexation has been removed by the UAE-Israel agreement, I hope that the Palestinian leadership will resume accepting its clearance revenues and provide some breathing space for the battered economy. Recently, the security situation in Gaza has deteriorated; a trend which soon may become irreversible. It is essential that the ceasefire agreement brokered by the UN and Egypt, which has proved effective since August 2018, be reaffirmed. Mediation efforts will continue; however, I am concerned that militant activity, especially incendiary balloons, rockets and a deteriorating humanitarian situation inside the Strip are rapidly eroding existing arrangements.”
5. Split screen, Security Council in virtual meeting
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
“There is a moral imperative to end all militant activity in Gaza, restore Palestinian national unity and lift Israeli closures. But the political solutions that must be provided by political leaders are nowhere in sight. Instead, we have a day-to-day, month-to-month, year-to-year patchwork of crucial humanitarian efforts to prevent war and try to sustain the lives of two million desperate Palestinians in Gaza.”
7. Split screen, Security Council in virtual meeting
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
“Gaza is teetering on the brink of another major escalation with Israel, the occupied West Bank is fracturing under a multitude of economic and political pressures, settlement expansion and demolitions continue, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on Palestinian and Israeli societies. This is the stark reality of the current situation.”
9. Split screen, Security Council in virtual meeting
“Israel’s commitment to suspending annexation removes an immediate threat that had the potential to upend the peace process and regional stability,” said today the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov adding that the annexation “would constitute a most serious violation of international law."
The UN Security Council held Tuesday (25 Aug) an open video teleconference on the situation in the Middle East. Briefing the Council via videolink from Jerusalem, Mladenov said the Secretary-General has welcomed the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, adding that he hopes it will create an opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to re-engage.
“The Palestinian economy is in freefall,” said Mladenov. “Now that the imminent threat of annexation has been removed by the UAE-Israel agreement, I hope that the Palestinian leadership will resume accepting its clearance revenues and provide some breathing space for the battered economy.”
Mladenov noted that the deal has the potential to change dynamics across the region, creating new opportunities for cooperation at a time when the Middle East and the world face grave dangers from COVID-19 as well as radicalization. He added that it will create new economic opportunities and opportunities for peace.
“Recently, the security situation in Gaza has deteriorated; a trend which soon may become irreversible,” he said. “It is essential that the ceasefire agreement brokered by the UN and Egypt, which has proved effective since August 2018, be reaffirmed. Mediation efforts will continue; however, I am concerned that militant activity, especially incendiary balloons, rockets and a deteriorating humanitarian situation inside the Strip are rapidly eroding existing arrangements.”
The Special Coordinator said “there is a moral imperative to end all militant activity in Gaza, restore Palestinian national unity and lift Israeli closures. But the political solutions that must be provided by political leaders are nowhere in sight. Instead, we have a day-to-day, month-to-month, year-to-year patchwork of crucial humanitarian efforts to prevent war and try to sustain the lives of two million desperate Palestinians in Gaza.”
Mladenov also voiced concern over the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Israel. The UN and partners have continued to support Palestinians in responding to the pandemic, including by addressing critical gaps in medical supplies and equipment.
“Gaza is teetering on the brink of another major escalation with Israel, the occupied West Bank is fracturing under a multitude of economic and political pressures, settlement expansion and demolitions continue, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on Palestinian and Israeli societies. This is the stark reality of the current situation,” Mladenov said.
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