UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stated that recent developments in the occupied West Bank are “driving a stake through the heart” of a two-state solution.
He criticized Israel’s policy toward the West Bank, saying it undermines any prospects for a resolution with the Palestinians.
In a statement read by his chief of staff, Courtenay Rattray, during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Wednesday, Guterres highlighted how Israel is altering the geography of the West Bank through administrative and legal measures. He noted that settlement expansion is accelerating due to significant land seizures and changes to planning, land management, and governance.
“Recent developments are driving a stake through the heart of any prospect for a two-state solution,” said Guterres.
Since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October, there has been a sharp increase in Israeli military raids, arrests of Palestinians, and settler violence in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. Guterres pointed out that Israel has taken punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority and legalized five Israeli outposts in the West Bank. Israel has been establishing such outposts since it occupied the West Bank in 1967.
“We must change course. All settlement activity must cease immediately,” Guterres emphasized.
The UN chief also called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of all hostages.
The conflict has resulted in at least 38,794 deaths and 89,364 injuries in Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas-led attacks on October 7 is estimated at 1,139, with dozens of people still held captive in Gaza. “The humanitarian situation in Gaza is a moral stain on us all,” Guterres said.
Meeting Disrupted by Protest
During the UNSC quarterly session on the Middle East on Wednesday, Israel’s war on Gaza and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip were the main topics.
Riyad Mansour, Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, stated, “What is happening in Gaza is going down as the most documented genocide in history,” and questioned, “When will the world denounce the crimes and stop tolerating their reoccurrence?”
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan accused Hamas of crimes against humanity and said Israeli captives were being held by “Iranian-supported and inspired terrorist organisations.” The UNSC meeting was briefly interrupted after Erdan’s speech by two women dressed in black, who stood with signs and called for the release of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian groups in Gaza.
UN security asked the women to leave the chamber, and they complied, a UN official said.
The demonstration occurred as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov began addressing the 15-member body. Lavrov, who was chairing the meeting as Russia is the UNSC president for July, responded, “I don’t understand, speak more clearly. One of you can speak clearly to say what you want to say. I see you don’t wish to do so, very well.”
Protests inside the UN headquarters in New York City are rare.
