Palestine: "The conflict is again reaching a boiling point" - Council Briefing | United Nations

Briefing by Tor Wennesland, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question - Security Council, 9203rd meeting. The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, today (28 Nov) told the Security Council that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict “is again reaching a boiling point.” Wennesland, said, “high levels of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel in recent months, including attacks against Israeli and Palestinian civilians, increased use of arms, and settler-related violence, have caused grave human suffering.” This surge in violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the UN official said, “is taking place in the context of a stalled peace process and entrenched occupation, and amidst mounting economic and institutional challenges faced by the Palestinian Authority.” He added that “global trends and declining donor support have compounded these challenges, alongside an absence of democratic renewal for the Palestinian people.” Outside the Council, Palestine Ambassador Riyad Mansour said “when you have the largest number of Palestinian civilians killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2005, it is as a result of the increase of extremism on the Israeli side.” Mansour said, “once we see the results of the formation of the new Israeli government, there will be fascists holding cabinet positions in the Israeli side.” Wennesland was asked by reporters about the formation of the new Israeli government. He said, “when it comes to the new Israeli Government, I mean, we should take into account one thing. It's the Israeli population that are electing their own government. Then it is a process of the internal dynamics in Israel that put the people, different people in position. But I can assure you one thing, UN will work with this government one way or the other. And we are working with the systems on both sides and that's how it is. We are not, we are not kind of putting any judgment of that. Those who are elected are elected. Those who will get into positions will have the position and UN will deal with that one way or the other.”