Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism – A political horizon for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be established amidst escalating violence and extremism on both sides, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council , as members condemned ongoing unilateral actions that render the prospect of a sustainable solution ever more remote.
Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, reporting near-daily violence, told the Council that another fatal shooting killed an Israeli in the West Bank just hours before his briefing. “This violence is fueled and exacerbated by a growing sense of despair about the future,” he observed, stating that the lack of progress towards a political horizon has left a dangerous, volatile vacuum filled by extremists on both sides.
“We are a long distance apart from the sentiments prevailing when the Oslo Accords were signed 30 years ago,” he remarked, detailing deaths, injuries and demolitions that occurred between 25 July and 15 August, including the 17 August demolition of a Palestinian elementary school in Ein Samiya days before the start of the school year — the third such demolition in the past year.
He went on to point out that Palestinian and Israeli fatalities in 2023 have already surpassed 2022’s annual figures, and that settlement expansion “continues unabated”. Further, the Palestinian Authority’s fragile fiscal situation and the funding shortages faced by key UN agencies threaten to worsen the plight of the most-vulnerable Palestinians. “While we must urgently focus on addressing the most-critical issues and on de-escalating the situation on the ground, we cannot ignore the need to restore a political horizon,” he underscored.
In the ensuing discussion, many Council members echoed the Special Coordinator’s observations regarding the lack of a political horizon.
On that, France’s representative underscored that her country will never recognize the illegal annexation of territory nor the legalization of “wildcat” settlements. She also stressed that the 17 August demolition of a school in Ein Samiya — a facility funded by European donors, including France — is unacceptable, and that Palestinian children have the right to an education.
