Israel / Palestine

Unless decisive steps are swiftly taken to rein in Israeli-Palestinian violence, there is a “significant risk” that the situation could deteriorate, the top UN Middle East official told the Security Council on Tuesday.

The West Bank is witnessing some of the worst violence between Israelis and Palestinians in years. It’s an explosive mix, observers say, as the Palestinian Authority appears unable to rein in militants while the Israeli military is doing little or nothing to stop attacks by extremist Jewish settlers.

[…] The EU Border Assistance Mission at the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah) and the EU Police Mission in the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS) have both been extended for one year until 30 June 2024, with the possibility of extending for an additional year.

The UN’s Middle East envoy said on Tuesday he was “deeply alarmed” at the continuing cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine, and “appalled by the continued loss of civilian lives.”

China said Wednesday that it established a "strategic partnership" with the Palestinian Authority during a visit to Beijing by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The announcement marked another step in China's campaign to gain political and economic influence in the Middle East, where it is competing with the United States.

Chronic underfunding over the past decade, and resultant severe austerity measures, mean UNRWA is already operating with a $75 million shortfall, putting its lifesaving programmes across the Middle East at risk.  

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed last night’s ceasefire agreement in Israel and Gaza and reiterated that only a negotiated political solution will lead to lasting peace and end the devastating cycles of violence “once and for all.”

The UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday he was following the latest exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and militants in the Gaza Strip with “deep concern” over the escalating conflict, and “risk of further loss of life.”

Israeli forces and armed Palestinian groups in Gaza have agreed to a ‘reciprocal and simultaneous’ ceasefire.

The current trajectory of escalating unrest between Israelis and Palestinians is neither sustainable nor inevitable, UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland told the Security Council on Tuesday, delivering his latest report.