The escalation between Palestine and Israel could lead to a grave crisis, the organization’s secretary general said.
On Sunday, speaking at an extraordinary meeting of the High-level Security Council on a Palestinian-Israeli settlement, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that negotiations on a settlement in the Middle East based on a two-state solution remain the only way to establish peace and security.
“The only way forward is to return to negotiations with the aim of creating two states, so that the two states live side by side in peace and security, mutually recognizing each other, while Jerusalem will be the capital of both states in accordance with UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements”, – TASS quoted Guterres as saying.
Aggravation around the Gaza Strip could lead to an uncontrollable crisis throughout the region, Guterres said.
“The fighting creates the risk that Israelis and Palestinians will be drawn into a spiral of violence with devastating consequences for both communities and the entire region, potentially creating a dangerous new hotbed of instability”, – he said.
“There is a potential for the start of an uncontrolled crisis in both the security and humanitarian spheres, as well as for a new growth of extremism not only in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Israel, but also in the region as a whole”, – the UN Secretary General said.