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Secretary-General's message for United Nations International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East

It is my pleasure to greet participants of the 2020 United Nations International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East. Twenty-nine years ago, this annual event was born to help promote peace and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. Unfortunately, the possibility of that peace seems as remote as ever.

This seminar occurs just a few days after the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, marking the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of a resolution that called for the creation of two States.

I understand the deep sense of despair of the Palestinian people. The dreams of generation after generation have been dimmed by conflict and more than half a century of occupation. I also recognize the legitimate concerns of the Israeli people and their aspirations to live in peace and security.

The position of the United Nations is defined by resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly as well as international law and bilateral agreements. The two-State solution remains the only path to ensuring that Palestinians and Israelis can both realize their legitimate aspirations ,living side-by-side in peace and security, based on the 1967 borders, and with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.

I will continue to speak out against any effort that undermines peace and moves the parties further away from constructive negotiations. I urge Israeli and Palestinian leaders to resume a meaningful dialogue, and I welcome all international initiatives which could help advance a just and comprehensive peace between the two peoples.

I wish you a successful seminar.

END.

29 November 2020, New York

Secretary-General's message on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

[scroll down for French and Arabic versions]

As the United Nations marks its 75th anniversary, the question of Palestine remains distressingly unresolved.

The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the Palestinian economy and undermined the already fragile humanitarian, economic and political situation in Gaza, further entrenched by crippling restrictions on movement and access.

Meanwhile, prospects for a viable two-State solution are growing more distant. A host
of factors continue to cause great misery, including: the expansion of illegal settlements, a significant spike in the demolition of Palestinian homes and structures, violence and continued militant activity.

Israeli and Palestinian leaders have a responsibility to explore every opening to restore hope and achieve a two-State solution.

I remain committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict and end the occupation in line with relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements in pursuit of the vision of two States - Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestine - living side by side in peace and security, within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.

I hope that recent developments will encourage Palestinian and Israeli leaders to re-engage in meaningful negotiations, with the support of the international community, and will create opportunities for regional cooperation.

We must also do all we can to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people.

I am extremely concerned by the financial situation facing UNRWA.

The agency plays an essential role as the main provider of direct and often life-saving assistance to many of the 5.7 million Palestine refugees.

I appeal to all Member States to urgently contribute to enable UNRWA to meet the critical humanitarian and development needs of Palestine refugees during the pandemic.

On this International Day of Solidarity, I also extend my heartfelt condolences on the tragic passing of Dr. Saeb Erakat, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General and Chief Negotiator for Palestinians in the Middle East Peace Process.

Let us together resolve to renew our commitment to the Palestinian people in their quest to achieve their inalienable rights and build a future of peace, dignity, justice and security.

*****

من المؤلم أن قضية فلسطين ما زالت دون حل حتى وقتنا هذا الذي تحتفل فيه الأمم المتحدة بالذكرى السنوية الخامسة والسبعين لإنشائها.

وقد دمرت جائحة كوفيد-19 الاقتصاد الفلسطيني وقوضت الوضع الإنساني والاقتصادي والسياسي الهش أصلاً في غزة، والذي ازداد تدهورا بسبب القيود التي تشُلّ الحركة والوصول.

وفي الوقت نفسه، فإن آفاق التوصل إلى حل قابل للتطبيق يقوم على وجود دولتين تغدو أبعد منالا. ولا تزال مجموعة من العوامل تسبب بؤسا كبيرا، منها: توسيع المستوطنات غير القانونية، والتصاعد الكبير في هدم المنازل والمنشآت الفلسطينية، والعنف، واستمرار نشاط المقاتلين.

وتقع على عاتق القادة الإسرائيليين والفلسطينيين مسؤولية استكشاف كل فرصة لاستعادة الأمل وتحقيق حل يقوم على وجود دولتين.

وما زلتُ ملتزماً بدعم الفلسطينيين والإسرائيليين لإيجاد حل للنزاع وإنهاء الاحتلال وفقاً لقرارات الأمم المتحدة ذات الصلة والقانون الدولي والاتفاقات الثنائية في سبيل تحقيق الرؤية القائمة على وجود دولتين - إسرائيل وفلسطين المستقلة الديمقراطية المتواصلة جغرافيا وذات السيادة - تعيشان جنبا إلى جنب في سلام وأمن ضمن حدود آمنة ومعترف بها، على أساس حدود ما قبل عام 1967، وتكون القدس عاصمة لكلتا الدولتين.

وآمل في أن تشجع التطورات الأخيرة القادة الفلسطينيين والإسرائيليين على الدخول من جديد في مفاوضات مجدية بدعم من المجتمع الدولي وأن تشجع أيضا على تهيئة فرص للتعاون الإقليمي.

ويجب علينا أيضا أن نفعل كل ما في وسعنا لتخفيف معاناة الشعب الفلسطيني.

وإني قِلق للغاية إزاء الحالة المالية التي تواجهها الأونروا.

فالوكالة تقوم بدور أساسي بوصفها الجهة الرئيسية التي تقدم المساعدة المباشرة التي كثيرا ما تكون منقذة للحياة إلى العديد من اللاجئين الفلسطينيين البالغ عددهم 5,7 ملايين لاجئ.

وإني أناشد جميع الدول الأعضاء أن تساهم على وجه السرعة في تمكين الأونروا من تلبية الاحتياجات الإنسانية والإنمائية الحرجة للاجئين الفلسطينيين خلال هذه الجائحة.

وفي هذا اليوم الدولي للتضامن، أتقدم أيضا بخالص التعازي في فاجعة وفاة الدكتور صائب عريقات، الأمين العام لمنظمة التحرير الفلسطينية وكبير المفاوضين الفلسطينيين في عملية السلام في الشرق الأوسط.

فلنعمل معا على تجديد التزامنا تجاه الشعب الفلسطيني في سعيه إلى الحصول على حقوقه غير القابلة للتصرف وبناء مستقبل يسود فيه السلام والكرامة والعدالة والأمن.

*****

Alors que l’Organisation des Nations Unies célèbre son soixante-quinzième anniversaire, il est affligeant de constater que la question de Palestine n’est toujours pas réglée.

La pandémie de maladie à coronavirus 2019 a fortement affaibli l’économie palestinienne et fragilisé encore la situation humanitaire, économique et politique de Gaza, que les restrictions draconiennes en matière de circulation et d’accès n’ont fait qu’aggraver.

Les perspectives d’une solution des deux États viable semblent de plus en plus compromises. Une grande détresse demeure, due notamment à l’expansion des colonies illégales, à l’intensification des démolitions de structures et de logements palestiniens, à la violence et aux activités continues des militants.

Les dirigeants israéliens et palestiniens doivent étudier toutes les possibilités qui s’offrent à eux de faire renaître l’espoir afin de parvenir à la solution des deux États.

Je reste déterminé à aider les Palestiniens et les Israéliens à régler le conflit et à mettre fin à l’occupation conformément aux résolutions pertinentes des organes de l’ONU, au droit international et aux accords bilatéraux afin de concrétiser la vision de deux États – Israël et une Palestine indépendante, démocratique, d’un seul tenant et souveraine – vivant côte à côte dans la paix et la sécurité à l’intérieur de frontières sûres et reconnues, sur la base des frontières d’avant 1967, avec Jérusalem comme capitale des deux États.

J’espère que l’évolution récente de la situation encouragera les dirigeants palestiniens et israéliens à reprendre des négociations constructives, avec l’aide de la communauté internationale, et ouvrira des perspectives de coopération régionale.

Nous devons également faire tout notre possible pour alléger les souffrances du peuple palestinien.

Je suis extrêmement préoccupé par la situation financière de l’Office de secours et de travaux des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés de Palestine dans le Proche-Orient (UNRWA).

Principal fournisseur d’aide directe, souvent vitale, à nombre des 5,7 millions de réfugiés palestiniens, l’Office joue un rôle essentiel.

Je demande à tous les États Membres de verser d’urgence des contributions afin de permettre à l’UNRWA de répondre aux besoins humanitaires et aux besoins de développement essentiels des réfugiés palestiniens pendant la pandémie.

Cette Journée internationale de solidarité avec le peuple palestinien est également l’occasion de présenter mes sincères condoléances à la suite du décès tragique de Saeb Erakat, Secrétaire général de l’Organisation de libération de la Palestine et négociateur en chef des Palestiniens dans le cadre du processus de paix au Moyen-Orient.

Ensemble, renouvelons l’engagement que nous avons pris d’aider le peuple palestinien à réaliser ses droits inaliénables et à bâtir un avenir de paix, de dignité, de justice et de sécurité.

UN Secretary-General's Spokesman - on the announcement of an agreement between Israel and the Sudan

24 October 2020

The Secretary-General takes note of the announcement by the Governments of the United States, Israel and Sudan informing of an agreement to normalize relations between the Republic of the Sudan and Israel.

The Secretary-General hopes the agreement will further cooperation, enhance economic and trade relations, and bring about new opportunities to advance peace and economic prosperity in the wider Horn of Africa and Middle East regions.

The United Nations remains fully committed to supporting the Republic of the Sudan's efforts to achieve socio-economic recovery, stability and prosperity for all people in the Sudan and the wider region.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General

[END].

Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the announcement of an agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates

13 August 2020

Today’s joint statement by US President Donald J. Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi suspends Israeli annexation plans over parts of the occupied West Bank, something the Secretary-General has consistently called for. Annexation would effectively close the door for a renewal of negotiations and destroy the prospect of a viable Palestinian State and the two-State solution.

The Secretary-General welcomes this agreement, hoping it will create an opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to re-engage in meaningful negotiations that will realize a two state-solution in line with relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements.

Peace in the Middle East is more important than ever as the region confronts the grave threats of COVID-19 and radicalization.

The Secretary-General will continue to work with all sides to open further possibilities for dialogue, peace and stability.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General

[END].

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

--

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS AT SECURITY COUNCIL

OPEN BRIEFING ON THE MIDDLE EAST

New York, 11 February 2020

[as delivered]

Excellences,

Monsieur le Ministre Philippe Goffin, Président du Conseil de sécurité,

Excellencies,

Let me start by welcoming His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine and the members of his delegation.

I address you today with a deep sense of concern as we witness growing tensions and instability around the globe, particularly in the Middle East.

Tensions and risks in the Gulf have risen to troubling levels. And after seeing some promising developments last year, today we are witnessing dangerous re-escalations of the conflicts in Yemen, Syria, and even Libya.

This volatile context only underscores the need for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has lasted for far too long, and which remains crucial to sustainable peace in the Middle East.

I reiterate my full personal commitment – and the commitment of the United Nations – to supporting the parties in their efforts to achieve a two-State solution.

As I stated recently, the position of the United Nations in this regard has been defined, throughout the years, by resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly, by which the Secretariat is bound.

The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements and realizing the vision of two States – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.

This is a time for dialogue, for reconciliation, for reason. I urge Israeli and Palestinian leaders to demonstrate the necessary will required to advance the goal of a just and lasting peace, which the international community must support.

Rest assured of the full commitment of the United Nations – to a just and comprehensive peace between Palestinians and Israelis based on our shared multilateral framework set by United Nations resolutions and international law.

Mr. President,

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and my envoy, Mr. Nickolay Mladenov, is here to brief the Council.

Thank you.

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

REMARKS AT OPENING OF THE 2020 SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

New York, 4 February 2020

[as delivered]

I am very honoured to have presided over this first meeting of the year of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

I congratulate the Chair, Ambassador Cheikh Niang, and other members of the Bureau, on your election.

Last December, the General Assembly adopted all the resolutions on the Question of Palestine recommended by the Committee, including the one on its mandate.

This is a reaffirmation of how the work of the Committee is firmly rooted in the UN Charter and international law.

I commend this Committee for its unwavering dedication to the fulfilment of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including to self-determination and independence.

The position of the United Nations on the two-State solution has been defined, throughout the years, by relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions by which the Secretariat is bound.

The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements and realizing the vision of two States – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.

We know that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains key to sustainable peace in the Middle East.

Its persistence reverberates far beyond Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, and it continues to further radicalization across the region.

That is why we have been repeatedly raising alerts about actions that would erode the possibility of a viable and contiguous Palestinian State based on the two-State solution and that are contrary to international law and UN resolutions.

This includes expansion and acceleration of illegal settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem as well as ongoing demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned property and evictions.

We also have repeatedly stated that Jerusalem remains a final status issue; the city’s future can only be resolved on the basis of international law and through negotiations between the parties.

Meanwhile, we must never forget the human suffering that persists throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, including the plight of the two million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip who continue to live under dire socio-economic conditions.

Projects implemented by UN agencies and other donors are bringing a measure of relief, but far more needs to be done.

On its own, no amount of humanitarian or economic support will resolve either the situation in Gaza or the broader conflict.

Gaza ultimately also requires political solutions. The restrictions on the movement of goods and people to and from Gaza must also be eased, with the goal of ultimately lifting them.

It is critical that the important Egyptian-led intra-Palestinian reconciliation efforts continue.

I call on Palestinian leaders to engage constructively with Egypt and others to advance intra-Palestinian reconciliation.

I also repeat my pleas to Member States to ensure reliable funding for UNRWA to fully continue its vital work on behalf of Palestinian refugees.

The holding of long overdue general elections in the State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, will be a crucial step towards giving renewed legitimacy to national institutions and reuniting the Palestinian people under a single, legitimate and democratic Palestinian national government.

As my Special Coordinator of the Middle East Process recently said to the Security Council, we are hopeful that the Palestinian President will very soon issue the decree scheduling legislative and presidential elections and that Israel will allow voting in East Jerusalem as well.

As we mark the 75th anniversary of our Organization, we need a renewed commitment to uphold the values of the Charter as our shared framework of cooperation for realization of the rights of future generations of Israeli and Palestinians.

Rest assured of my full commitment – and that of the United Nations – to a just and comprehensive peace between Palestinians and Israelis based on United Nations resolutions, international law and the two-State solution.

Thank you.

Note to correspondents

In response to questions on the Middle East, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General has the following to say:

The Secretary-General has seen the announcement of the United States plan for the Middle East. The position of the United Nations on the two-State solution has been defined, throughout the years, by relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions by which the Secretariat is bound.

The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements and realizing the vision of two States – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.

28 January 2020

Stephane Dujarric

Spokesman for the Secretary-General

Note to correspondents

In response to questions on the Middle East, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General has the following to say:

The Secretary-General has seen the announcement of the United States plan for the Middle East. The position of the United Nations on the two-State solution has been defined, throughout the years, by relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions by which the Secretariat is bound.

The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements and realizing the vision of two States – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.

28 January 2020

Stephane Dujarric

Spokesman for the Secretary-General

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

REMARKS AT UNITED NATIONS HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CEREMONY

New York, 27 January 2020,

[Bilingual, as delivered]

We meet in the General Assembly of the United Nations today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, to remember the six million Jews and many others who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust, and to re-commit to preventing any repetition of those crimes.

I extend a special welcome to the survivors here with us today. We are all deeply grateful to them and to all Holocaust survivors, who inspire us with their strength and their example.

Our solidarity in the face of hatred is needed today more than ever, as we see a deeply worrying resurgence in antisemitic attacks around the world, and almost unbelievable, also around us here in New York.

Just thirty miles from here, less than a month ago, a knife attack on a Hannukah party left five people injured at a rabbi’s house in the small community of Monsey. That came just a few weeks after the killing of four people at a kosher supermarket in New Jersey.

New York saw a 21 percent rise in antisemitic hate crimes in 2019, part of a trend in cities across the United States.

But, the situation for Jews in Europe is, if anything, worse.

France saw a 74 percent increase in antisemitic attacks in 2018. In the United Kingdom, they rose by 16 percent to a record high.

An attack on a synagogue in the German town of Halle during Yom Kippur last October left two people dead. In Italy, an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor was provided with an armed escort after she suffered a torrent of antisemitic abuse.

We need to name this phenomenon for what it is: there is a global crisis of antisemitic hatred; a constant stream of attacks targeting Jews, their institutions and property.

Almost every day brings new reports of hate crimes. Many of the perpetrators are inspired by previous attacks, glorifying the assailants and creating a self-reinforcing vortex of violence.

Neo-Nazis and white supremacists are resurgent, organizing themselves and spreading their poisonous ideology and iconography online. The internet, from social media to online gaming platforms and the dark web, is their playground and their recruiting office. They manipulate video content and poison young minds.

This upsurge of antisemitism cannot be seen in isolation from an extremely troubling increase in xenophobia, homophobia, discrimination and hatred in many parts of the world, targeting people on the basis of their identity, including race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability and immigration status.

Attacks against religious minorities are a particular concern. Around the world, we have seen Jews murdered in synagogues, their gravestones defaced with swastikas; Christians killed at prayer, their churches torched; and Muslims gunned down in mosques, their religious sites vandalized.

As the former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, Jonathan Sacks, has said: “The hate that begins with Jews never ends there.”

Seventy-five years ago today, when the soldiers of the Soviet army entered Auschwitz, they were stunned into silence by what they saw. The Nazis’ efforts to hide their crimes were undermined by the clear evidence of millions of pieces of clothing and tons of hair. To quote Primo Levi, the liberators felt “guilt that such a crime should exist”.

Like the soldiers, we are revolted by the horrific details of Auschwitz. But it is our duty to look and to continue looking; to learn and to relearn the lessons of the Holocaust, so that it is never repeated.

The most important lesson is that the Holocaust was not an aberration committed at a particular moment in history by a few unspeakably sick people.

It was the culmination of millennia of hatred, from the Roman Empire to the pogroms of the Middle Ages. My own country, Portugal, committed an act of utter cruelty and stupidity by expelling its Jewish population in the end of the fifteenth century.

European Jews were excluded from almost all areas of economic activity; scapegoated if they succeeded; and defined as inferior. One scheme put forward decades before Hitler’s rise to power involved shipping all eastern Europe’s Jews to the African island of Madagascar.

When I visited Yad Vashem two years ago, I was appalled once again by the ability of antisemitism to reinvent itself and reemerge over millennia.

It takes new forms; it may be spread by new techniques; but it is the same old hatred. We can never lower our guard.

And far from being the project of a few insane individuals, the Nazi attempt to exterminate Jews and other vulnerable people involved architects, scientists, doctors, lawyers, engineers, drivers, bureaucrats, soldiers. Millions of ordinary people were desensitized to crimes against humanity taking place around them, often described by euphemisms like “special measures”.

As the great writer Hannah Arendt said, most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.

The Holocaust was a complex operation arising from long-held prejudices and required the corruption of society from top to bottom; the corruption of language; of education and political discourse.

As we work to live up to the promise of “Never again”, we need to examine our own prejudices; guard against the misuse of our own technology; and be alert to any signs that hatred is being normalized.

Prejudice and hatred thrive on insecurity, frustrated expectations, ignorance and resentment. Populist leaders exploit these feelings to whip up fear, in pursuit of power.

When any group of people is defined as a problem, it becomes easier to commit human rights abuses and to normalize discrimination against them.

Combating prejudice requires leadership at all levels that fosters social cohesion and addresses the root causes of hatred.

It requires investment in all parts of society, so that all can contribute in a spirit of mutual respect.

Promoting social cohesion and human rights, and addressing discrimination and hatred are among the overriding aims of the United Nations, through our efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Decade of Action I launched last week is aimed at stepping up support for countries around the world to build inclusive, diverse, respectful societies that provide lives of dignity and opportunity for all.