UN says Israelis, Palestinians both imperil 2-state solution

Political leaders on both sides of the Israeli Palestinian conflict continue to shy away from the steps needed for peace, further eroding the prospect of a two-state solution, the United Nations’ Mideast envoy said Monday.

 

Nicolay Mladenov told the Security Council that illegal settlement expansion by Israelis and the lack of Palestinian Authority control in Gaza remain among the biggest obstacles to peace.

 

Mladenov called for a “radical overhaul of how we deal with the problems of Gaza,” and said the area “remains in the grip of militants, and dependent on aid and humanitarian assistance.”

 

He also flagged “a surge in Israeli settlement-related announcements and demolitions,” since the Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators — the United States, Russia, the European Union and the U.N. — issued their report which aimed to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations which have been dormant since 2014, when a U.S. peace initiative failed.

 

Read More: UN says Israelis, Palestinians both imperil 2-state solution – The Washington Post