Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at the United Nations headquarters in New York (Photo: Reuters).
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was "important to turn this tragedy into an opportunity", meaning moving towards a two-state solution for both Israelis and Palestinians.
This means that after the current war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza ends, "a strengthened Palestinian Authority will assume responsibility in Gaza," Mr. Guterres said.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is the internationally recognized body that represents the Palestinian people, but currently controls only the occupied West Bank.
Mr Guterres noted that the PA could not enter Gaza on Israeli tanks – meaning “the international community needs to consider a transition period”. But Mr Guterres also did not think the UN could establish a protectorate in the Gaza Strip.
Instead, he called for a "multi-stakeholder approach" that sees the US as the "primary guarantor" of Israel's security, while Arab states have an "essential" role in supporting the Palestinians.
"All parties need to work together to facilitate a transition that allows the Palestinian Authority to be strengthened to assume responsibility in Gaza," thereby moving towards a two-state solution, he said.
The body of a Palestinian child killed in Israeli attacks in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 19 (Photo: Reuters).
Over the past seven years, the UN Secretary-General has regularly published lists of parties to armed conflicts that have committed serious violations against children.
"I am not going to discuss the accuracy of the figures published by the de facto authorities in Gaza (referring to Hamas - PV), but what is clear is that in the last few weeks, we have seen thousands of children killed," Mr. Guterres told reporters.
Source
Comment (0)