Nikolay Mladenov, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council during the council session to discuss the situation in Palestine. Mladenov said the normalization agreements between Israel and three Arab countries should help advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace. However, he stressed that “the commitment to the two-state solution, in line with United Nations resolutions and international law, is still confirmed by a broad regional and international consensus.” On the other hand, Mladenov appealed to the Palestinian leadership to return to coordination with Israel and to accept the clearing funds. He called on Israel to facilitate the movement of Palestinian workers and goods to Israel and between the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Mladenov pointed out that Israel continued its settlement activities, as it provided about 5,000 settlement housing units, on October 14 and 15, stressing that all settlements are illegal under international law.
Besides, Mladenov pointed out that Israel has not responded to requests to renew visas for international staff from the United Nations Human Rights Office during the past months, forcing them to work now from outside the mission area. This comes against the backdrop of the mission’s submission to the Human Rights Council of a report on commercial activities in Israeli settlements in February 2020, and Israel froze its relations with the High Commissioner for Human Rights. To check the news click here