- AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov.
VIVA – Over 200 Palestinians and almost 30 Israelis have been killed so far this year in demonstrations, clashes, military operations, attacks, and other incidents, which already surpasses last year's death toll and reaches the highest level since 2005, the United Nations (UN) Middle East envoy said.
Tor Wennesland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council earlier this week that the escalating violence is fueled by growing despair over the future of Palestinian and a lack of progress towards an independent state.
"Palestinians and Israelis are killed and wounded in violence almost daily, including just hours before this briefing when another fatal shooting attack killed an Israeli in the West Bank," he told the Security Council while speaking from Jerusalem.
Tentara Israel menyemprotkan gas air mata ke warga Palestina di Kota Hawara, di Tepi Barat.
- AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo.
"The lack of progress towards a political horizon that addresses the core issues driving the conflict has left a dangerous and volatile vacuum, filled by extremists on both sides," Wennesland told the Security Council, as reported from the UN official site.
Although Israel and the Palestinians have taken some measures to stabilize the current situation, Wennesland said that unilateral steps continue to increase hostilities.
He pointed to Israel's unrelenting expansion of illegal settlements, Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes, Israeli forces' operations in occupied West Bank territories under Palestinian administrative and police control, and Israeli settlers' attacks on Palestinian villages.
Wennesland also cited Palestinian "militant activity", and said that the current situation was compounded by the "fragility" of the Palestinian Authority's financial situation as well as the severe underfunding faced by UN agencies including the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
"While we must immediately focus on addressing the most critical issues and defusing the situation on the ground, we cannot ignore the need to restore the political horizon," he said.
"The council members today unequivocally stated that the violence must stop. I urge leaders to act now to calm the situation. This spiral of violence will only lead to more bloodshed," Wennesland said on social media.
France's UN political coordinator, Isis Jaraud-Darnault, also condemned the "Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory" that Palestinians want for their future state, and Israel's continued destruction of Palestinian homes and infrastructure, including a school in the Ramallah area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank on August 17, funded by European donors, including France.
