The United Nations Security Council convened on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the Middle East. The meeting comes after Israel moved to intensify its operations across the Gaza Strip following the breakdown of a fragile truce with Hamas on 18 March.
Israel’s blockade of the Strip has also had dire implications on Gaza’s 2.1 million population, further contributing to an already dire humanitarian crisis.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attended the session in New York, where he warned that the two-state solution is at the brink of collapse. The comments came after the International Court of Justice in The Hague opened hearings on Monday into the blockade.
“The two-state solution is near a point of no return. The international community has a responsibility to prevent perpetual occupation and violence,” said Guterres.
Guterres also told ambassadors at the Council that urgent steps must be taken to ensure the implementation of it.
“My call to member states is clear and urgent. Take irreversible action towards implementing a two-state solution. Do not let extremists on any side undermine what remains of the peace process,” he added.
He also warned of the crippling humanitarian conditions under which Gazans have been forced into as the Israeli blockade of the enclave continues to suffocate the populous of crucial aid, medicine and basic necessities.
Source: Euronews
