Source: United Nations (Video News)
“The world cannot afford to watch the two-State solution disappear,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the Security Council to take urgent action toward achieving a two-state solution, warning that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached levels “beyond imagination.”
The Security Council on Tuesday (Apr 29) held its quarterly open debate on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question,” chaired by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot.
“Across the Middle East, people demand and deserve a better future, not endless conflict and suffering,” Guterres said, calling the region “at a hinge-point in history.” He stressed that peace is only possible by resolving “a core issue that this Security Council has affirmed and re-affirmed decade after decade… a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.”
With the situation in Gaza deteriorating, Guterres said, “For nearly two full months, Israel has blocked food, fuel, medicine and commercial supplies, depriving more than two million people of lifesaving relief. All while the world watches.” He condemned statements by Israeli officials suggesting the use of humanitarian aid as leverage, emphasizing, “Aid is non-negotiable.”
The Secretary-General cautioned against complacency, “This is not a time for ritualistically expressing support, ticking a box, and moving on. We are past the stage of ticking boxes – the clock is ticking. The two-State solution is near a point of no return.”
Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for Palestine, cited recent remarks by the U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he had urged Israel “to be good to Gaza” and called for allowing humanitarian aid. “We deeply hope that the United States, Egypt and Qatar, with the support of the international community as a whole, will be able to secure a return to the ceasefire to start bringing all this suffering to an end,” Mansour said.
Israel’s Deputy Permanent Representative Jonathan Miller rejected claims of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stating, “Our assessments indicate there is currently no evidence of a humanitarian crisis.” He accused Hamas of diverting aid to its fighters and blamed the group for prolonging the war and holding 59 hostages in “inhumane conditions.” “Still, some in the international community continue to draw dangerous false equivalencies,” he said.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned of broader regional destabilization, “As we speak, Gaza lies devastated by war, Lebanon is only beginning to recover, Syria is embarking on a fragile and uncertain transition, and Iran continues its dangerous pursuit of nuclear armament.” He called for an immediate halt to hostilities, adding, “Our first priority is to stop the hostilities to end the suffering of civilian populations.”