Middle East

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Major General Ishwar Hamal of Nepal as the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

The threat to annex Palestinian territory, as well as the exchange of fire between militants and Israeli security forces, are undermining the prospects for peace between the two sides, the senior United Nations official for the Middle East peace process warned today.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ opening remarks at the Security Council open briefing on the Middle East, in New York today:

The Palestinian Authority, as well as the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have all rejected the peace plan proposed by the United States on 28 January as failing to meet the minimum rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it’s seeking $107 million to support life-saving humanitarian operations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.  There are acute food, nutrition, health, water and sanitation needs, but funding for humanitarian operations there remain historically low.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening of the 2020 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in New York today:

Members of the Palestinian Rights Committee described their work today as all the more urgent in light of the new Middle East peace plan unveiled by the United States, which deviates from the long-held international consensus on the question of Palestine.

The senior United Nations humanitarian official deplored spiking violence and dire humanitarian conditions in north-western Syria today, while warning of a possible drop in available medical supplies.

The building of trust and confidence is a key component of a successful political process to bring about peace and stability in Syria, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Envoy for the country told the Security Council today, cautioning that increasing violence in the north-west threatened to stall negotiations before they had properly begun.

Speakers in the Security Council today roundly denounced unilateral moves by Israel to legitimize its presence on occupied Arab lands, with several rejecting such actions — and United States recognition of them — as a blatant trampling of sovereignty and glaring violation of international law.