Middle East


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Against the backdrop of heightened tensions and multiple violent incidents in and around Jerusalem — as well as a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip — the top United Nations political affairs official today urged the parties to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict to recommit to ending the occupation of Palestinian lands and realizing a two-State solution.

The International Organization for Migration has released a report profiling migrants passing through its West Africa transit centres.  It reveals wide-spread misinformation about what awaits migrants on their journeys and in countries of temporary residence, particularly Algeria and Libya, where migrants reported abusive treatment, physical violence, and/or threats.

The Secretary-General joins Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, in conveying profound sympathies to the families and loved ones of the two German peacekeepers killed in a helicopter crash near Tabankort, in the Gao region of northern Mali, and offers condolences to the Government of Germany, as well as the United Nations Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali.

Recent developments at Old City holy sites in Jerusalem have shown a grave risk that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will escalate into a religious one and drag both sides into a vortex of violence with the entire region, Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the Security Council.

Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, called today for an immediate end to Australia’s off-shore processing of refugees, saying the harmful practice, carried out in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, denies access to asylum in Australia and has caused extensive, avoidable suffering for far too long.