Middle East peace effort lacks progress on political front – UN reports

1 May 2017 – The lack of progress in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is impeding Palestine’s development, according to a new United Nations report, which also reiterates the international community’s commitment to a two-state solution in the region.

The report, issued by the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), notes that &#8220despite a number of international efforts over the past six months to advance the two-state solution, last year has been characterized by a continued lack of progress on the political front.&#8221

In contrast to recommendations outlined in the July 2016 report by the Middle East Quartet, there has been &#8220a surge in Israeli settlement-related activity and a continued high rate of demolitions in Palestinian and Bedouin communities&#8221 as well as &#8220continuing acts of violence against civilians, signs of a deepening political rift between Gaza and the West Bank, and continued military build-up and firing of rockets by extremist groups in Gaza.&#8221

This environment threatens the erosion of the achievements of the Palestinian state building effort, according to the report.

&#8220The institutions of Palestinian governance remain vulnerable to political instability and require affirmative steps to protect and advance state-building efforts,&#8221 the authors wrote.

The report also notes a &#8220deepening political rift&#8221 between Gaza and the West Bank. Tensions between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are aggravating a &#8220difficult situation in the Gaza Strip&#8221 with an intra-Palestinian disagreement over issues such as electricity access and payment of salaries.

Analysing the impact of the Hamas take-over ten years ago and the ensuing Israeli closures and conflicts, the report notes that &#8220Gaza is facing a downward spiral of de-development, while the people in Gaza are caught in a cycle of humanitarian need and perpetual aid dependency.&#8221

The report covers the period from 15 September 2016 to 15 April 2017.

It will be presented to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) at its bi-annual meeting in Brussels on 4 May. The Committee, chaired by Norway and co-sponsored by the European Union and the United States, serves as the principal policy-level coordination mechanism for development assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.