Concerning trends continue throughout occupied Palestinian territory: UN Mideast envoy

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland (on the screen) briefs a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 21, 2023. Concerning trends seen in recent months continue throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland said on Monday, underscoring the need to restore a political horizon and achieve a two-state solution. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Concerning trends seen in recent months continue throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland said on Monday, underscoring the need to restore a political horizon and achieve a two-state solution.

Palestinians and Israelis are killed and injured in near daily violence that is fueled and exacerbated by a growing sense of despair about the future, Wennesland said in a briefing to the Security Council.

Violence continues on the upswing, with more than 200 Palestinian and nearly 30 Israeli fatalities in the West Bank and Israel so far this year, already surpassing 2022's annual figures, and the highest since 2005, he said.

Settlement expansion continues unabated, Wennesland said, adding that the fragility of the Palestinian Authority fiscal situation, compounded by funding shortages facing key UN agencies, threatens to worsen the plight of the most vulnerable Palestinians.

"While we must urgently focus on addressing the most critical issues and on de-escalating the situation on the ground, we cannot ignore the need to restore a political horizon," he stressed.

The United Nations remains firmly committed to supporting the parties to achieve an end to the occupation and the establishment of a two-state solution, in line with UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements, said Wennesland.

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland (on screens) briefs a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 21, 2023. Concerning trends seen in recent months continue throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland said on Monday, underscoring the need to restore a political horizon and achieve a two-state solution. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)