Denial of Palestinian statehood ‘unacceptable’
Says UN chief, condemns Israel for ‘heartbreaking’ killings in Gaza
The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state "must be recognised by all", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Uganda.
"The refusal to accept a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people, are unacceptable," the UN leader insisted in the Ugandan capital Kampala on Saturday evening.
Such a stance "would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security; exacerbate polarisation; and embolden extremists everywhere," Guterres warned.
"The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state must be recognised by all."
In its final summit communique, the Non-Aligned Movement on Saturday "strongly condemned the illegal Israeli military aggression against the Gaza Strip", and called for "a lasting humanitarian ceasefire".
The assembled leaders in Kampala also called for "the independence and sovereignty of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in order to achieve a two-state solution".
The Non-Aligned Movement is a forum of 120 countries that aren't formally aligned to any major power bloc. Its members include India, Iran, Iraq and South Africa, reports AFP.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has deplored the "inhuman living conditions" in the small coastal territory of 2.4 million inhabitants, many of whom have been displaced by the Israeli action.
At the opening of a summit of the G77+China in Kampala yesterday, Guterres denounced Israel for the "heartbreaking" deaths of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, reports Reuters.
"Israel's military operations have spread mass destruction and killed civilians on a scale unprecedented during my time as secretary-general," Guterres said.
"This is heartbreaking and utterly unacceptable. The Middle East is a tinder-box, we must do all we can to prevent conflict from igniting across the region."
Rising tensions and violence across the Middle East have also stoked fears of a wider conflagration involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said the kingdom was "very worried" that tensions in the Red Sea amid attacks by Yemen's Houthis and US strikes on Houthi targets could spiral out of control and escalate the conflict in the region.
"I mean, of course, we are very worried. I mean, you know, we are in a very difficult and dangerous time in the region, and that's why we are calling for de-escalation," Prince Faisal bin Farhan told CNN 'Fareed Zakaria GPS' in an interview that was aired yesterday.
The Saudi foreign minister said the kingdom believed in freedom of navigation and wanted tensions in the region to be de-escalated.
"We of course, believe very much in the freedom of navigation. And that's something that needs to be protected. But we also need to protect the security and stability of the region. So we are very focused on de-escalating the situation as much as possible," he told CNN.