The Israel-Palestine conflict has severely escalated and has the potential to turn into a full-blown war. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian blamed the latest conflict between Israel and Palestine on the lack of progress toward finding a two-state solution to the decades-long territorial row.
“I am very concerned about the grave situation in the Middle East. This situation… is the result of lacking political perspectives, a situation that has gone on for too long and will continue causing nothing but suffering and violence unless there is a will to resolutely move toward the creation of two states,” he said.
Le Drian said he would soon talk to his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts to convey his concerns and contribute to de-escalation.
“It is essential that all actors without exception exercise the utmost restraint and abstain from any provocations and incitement to hatred in order to put an end to the violence, whose main victims are Palestinian and Israeli civilians,” the minister added.
Israel and Hamas have exchanged hundreds of rocket strikes since cross-border violence erupted on Monday night. It was sparked by days of clashes in East Jerusalem and an Israeli court’s decision to side with Jewish settlers requesting the eviction of several Palestinian families from their homes in the disputed city.
Global Vision To Resolve Palestine-Israel Conflict
The international community must step in to resolve the current escalation between Palestinians and Israel, as a new approach is in urgent demand to tackle the “disaster,” Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal had stated on Wednesday.
The largest escalation in recent years at the Gaza border began on Monday evening. According to the Israel Defense Forces, over 1,000 rockets have since been fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel, which has struck the enclave in return. The Gaza Strip reported that 48 Palestinians had died in the Israeli air strikes. Seven people were reported to have died from the rocket fire in Israel.
“Palestinian society, the Palestinian state, will stand firm and steadfast in defense of its positions. I think the current situation in Jerusalem, in Gaza, in Israel itself, requires international involvement. What is needed is a new international vision, a new United Nations position. Why is the international community doing nothing new? This is a disaster. Efforts must be made,” Nofal told a press conference.
The diplomat argued that the policy that Israel is pursuing is contrary to its own interest, which is to achieve peace with the Palestinians.
“Any military escalation can only lead to more violence, deaths of civilians, destruction of towns and villages. That’s why we stand for the end of violence, for the international community and the UN to speak out now with determination, so that no more civilian blood will be spilled,” the ambassador added.
The UN Security Council is set to meet behind closed doors on Wednesday morning to discuss the developments in the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, a diplomatic source in the Security Council told Sputnik.
