UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his concern about the Israeli occupation forces storming the city of Nablus in the West Bank, which resulted in the death of 11 Palestinians and the injury of more than 100 others, underlining the immediate priority to prevent further escalation, reduce tensions, restore calm, and maintain the status quo of Jerusalem.
Guterres said at a meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People that the goal of the international organisation is to end the occupation and realise the two-State solution.
"The status of Jerusalem cannot be altered by unilateral actions," he added.
The UN Secretary-General stressed that the demographic and historical character of Jerusalem and the status quo at the holy sites must be upheld.
"Each new settlement is another roadblock on the path to peace," he said, emphasising that all settlement activity is illegal under international law, and "it must stop".
He expressed deep concern by Israel's recent punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority following the UN General Assembly's resolution seeking an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the occupation.
"These measures risk further destabilising the Palestinian Authority at a time when it is already struggling with a dire fiscal crisis that is undermining its ability to provide services to people," he said.
The Secretary-General concluded his speech by affirming his pledge to continue to work to support the goal of the just, comprehensive and permanent peace that ends the occupation and achieves a Two-State solution.
