UPDATE 2 - Situation in occupied West Bank 'simply out of control,' UN chief says
- 'Palestinians continue to suffer daily attacks by Israeli settlers,' Guterres tells reporters
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- 'Palestinians continue to suffer daily attacks by Israeli settlers,' Guterres tells reporters
By Yasin Gungor
ISTANBUL (AA) - The situation across the occupied West Bank has deteriorated beyond control as escalating attacks seek to drive Palestinian communities from their land, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday.
"In the occupied West Bank, Palestinians continue to suffer daily attacks by Israeli settlers. The clear goal is to drive communities off their land," Guterres told reporters.
He said the situation in the occupied territories is "simply out of control" as occupiers also target journalists and diplomats.
On Gaza, the UN chief pointed out that essential humanitarian assistance remains "severely restricted" ahead of winter, compounding obstacles facing the Security Council-backed roadmap to resolve the conflict.
Guterres stressed that the World Food Program "urgently" requires $450 million to feed populations across Gaza and the West Bank over the next six months, noting that the sum equals approximately 90 minutes of global military expenditures. He appealed to international donors to step up while urging an end to the occupation to achieve a viable two-state solution.
- 'El Nino of war' and economic strain
Guterres compared modern conflicts to the climate phenomenon El Nino, and cautioned that cascading hostilities are reverberating through international energy markets, shipping corridors, and financial systems.
He linked widespread street protests over inflation, food, and fuel directly to the fallout of expanding global wars. "War does not create all these inequalities, but it feeds and exploits them," Guterres said, emphasizing that while street violence is unacceptable, authorities cannot allow disorder to obscure the legitimate cost-of-living grievances of peaceful protesters.
- Regional diplomacy, Sudan, and Yemen
Turning to Yemen, Guterres described continued Houthi attacks against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia as "totally unacceptable," urging restraint amid mounting displacement in Yemen.
Guterres said he will travel to Egypt to advance regional de-escalation, underscoring Egypt's essential diplomatic role as a mediator in the war between the US and Iran, alongside its neighboring stakes in the wars in Sudan and Libya.
He also demanded that neighboring and distant nations halt weapons supplies to factions in Sudan that are "killing civilians in an absolutely devastating way."
Separetely, Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that he is visiting at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and is expected to arrive in Cairo early Saturday.
Over the weekend and on Monday, Guterres will meet senior Egyptian officials, including Sisi and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, as well as Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy, Dujarric said.
“Egypt has been actively engaged in these efforts, working with regional and international partners,” he said, adding that the talks will also cover the situation in Sudan and Gaza.
- Disregard for international law
Guterres dismissed concerns about institutional damage to the UN from violations of international law, declaring that the real crisis is the suffering of ordinary civilians whose survival is threatened by war-induced inflation and violence.
"The problem is not for the United Nations. The problem is for the people that is suffering dramatically everywhere," he said.
Rabia İclal Turan,Muhammed Yasin Güngör