All parties in Middle East urged to "act responsibly"

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, on Thursday urged all parties in the Middle East to "act responsibly" at a time when extremism, bloodshed and displacement continue to plague the restive region.

Mladenov, while briefing the UN Security Council on the current situation in the Middle East, said that "we must never allow the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to drift into the abyss of the extremism and radicalism sweeping the region."

"Palestinians, Israelis and the international community have a duty to act responsibly, avoid escalating tensions, refrain from unilateral actions and work together to uphold peace," he said.

"Sadly, today, unilateral actions are returning the parties to a high-stakes collision course," he said, warning that these phenomena are feeding intolerance, violence, and religious radicalism far beyond the region.

He said that he continues to be concerned by the daily violence. So-called "lone wolf" attacks against Israeli civilians, though greatly reduced as compared to 2016, continue.

Mladenov asserted that the two-state solution remains the only way to achieve the legitimate national aspirations of both peoples, as the Quartet and Security Council have recognised.

The Quartet is a diplomatic group, including the European Union, the United Nations, Russia and the United States, in search of efforts to seek a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem.

The two-state solution, widely backed by the international community, means a secure Israel to live in peace with an independent State of Palestine.

Meanwhile, Mladenov also noted that on Feb. 6, the Israeli parliament adopted the so-called "Regularisation Law," which has the potential to retroactively regularise thousands of existing settlement units built on land owned by Palestinian individuals living under occupation, as well as dozens of illegal outposts.

The "Regularisation Law" is designed to enable the use of privately-owned Palestinian land for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank without the owners'consent.

"If the Law stays in place, it will have far-reaching consequences for Israel, while seriously undermining prospects for the two-state solution and for Arab-Israel peace," he said.

Mladenov noted that the "Regularisation Law" is in contravention of international law and that according to the Israeli attorney general it is also unconstitutional, adding that the Israeli Supreme Court is expected to rule on its constitutionality soon. Enditem