UN Envoy Warns of ‘Dangerous Collapse’ Amid Absence of 2-State Solution

A Palestinian protester against the settlements in Beit Dajan in the West Bank raises the Palestinian flag in front of Israeli soldiers last November (EPA)
A Palestinian protester against the settlements in Beit Dajan in the West Bank raises the Palestinian flag in front of Israeli soldiers last November (EPA)
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UN Envoy Warns of ‘Dangerous Collapse’ Amid Absence of 2-State Solution

A Palestinian protester against the settlements in Beit Dajan in the West Bank raises the Palestinian flag in front of Israeli soldiers last November (EPA)
A Palestinian protester against the settlements in Beit Dajan in the West Bank raises the Palestinian flag in front of Israeli soldiers last November (EPA)

The UN’s Middle East envoy, Tor Wennesland, warned that amid the absence of “a realistic prospect of an end to the occupation and the realization of a two-state solution”, it is only a matter of time before reaching “dangerous collapse and widespread instability.”

The Security Council held a session on the ministerial level on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian.

Anniken Huitfeldt, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, participated in the session knowing that the country assumed the presidency of the Security Council for January.

“The Palestinian Authority’s (PA) fiscal situation continues to be dire, threatening its institutional stability and its ability to provide services to its people,” Wennesland said in his briefing.

“Violence continues unabated across the OPT, including settler violence, leading to numerous Palestinian and Israeli casualties, and increasing the risk of a broader escalation.”

“Settlement activity, demolitions, and evictions also continue, feeding hopelessness and further diminishing prospects for a negotiated solution,” he told the Council.

“Piecemeal approaches and half measures will only ensure that the underlying issues perpetuating the conflict continue to fester and worsen over time.”

“Political and economic reforms must be implemented to ensure the PA’s continued ability to function effectively while boosting donor confidence and support,” said Wennesland.

The UN envoy stressed that “efforts by the parties and the international community to stabilize and improve conditions on the ground should be linked to a political framework.”

“Without a realistic prospect of an end to the occupation and the realization of a two-state solution based on UN resolutions, international law, and previous agreements, it is only a matter of time before we face an irreversible, dangerous collapse and widespread instability,” he warned.

In his statement, Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad Maliki insisted that “resolutions, including resolution 2334 (2016), offer the only path to peace.”

He further stressed that as much as it is important to enact the law and to condemn those violating it, it is equally essential to pursue enforcement and ensure accountability. “You want to help us end this conflict, end Israeli impunity.”

“Indeed, bias favoring Israel has prevented the Council from acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. It has allowed Israel to accuse even its closest partners of anti-Semitism for passing resolutions rooted in international law,” he said.

Nada Majdalani, Palestinian Director of EcoPeace Middle East, said children in Gaza “are growing up in a reality that no child in the world should experience,” citing water shortages, and cold nights without electricity or fuel.

For his part, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan slammed the bias of the Security Council, which says nothing “about attacks committed daily by Palestinians with rocks.”



Tunisia Hands Lengthy Prison Terms to Top Politicians and Former Security Officials

Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
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Tunisia Hands Lengthy Prison Terms to Top Politicians and Former Security Officials

Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)

A Tunisian court on Tuesday handed jail terms of 12 to 35 years on high-profile politicians, including opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi and former security officials, a move that critics say underscores the president's use of the judiciary to cement “authoritarian rule”.

Among those sentenced on charges of conspiring against the state in the major mass trial, were Nadia Akacha, the former chief of staff to President Kais Saied, local radio Mosaique FM said. Akacha who fled abroad received 35 years.

Ghannouchi, 84, veteran head of the Islamist-leaning Ennahda party, was handed a 14-year term.

Ghannouchi who was the speaker of the elected parliament dissolved by Saied, has been in prison since 2023, receiving three sentences of a total of 27 years in separate cases in recent months.

A total of 21 were charged in the case, with 10 already in custody and 11 having fled the country.

The court sentenced former intelligence chief Kamel Guizani to 35 years, former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem to 35 years, and Mouadh Ghannouchi, son of Rached Ghannouchi, to 35 years. All three have fled the country.

Saied dissolved the parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree, then dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, a move that opposition called a coup which undermined the nascent democracy that sparked in 2011 the so-called “Arab Spring” uprisings.

Saied rejects the accusations and says his steps are legal and aim to end years of chaos and corruption hidden within the political elite.

Most opposition leaders, some journalists, and critics of Saied have been imprisoned since he seized control of most powers in 2021.

This year, a court handed jail terms of 5 to 66 years to opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiring as well, a case the opposition says is fabricated in an attempt to stamp out opposition to the president.