Guterres Supports Transition Period Allowing Strengthened PA to Administer Gaza

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses reporters in New York on Monday (UN)

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Monday for a “transition period” in the Gaza Strip, involving several countries and leading to a two-State solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
The UN Chief also noted that Gaza is witnessing an unparalleled and unprecedented level of civilian death, compared to any other conflict since he became Secretary-General in 2017.
At a press conference dealing with the latest emissions, Guterres said in New York that a humanitarian ceasefire was a crucial first step, along with unrestricted access for humanitarian aid, “the liberation of hostages” and an end to violations of international humanitarian law and protection of civilians.
Also addressing how the region can move forward once the fighting stops, the UN chief said that it was “important to be able to transform this tragedy into an opportunity.”
For that to be possible, he said, “it is essential that after the war we move in a determined, irreversible way to a two-State solution.”
Guterres affirmed that this means also that after the war, it is crucial to have a strengthened Palestinian Authority to assume responsibilities in Gaza.
But the PA cannot go into Gaza backed by Israeli tanks, he added — meaning the “international community needs to look into a transition period.”
“I do not think that a UN protectorate in Gaza is a solution. I think we need a multi-stakeholder approach in which different countries, different entities, will cooperate. For Israel, of course, the US is the main guarantor of its security. For Palestinians, the neighboring and Arab countries of the region are essential,” Guterres said.
He added that everybody needs to come together to make the conditions for a transition, allowing for “a strengthened PA, to assume responsibility in Gaza in a determined and irreversible way to a two-State solution based on the principles that have been largely established by the international community.”
Asked about his repeated calls for a ceasefire, Guterres said, “We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since I have been Secretary-General.”
For seven years now, Guterres has published a “list of shame” of parties to armed conflict who commit grave violations against children.
In the “shame” reports, he said the highest number of children killed in one year by one actor was the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2017-2018, followed by the Syrian government and its allies before 2020. Both times the tally was in the hundreds.
“What is clear is that we have had in a few weeks thousands of children killed,” Guterres told reporters.