‘Nothing can justify the obliteration of Gaza that has unfolded before the eyes of the world,’ says Antonio Guterres
HAMILTON — The UN chief on Monday warned that the Gaza Strip is being starved before the eyes of the world, calling the situation part of a broader “systemic reality” that is dismantling the foundation for peace in the Middle East.
“The truth is: we are at a breaking point. The two-state solution is farther than ever before,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a high-level conference at UN headquarters in New York.
“Nothing can justify the obliteration of Gaza that has unfolded before the eyes of the world. The starvation of the population,” he stressed.
Guterres added that the “creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank is illegal. It must stop. The wholesale destruction of Gaza is intolerable. It must stop.”
“These are not isolated events. They are part of a systemic reality that is dismantling the building blocks of peace in the Middle East,” he said.
He urged the international community to act decisively to end the occupation and support peace efforts.
“Today’s conference is a rare and indispensable opportunity. We must ensure that it does not become another exercise in well-meaning rhetoric,” he said. — AA
