UN peace envoy: No peace without Palestinian-Israeli solution

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said yesterday that it is impossible to achieve peace in the region while ignoring the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Palestinian Sawa News reported.

In an interview with the Israeli Arabic-language radio station Arabil, Mladenov said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) also had to “condemn terrorist aggression.”

He noted that PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his security services are doing their job regarding affording security and stability for Israel by way of a security cooperation agreement with Israel, which continue despite anger from Palestinians.

The UN official reiterated that leaders on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides have to work to achieve the two-state solution “because there is no other choice at this time.”

Regarding settlements, Mladenov said that settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank is considered an obstacle to the peace process and the two-state solution.