Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson said that together with the Israelis and the Palestinians, the international community holds the responsibility for what has been a "collective failure" to advance a political solution.
Eliasson inaugurated Tuesday, on behalf of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the 2015 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
As the Committee marked its 40th year, the UN official commended the Committee for its important and resolute work.
The General Assembly, he said, designated 2014 the "International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People," and its aim was to catalyse global action on the Question of Palestine in the then promising context of direct peace negotiations brokered by the US. "Instead, the year was a grim one for Palestinians and Israelis, and all those who seek peace." During his speech, Eliasson said that during the past year, talks broke down and violence escalated, hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza claimed the lives of nearly 2,200 Palestinians and 72 Israelis.
Today, he stressed, Gaza remains a desolate place under blockade and with much human suffering, and urged donors to fulfill pledges made at last October's Cairo conference for the reconstruction of Gaza.
Eliasson expressed regret that the parties have since taken unilateral steps that have deepened mutual distrust and distanced them from a prospect of negotiated settlement.
He urged both parties to refrain from any action that could further exacerbate the situation and to demonstrate the necessary leadership for reaching and implementing the difficult decisions that lie ahead.
The UN system, the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Human Rights Council, this and other concerned Committees, he affirmed, must work to revive negotiations for a "two-State solution." At a time when the entire region is facing the threat of terrorism and violent extremism, he said, resolving this conflict is clearly a "serious matter for international peace and security." Member States and regional groups, including the League of Arab States, have intensified the search for a way out of the impasse, he added.
With the Quartet and other stakeholders engaged, the UN official said that 2015 may have a better chance in 2015 to address issues that seem intractable.
"All good forces must now be mobilized," he said.
By the end of his address, the Deputy Secretary General said that with the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the UN, he called on the Committee to exert all efforts to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights, and reiterated the commitment of the organization to help achieve a just and durable peace between Israel and Palestine.