Norway will raise UN Security Council talks on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute to a ministerial level on January 19, to underline the need for the council to renew its focus on this decades-long conflict.
That was the vow by Mona Juul, Oslo’s Permanent Representative to the UN, who regretted the lessened international attention to the situation, which has been marginalized as a consequence of many other wars burning throughout the Middle East.
“The people of Israel and Palestine do not deserve that,” she said on Tuesday at a news conference to explain her country’s goals as it takes the leadership of the Security Council for January.
“Thirty years after the Madrid summit, the Israeli-Palestinian situation demands greater attention. “It’s vital to improve the council’s attention and the need to find a political solution to this prolonged conflict and make sure we avoid any steps that undermine the likelihood of the two-state solution.”
Juul emphasized her country’s opposition to any unilateral action in the dispute, notably noting Israel’s settlement development in the Occupied Territories while adding that “it takes two to tango.”
She said: “We need to make sure that there is a Palestinian Authority that can speak with one voice and come to the table with a mandate to negotiate peace as well.”
Norway took over the monthly position of President of the UN Security Council on January 1. Norway was preceded by Niger in December 2021 and will be replaced by Russia next month.
