Speaking before an open debate in the
Security Council in the United Nations, Serry stated that the last month has
been focused on the return to formal peace talks, yet no progress has been
made. Serry further stated that whilst this impasse continues he is concerned
over worrying developments on the ground.
The UN News Center reports that Serry
stated,"In sum, the effort to restart direct talks has not reached a
breaking point, but there has not been a breakthrough either and that is
increasingly a concern. While talks remain stalled, events on the ground
continue to move in the wrong direction.”
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli
Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have made overtures towards one another
with regards to the renewal of peace talks, yet no real progress has been made
The Palestinian delegation are still
returning to refuse to return to talks without a halt to the construction of
settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, due to the construction
violating international law and creating damaging facts on the ground.
Israel is refusing to return to talks
unless no preconditions are set enabling them to continue to build settlements
and further annex East Jerusalem, which is part of the West Bank, and occupied
territory under international law. Despite this claim, Israel has stated that
it will not negotiate the status of East Jerusalem, the seat of the future
Palestinian capital, nor the dismantlement of settlements, which Israel insists
will remain Israeli sovereign territory.
Israel maintains that it wishes to see the decades
old conflict resolved with a two state solution with some land swaps. As noted,
it has continued to state that the settlements constructed on the West Bank
will remain the sovereign territory of Israel, despite the separating the West
Bank into several discontinuous sections.Many commentators have observed
that it would be impossible to implement a viable state without the end of the
settlement project.
