Anniken Huitfeldt, Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Security Council, briefs reporters on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, prior of the Security Council meeting
Jerusalem is a diverse city, with Palestinians making up more than a third of the population in East Jerusalem. The majority of them are permanent residents rather than citizens, and Arabic is their first language, not Hebrew. Many East Jerusalem women, however, have expressed an interest in studying Hebrew, and an Israeli non-profit organisation is assisting in meeting the demand
Last month, US President Joe Biden urged Israel’s new leaders to take confidence-building measures to enhance Palestinians’ lives, prompting Israeli officials to release a package that includes 120 million dollars in loans and 16,000 Israeli work licences for Palestinians
Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, urged all parties in Gaza to “avoid unilateral steps and provocations” and “take steps to reduce tensions”
Two Palestinian Neighbourhoods In East Jerusalem Have Become Flashpoints Of Tension Over Plans To Evict Hundreds Of Palestinians From Homes They Have Lived In For Decades, One Of The Reasons For Israel’s Recent Fighting With The Islamist Hamas Movement In Gaza, Which Resulted In The Deaths Of Hundreds Of Palestinians
Israel Will Most Likely Form A New Government Without Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu For The First Time In 12 Years. The New Governing Coalition Includes An Arab Party For The First Time, Pending Ratification By The Knesset
The unrest in Gaza and Jerusalem has spread across Israel’s neighbourhoods
Press briefings by Sofiane Mimouni, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the United Nations and Chair of the Arab Group for the month of May 2021; Abdou Abarry, Permanent Representative of Niger to the United Nations and Chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for the month of May 2021; and Riyad Mansour, Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations
On Sunday (16 May), United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that the current hostilities in Gaza and Israel are “utterly appalling,” and that “fighting must end.” βIt has to end right now.β
Several strong waves of projectile fire targeted Ashkelon, Ashdod, Beersheba, Sderot, and the surrounding areas overnight Friday-Saturday, putting cities and communities in southern Israel ‘under siege’.