NEW YORK — Việt Nam has hopes that negotiations between Israel and Palestine will resume soon and called on the international community to create the best possible conditions for the talks.
Addressing the United Nations Security Council’s online discussion on the Middle-East situation on Wednesday, including issues related to Palestine, Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý, head of the Vietnamese Mission to the UN, welcomed the Palestinian administration’s recent announcement on its willingness to return to the negotiating table with Israel on the foundation of UN resolutions and international law.
He said Việt Nam welcomed international cooperation initiatives that contribute to seeking a fair, sustainable and long-term solution to the peace process in the Middle East.
Quý expressed his concerns about increasing violence happening consecutively in many places and Israel’s building of new residential areas and destroying houses and property of Palestinian people in the West Bank. These activities violated international law and harmed the prospect for the implementation of the two-state solution, he added.
Participants also expressed their concerns about the humanitarian situation in Palestine.
They called on countries and international organisations to increase aid to Palestine, along with assistance in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in occupied Palestinian territories.
They also praised the Palestinian administration’s move to resume cooperation with Israel to deal with the current difficulties.
According to UN Middle East Envoy Nikolay Mladenov, after eight months of being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of unemployed labourers in Palestine has risen to an alarming rate, at 121,000, while 40 per cent of Palestinian households lost more than half of their income and food security has worsened.
Meanwhile, violence has continued in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, leaving many civilians dead and injured, he said. — VNS