UN - UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov on Tuesday regretted receding international consensus and the lack of progress on the Middle East peace process in 2018.

“I remain concerned by the weakening of international consensus and the absence of collective efforts to achieve an end to the (Israeli) occupation and the realization of a negotiated two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in line with relevant United Nations resolutions and previous agreements,” Mladenov told the Security Council.

“I believe that I speak on behalf of all of us today when I say that we all share a concern that at the end of 2018 we are nowhere closer to reviving efforts for a negotiated solution. Without a political horizon, all our collective and individual efforts merely contribute to managing the conflict rather than resolving it.”

It is only by realizing the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace, security and mutual recognition, with Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and Palestine, and all final-status issues resolved permanently through negotiations, that the legitimate aspirations of both peoples can be achieved, he noted. Mladenov expressed concern over violence in the West Bank in 2018 despite the fact that violence in Hamas-controlled Gaza caught more attention.

“In terms of violence over the past year, although Gaza has been the most volatile, the risk of an explosion in the West Bank has also grown. I am concerned by the recent incidents and rising tensions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”