Briefing on “Ending the War and Securing Durable Peace in the Middle East”
On Monday morning (18 November), the Security Council will convene for a briefing under “The situation in the Middle East” agenda item titled “ending the war and securing durable peace”. One of the signature events of the UK’s November Council presidency, the meeting will be chaired by UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland is expected to brief.
The UK has prepared a concept note for Monday’s meeting, which says that ending the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon “remains the immediate priority” of the international community and that there is a need to focus on securing wider regional de-escalation “by stemming the flow of weapons to armed non-state actors” and ending Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. According to the concept note, the briefing provides an opportunity to reflect on how the Council can “inject renewed momentum into efforts to end the conflicts in the region with an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, immediate release of hostages in Gaza, and drastically improved humanitarian aid flows”. The meeting will also allow the Council to discuss how the end of the conflict can mark a turning point that would put the region on a pathway towards a stable and secure future based on the two-state solution.
The concept note poses several questions to help guide the discussion:
- How to secure an immediate end to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, the immediate release of the hostages, and lay the groundwork for lasting peace in the region?
- What steps can the Council take to restore peace across the Blue Line and ensure that the Israeli and Lebanese people can return to their homes and live in peace and security?
- What measures can states take to prevent threats from across the region to Israel’s long-term security, and encourage normalisation of relations in the region?
- What tangible steps can the Council take to create an irreversible pathway to realise a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a sovereign and viable Palestinian state?
- How can states, working with the UN, relevant international actors, regional and international financial institutions, and the concerned parties, best assist the Palestinian Authority to progressively assume its security and governance responsibilities in Gaza, in line with reform, reconstruction, economic recovery, and development efforts?
At Monday’s meeting, Council members and Wennesland are expected to stress that advancing a political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the two-state solution is crucial for peace in the Middle East. In this respect, participants are likely to highlight steps towards achieving that end and express concern at measures that undermine it. For instance, several Council members may emphasise that Israeli settlements erode the viability of the two-state solution and urge Israel to cease all settlement activity and demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). A 14 November update from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, between 5 and 11 November, 50 Palestinians, including 23 children, were displaced as nine residential structures were demolished in East Jerusalem. Some Council members may also echo France and Slovenia’s recent statements condemning remarks in favour of the annexation of the West Bank made by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich following the election of Donald Trump as the next US President on 5 November. Some might also stress the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Several Council members may refer to the 19 July International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the “Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the [OPT], including East Jerusalem”, in which the ICJ concluded that Israel “is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the [OPT] as rapidly as possible”. Some members may also reference measures outlined in General Assembly resolution ES-10/24 of 18 September on the Advisory Opinion, such as the convening of an international conference under the auspices of the General Assembly for the implementation of UN resolutions on the question of Palestine and the two-state solution, and the convening of a Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention on “measures to enforce the Convention” in the OPT. On 14 November, Switzerland announced that the latter conference is scheduled to take place in March 2025 in Geneva.
Speakers may also call on the international community to support the revitalisation of the Palestinian Authority through political and financial reforms, as Japan did at a 29 October Security Council open debate on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” (MEPQ). Some might stress the need to end the occupation and express support for the recognition of the State of Palestine as important steps towards a two-state solution and peace in the Middle East. Other members, such as the US, might emphasise that ensuring that Hamas no longer rules Gaza and is not in a position to launch attacks against Israel are essential for peace.
In his briefing at the 29 October Council meeting, Wennesland spoke of the need to “facilitate a Palestinian governance structure that can re-unify Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, politically, economically and administratively with no reductions in its territory, with no displacement of Palestinians from the Strip”. He expressed concern, however, that “facts on the ground are being established that will undermine these core principles for years to come”, including “the attempt by Israel to dismantle” the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This is an apparent reference to the two laws recently passed by the Israeli Knesset (parliament) on UNRWA, which, if implemented, are expected to severely impair UNRWA’s capacity to function in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. (For background, see the brief on “The Middle East, including the Palestinian Question” in our November 2024 Monthly Forecast.)
On Monday, several members may echo Wennesland’s concerns and restate their support for UNRWA. They may also reiterate their rejection of forced displacement of Palestinians and any attempts by Israel to reduce or resettle the territory of the Gaza Strip. On 14 November, Human Rights Watch issued a report examining the Israeli authorities’ conduct with regard to displacement in the Gaza Strip. It says that Israeli officials are “committing the war crime of forcible transfer” and that “forced displacement is intentional and forms part of Israeli state policy”, therefore amounting to a crime against humanity. The report further notes that Israel’s actions “appear to also meet the definition of ethnic cleansing”.
At Monday’s meeting, Council members are expected to reiterate their long-standing calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the release of all hostages held by Palestinian armed groups. Several members might emphasise the importance of the Council speaking with one voice on the need for the war to end and could refer to the draft resolution led by the Council’s ten elected members (E10), which includes language to this effect. Members are likely to reiterate their concerns at the devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza and urge Israel to enable the safe distribution of essential humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip at scale, including besieged areas in the north. At a 12 November Council meeting on the risk of famine in northern Gaza, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya said that “[c]onditions of life across Gaza are unfit for human survival”. Some members may also reiterate their condemnations of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks.
Several participants are likely to call for an end to the war between Israel and Hezbollah and for de-escalation in the wider Middle East region, including the cessation of attacks against vessels in the Red Sea. Members may echo the 13 November press statement, which condemned several recent incidents that injured UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers, expressed concern about civilian casualties, and called for the full implementation of resolution 1701, which in 2006 called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. (For background, see the brief on Lebanon in our November 2024 Monthly Forecast.)
Looking ahead, Council members are also expected to discuss the situation in Lebanon at a 19 November briefing in consultations on the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of resolution 1701 (S/2024/817). Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix are the expected briefers.
