UN envoy warns of Gaza crisis, calls for reconciliation

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0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, May 27, 2017
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UNITED NATIONS, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The UN's Middle East envoy on Friday warned of a dire crisis in Gaza and called for reconciliation between the parties involved.

"In Gaza, we are walking into another crisis with our eyes wide open," Nickolay Mladenov, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the Security Council.

The humanitarian situation has worsened since March when Hamas set up a parallel government institution to run affairs in the enclave resulting in an "intra-Palestinian political tug-of-war." Mladenov called for the implementation of intra-Palestinian agreements.

Of particular concern is the "unprecedented" energy crisis after the only power plant was shut over a taxation dispute between the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, which took over the Gaza Strip in 2007.

Combined with downed power lines from Egypt and possible restrictions on purchase of Israeli electricity, most Palestinians in Gaza receive only about four hours of electricity per day.

If the Palestinian government implements its decision to cap purchases of energy from Israel, "this decision will further reduce electricity supply by some 30 percent, plunging its population into a spiral of a humanitarian catastrophe," Mladenov said.

The envoy noted that the UN has been warning of this potential crisis for months, and that it is now becoming a reality -- with hospitals postponing elective surgeries, limited drinking water, and soaring food prices.

The lack of power is also preventing sewage from being treated. Raw sewage the equivalent of 40 Olympic-size swimming pools is being dumped into the Mediterranean Sea on a daily basis.

"An environmental disaster for Israel, for Egypt and Gaza is in the making," Mladenov said.

Mladenov cautioned that unless urgent measures are taken to de-escalate the crisis now spiralling out of control in the Gaza Strip, there will be devastating consequences for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

The senior UN official urged all sides to forge a genuine reconciliation.

"If Israelis and Palestinians hope to extract themselves from the immeasurable burden this conflict has brought, they must be willing to take the painful steps that will ultimately lead to peace," he said. "Neither side can afford another missed opportunity." Enditem

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