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Rabat – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the United States to exert more pressure on Israel to bring an end to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Speaking with Al Jazeera, Guterres expressed skepticism about Washington’s ability to act decisively, stating: “I know the American political life sufficiently to know that it will not happen.” Nonetheless, he stressed the importance of continued efforts to urge the US to secure a ceasefire and prevent further undermining of the two-state solution.
Guterres previously revealed that he has not been able to speak directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the war began on October 7, 2023. The UN chief notably lamented that Netanyahu has refused to take his calls despite repeated attempts to reach out to the Israeli PM.
In a candid reflection on the limitations of his own authority, Guterres said: “I have no power to stop the war. We have a voice, and that voice has been loud and clear to say from the beginning this war must stop. The suffering of the Palestinian people must stop, and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people must be recognized.”
Guterres also took aim at the broader global response to conflicts, criticizing the United Nations Security Council for failing to address some of the world’s most severe crises. “The Security Council has systematically failed in relation to the capacity to put an end to the most dramatic conflicts that we face today: Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine,” he noted.
The UN chief attributed this paralysis to a geopolitical divide among major powers, which, in his view, has emboldened various actors to act with impunity.
The Secretary-General also reiterated the findings of the International Court of Justice, which recently ruled that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal.
“The occupation must stop,” Guterres stressed, warning against any future annexation or continued settlement expansion. He concluded by emphasizing that the future Palestinian state must encompass the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.
