27 Nov 2012

UN / MIDDLE EAST

Days after a ceasefire halted the latest round of hostilities between Israel and Gaza, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert H. Serry told the Security Council today that "it is now paramount that parties respect the calm and allow time for other elements of the understanding to be worked out". UNTV

Posted at: November 27, 2012 2:58 pm

Duration: 02:08

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / MIDDLE EAST
TRT: 2.08
SOURCE: UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 27 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1.	Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

27 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2.	Wide shot, Security Council
3.	Med shot, delegates
4.	Med shot, Palestinian Ambassador Ryiad Mansour 
5.	SOUNDBITE (English) Robert H. Serry, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
"It is now paramount that parties respect the calm and allow time for other elements of the understanding to be worked out, yet, we know this will not be easy. It is painful that despite consistent warnings we had yet another major escalation, four years after operation Cast Lead. The devastating round of violence is a stark reminder that the status quo is unsustainable. There will be no progress if Israel's legitimate security concerns are not addressed. At the same time it will give Palestinians a strong additional stake in a durable calm, if it leads to a lifting of the closure on Gaza."
6.	Med shot, delegates
7.	SOUNDBITE (English) Robert H. Serry, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
"I am pleased to note that implementation has started in earnest and that Israel has in principle agreed to the extension of the maritime fishing limits to six nautical miles. This is already a significant result, but it is not sufficient on its own. More needs to be done with respect to crossings and freedom of movement."
8.	Med shot, delegates
9.	SOUNDBITE (English) Robert H. Serry, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
"There is no substitute to meaningful negotiations to achieve this vision. This must remain our collective priority. Unfortunately, that effort continues to be undermined by actions on the ground, including continued settlement activity, settler violence, and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces during which two Palestinian demonstrators were killed."
10.	Med shot, delegates
11.	SOUNDBITE (English) Robert H. Serry, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
"As a consequence of the internal conflict in Syria, the situation in UNDOF's area of operation remains volatile. Armed clashes between the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and armed members of the opposition take place daily inside the area of separation. Fire across the ceasefire line showed potential for escalation between Israel and Syria."
12.	Med shot, delegates
13.	Zoom in, Council President Hardeep Singh Puri

STORYLINE:

Days after a ceasefire halted the latest round of hostilities between Israel and Gaza, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert H. Serry, told the Security Council today (27 November) that "it is now paramount that parties respect the calm and allow time for other elements of the understanding to be worked out."

Serry stressed that "this will not be easy" and said it was "painful that despite consistent warnings we had yet another major escalation" four years after the last major confrontation.

He said the violence was "a stark reminder that the status quo is unsustainable."

The Special Coordinator noted that implementation of the ceasefire "has started in earnest and that Israel has in principle agreed to the extension of the maritime fishing limits to six nautical miles."

He said this was "a significant result", but "more needs to be done with respect to crossings and freedom of movement."

The ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which controls Gaza, was announced on 21 November, just over a week after the start of the latest wave of deadly violence, which included rocket attacks against Israel from Gaza, and Israeli airstrikes on targets in the Gaza Strip.

Serry called for continued "meaningful negotiations" between the parties, stressing that "this must remain our collective priority".

"Unfortunately", he added, "that effort continues to be undermined by actions on the ground, including continued settlement activity, settler violence, and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces during which two Palestinian demonstrators were killed."

Turning to the regional situation, the Special Coordinator noted that as a consequence of the internal conflict in Syria, the situation in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force's (UNDOF) area of operation "remains volatile."

He said "armed clashes between the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and armed members of the opposition take place daily inside the area of separation" and "fire across the ceasefire line showed potential for escalation between Israel and Syria."

UNDOF was established in 1974 following the agreed disengagement of the Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights. Since then, UNDOF has remained in the area to maintain the ceasefire between the Israeli and Syrian forces and to supervise the implementation of the disengagement agreement.

Syria has been wracked by violence, with at least 20,000 people, mostly civilians, killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began over 20 months ago. The violence has spawned more than 440,000 refugees, while more than four million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to UN estimates.