The Secretary-General of the United Nations warned on Tuesday (9) about the continued escalation of violence driven by new attacks and a rapid diplomatic deterioration amid the current crisis in the Middle East. According to "UN News", António Guterres pointed out that the situation threatens to trigger a full-blown conflict with global impacts on trade, inflation and food security. In his speech to the Security Council, the head of the United Nations stressed that the region is being dragged towards an abyss, and the consequences are already being felt outside the Middle East. The session "Mediation for Dialogue and Lasting Peace", on the Middle East, was led by the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, the country that this month holds the rotating leadership of the Council. The Secretary-General highlighted the gravity of the drama in Lebanon, which since March has faced a serious escalation with the intensification of Israeli operations and Hezbollah attacks. Since March, the south of the country has been devastated, causing "alarming damage" at the humanitarian level. Guterres said displacement numbers have soared to over 1 million civilians forced to flee their homes. In terms of casualties, the UN has lost seven peacekeepers during the conflict, including one victim last week.
Maintenance of international troops
Regarding the destruction of infrastructure, entire Lebanese communities have been uprooted and civilian infrastructure demolished. Even with the escalation of attacks, Guterres praised the United States for its facilitating role in negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. He demanded a comprehensive ceasefire, the maintenance of international troops after the withdrawal of the UN Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, and respect for Lebanese sovereignty, as stipulated in Security Council Resolution 1701.
Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Iran
The instability in the Persian Gulf was another point of great tension addressed by Guterres. He sees the current scenario “not as a ceasefire,” but as a “minor fire,” with civilians and infrastructure continuing to be under attack in several countries. The blockade and restrictions on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz are causing a ripple effect on the global economy, marked by a drastic increase in energy and fuel prices. This reality has led to the disruption of global supply chains and increased fertilizer prices, exacerbating global hunger and inflation, with developing countries paying the highest price for the situation. To stabilize the region, Guterres called for serious negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue, demanding guarantees that the Iranian nuclear program will be exclusively peaceful. He also called for a new security architecture for the Gulf, based on non-interference and respect for sovereignty. However, Guterres demanded an end to the threats made by Houthi rebels to navigation in the Bab Al Mandeb Strait, located between Arabia and Africa connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, and the immediate release of UN officials arbitrarily detained. In the Syrian context, after 13 years of violence, the country is beginning to "taste peace," even though episodes of regional instability and the continued use of force threaten progress. António Guterres concluded his statement by reminding the world that diplomacy and the mechanisms of the UN Charter are the only viable tools for peace. The UN leader appealed to the Security Council to put all its political weight into the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian Territories, for which he argues that "there is no alternative and no time to lose." With Lebanon and the Gulf in turmoil, the Palestinian Territories and neighboring nations "continue to bleed." Guterres stated that the Gaza Strip must remain part of a unified Palestinian state. From the West Bank, the effects range from an average of six daily attacks by occupiers of settlements considered "extremist." The area is also experiencing the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements. Levels of forced displacement of Palestinians have not been seen since 1967. The Secretary-General also pointed to the conflicts in Yemen and Syria, highlighting the mixed results of international diplomacy.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.