Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese Permanent Mission to the United Nations, has stated the nation’s unwavering stance in backing efforts to achieve a fair, comprehensive, and long-term solution to issues relating to Palestine and Israel based on internationally-recognised principals and standards in compliance with UN Resolutions.

The Vietnamese diplomat made the affirmation during the UN Security Council’s online meeting regarding the situation in the Middle East on April 23, during which he expressed concerns over conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Ambassador Quy praised both sides for boosting co-operation and exchanges between the two Presidents in an effort to deal with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, while calling on the international community to increase support for the Palestinian people and the relief efforts initiated by the UN.

The Ambassador went on to express concern over unilateral action plans, including one to merge various Palestinian territories.

Following this, Nickolay Mlandenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said that the pandemic has contributed to having a  tremendous impact on the Palestinian people, threatening the operations of the Palestinian government as well as putting a severe strain on the social services that benefit its citizens.

The past month has seen increasing violence between people of both sides, causing casualties, the majority of which are Palestinians, Mladenov said. The UN Special Coordinator went on to stress that decisions made by Israel's newly-formed coalition government will affect the trajectory of peace talks in the Middle East for years to come.

If Israel pursues its plans to merge Palestinian territories and accelerate the pace of expansion of resettlement, coupled with the serious consequences of the spread of the COVID-19, it will serve to complicate the situation and ruin all hopes of peace.

Mladenov underscored efforts made by the UN and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East that have helped local Palestinian people in recent times, including a response package that provides US$34 million to health services operating in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

Throughout the meeting, the majority of countries raised concerns regarding the serious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Palestinian people, noting that it is the top priority of the international community and related parties to unite in a bid to cope with the pandemic and avoid unilateral or violent actions. 

It is therefore imperative to resume negotiations between both parties in order to find a long-term and comprehensive solution that is based on the formula that both Israel and Palestine can live peacefully alongside one another whilst abiding by UN Resolutions.