U.N. Envoy Warns of Mideast Deterioration

Mon Apr 24, 7:49 PM ET

UNITED NATIONS - Clashes between Palestinian groups, a fiscal crisis for the new Palestinian government, and Israel's closing of border crossings represent a dangerous deterioration in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the U.N. Mideast envoy said Monday.

The dispute between the new Hamas-run Palestinian government, which refuses to recognize Israel, and the Fatah party led by President Mahmoud Abbas escalated over the weekend into clashes between supporters of the two groups.

Hamas accused Fatah, which recognizes Israel, of a "plot" to overthrow the government; Fatah charged that Hamas supporters were inciting civil war.

"We are witnessing a potentially dangerous deterioration of the situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," the U.N. envoy, Alvaro de Soto, told the Security Council.

"Lawlessness, already endemic, is worsening amid uncertainties concerning command and control of the security forces ... and signs of a struggle, still unresolved, between the presidency and the new government."

De Soto also warned that nonpayment of salaries to more than 150,000 Palestinian government employees including 70,000 members of the security forces, Israel's closure of border crossings, and "military pressure ... make for a potent and volatile brew."

Politically, he said, the Palestinians and Israelis are on different trajectories than they were in 2003 when four key international players drew up a roadmap to Mideast peace.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has invited the Quartet that drafted the roadmap - the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia - to a meeting at U.N. headquarters on May 9 to discuss the deteriorating situation.

To stabilize security, de Soto called on Hamas to condemn last week's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv - which it has so far refused to do - and to take firm measures to prevent future bombings and rocket attacks against Israel.

He said Israel must also heed the secretary-general's call "to ensure that its military actions are proportionate and ... do not endanger the civilian population, as several attacks did during the month."

De Soto said Hamas' refusal to meet the Quartet demands to recognize Israel, accept past Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements, and renounce violence has led some key donors to cut off financial support. While other donors have said they would step in, no new money has arrived and March salaries remain unpaid, he said.

Nearly one million Palestinians rely on support from someone employed by the Palestinian Authority.

Without additional revenue, he warned, the authority may not be able to deliver the basic services "to sustain Palestinians and stave off a humanitarian crisis: health care, sanitation, and maintenance of sewage, electricity and water networks."

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