The UN envoy in Jerusalem has warned that surging violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories has brought the situation to “the brink”
In a BBC interview, Tor Wennesland called for “firm” diplomatic intervention to stem the bloodshed
He also warned of further deterioration due to declining international support for the Palestinian Authority (PA)
“The UN cannot take over this responsibility, we cannot govern Palestine,” he said
In the last month, more than 35 Palestinians and seven Israelis have been killed, following a year of spiralling violence involving near-nightly Israeli military search and arrest raids and a spate of Palestinian attacks
It comes with the most radically nationalist government in Israel’s history now in power, which has declared the principle of “exclusive” Jewish rights to all the land
Meanwhile, a crisis-gripped PA, which governs to a limited extent parts of the West Bank, has been losing control of the cities of Jenin and Nablus to a new generation of armed militants
Many observers fear a final demise of prospects for a so-called two-state solution – the long standing international formula for peace
Mr Wennesland is the UN’s special co-ordinator for the Middle East peace process, a post created during the breakthrough Oslo agreements of the 1990s. It now sees him frequently shuttling between Israeli, Palestinian and regional officials, trying to de-escalate crises and violent flare-ups, while hopes of a longer-term peace are moribund
Mr Wennesland accepted there were “difficult” diplomatic conditions, given the “political situation… on the Israeli side” and the “complicated situation” with the Palestinian leadership
But the envoy dismissed the suggestion that the peace process was dead
“Whatever government we have in Israel, whatever authority we have in Ramallah, this is the point of departure where this discussion needs to take place,” he said
“We are very well aware of the agreements made in the formation of the Israeli government. I mean, diplomacy cannot stop there
“The engagement we have seen over the last days and weeks is very good. It’s high time and maybe it’s even a little bit late. We should have started before
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