President of the Palestinian authority Mahmoud Abbas called for convening an international peace conference by mid-2018 to find a solution to the stalemate, describing the situation of the Palestinian people as “no longer bearable”. In an address to the UN Security Council Tuesday, Abbas slammed the US unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel and urged world leaders to recognize an independent Palestinian state within the borders of 1967. Israel shut the door on the two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders,” he said. Opening the meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres underscored his commitment to achieving two democratic States living side-by-side in peace. He reported on developments such as the need to maintain support for the UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees across the region, UNRWA, as it faces a substantial funding shortfall.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 21, 2018 14:37 UTC