Merve Aydogan
28 May 2025•Update: 28 May 2025
HAMILTON, Canada
The UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process warned on Wednesday that a two-state solution is "on life support," and called for urgent international action to break the cycle of violence in the Gaza Strip.
Saying that "the Middle East region is undergoing a seismic transformation," Sigrid Kaag told the Security Council that "there can be no sustainable peace in the Middle East without a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
"There are no shortcuts. The region's future will remain bound to its unresolved past -- unless bold political will and decisions break the cycle," she said, stressing that the "two-state solution is on life support; reviving it requires decisive action."
Describing the situation in Gaza as "manmade," she emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian assistance.
"Since the resumption of hostilities in Gaza, the already horrific existence of civilians has only sunk further into the abyss. This is manmade," she said.
Noting that "the entire population of Gaza is facing the risk of famine," Kaag added that the limited aid reaching the enclave is "comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk."
She stressed that "aid cannot be negotiable, and there can be no question of forced displacement. Civilians in Gaza have lost hope."
"Instead of saying 'Goodbye,' or ‘See you tomorrow,' Palestinians in Gaza now say, 'See you in heaven.' Death is their companion. It’s not life, it’s not hope. Palestinians in Gaza deserve more than survival. They deserve a future," she said.
Kaag emphasized the importance of a high-level international conference in June on a two-state solution, while noting that "we need to implement rather than adopt new texts."
On the occupied West Bank, Kaag warned of a "dangerous trajectory" and stated that it is facing "accelerating de-facto annexation through settlement expansion, land seizures, and settler violence, which threatens to make a two-state solution physically impossible."
"Israeli security operations in the northern West Bank, particularly in the refugee camps, and ensuing armed exchanges have resulted in many Palestinians killed, including children, thousands displaced and many demolished homes," she said, denouncing violence against civilians.
Kaag laid out key steps, including urgent humanitarian access to Gaza, the resumption of early recovery efforts, prevention of forced displacement and reforms within the Palestinian Authority.
"Statehood is a right, not a reward," Kaag stressed.
"Let us be the generation that chose courage over caution, justice over inertia, and peace over politics. Let us be the generation that made it happen," she added.
