UN envoy welcomes restart of Israeli-Palestinian coordination amid COVID-19 rise

UN envoy welcomes restart of Israeli-Palestinian coordination amid COVID-19 rise

New York (UNA-OIC) – With COVID-19 cases on the rise in the Middle East following weeks of decline, UN Special Coordinator Nikolay Mladenov has welcomed the Palestinian Authority’s decision to resume coordination with Israel.

In a briefing to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Mladenov told ambassadors that Gaza remains the most pressing concern as the territory is ill-equipped to face a major spike in cases due to poor living conditions and a fragile healthcare system.

He warned that any major outbreak of the disease would have a catastrophic impact on the two million Palestinians living there, who are already affected by severe movement and access restrictions, cycles of violent escalation, and years of humanitarian crises.

“For these reasons, I welcome the Palestinian Authority’s decision to restart civilian and security coordination with Israel,” the UN official said.

He thanked all those who helped bring about this development, noting that it took months of hard work.

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