'Denying Palestinians statehood is unacceptable,' Guterres says

Palestinians must have the right to statehood, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in Kampala, Uganda as he called for an immediate ceasefire to the Gaza war.

“The refusal to accept the two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood to the Palestinian people, are unacceptable,” Guterres said on the sidelines of the Third South Summit of the G77 plus China.

“The right of the Palestinian people to build their own state must be recognized by all,” he said.

It was a statement he issued a number of times over the weekend, including in a speech he delivered on Saturday to the Non-Aligned Movement and on Sunday to the G77 Summit.

The absence of Palestinian statehood would “indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security; exacerbate polarization; and embolden extremists everywhere,” Guterres said.

Guterres insists on 2-state solution following Biden, Netanyahu back and forth

He spoke out as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his government have been publicly in their reaction to Palestinian statehood. It’s an issue that has come to the fore as the US has linked it to its efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as the reconstruction of Gaza after the war.

The United Nations has yet to grant statehood recognition to the Palestinians a move that would need the approval of the UN Security Council. The United States would need to approve such a move, given that it has veto power at the council.

Guterres has also been a harshly outspoken critic of Israel’s military campaign to oust Hamas from Gaza.It’s clear that in Gaza “we are seeing a violation of international humanitarian law” and the UN charter, Guterres stated.

In his opening remarks to the press, Guterres charged that the “relentless Israeli bombardment of Gaza, in response to the horrific terror attacks by Hamas, is the most intensely destructive campaign waged since I became Secretary-General.”

"The number of civilian casualties, including women, children, and our staff, is unprecedented in such a brief period of time. It continues to rise, and hunger and disease are now adding to the toll,” he stated.

“I will not give up on calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” Guterres said, as he also called on Hamas to release the 132 hostages it is holding.

Ending the war “is the only way to end this nightmare for civilians in Gaza, facilitate the release of all hostages, and prevent the conflict from engulfing the entire region,” he said.