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UN Secretary General Expresses ‘Deep Concern’ Over Violence in East Jerusalem

© REUTERS / POOLU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the media during a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas after a meeting in Berlin, Germany, December 17, 2020.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the media during a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas after a meeting in Berlin, Germany, December 17, 2020. - Sputnik International, 1920, 10.05.2021
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UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over the recent escalation of violence in East Jerusalem, calling on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint.

"The Secretary-General expresses his deep concern over the continuing violence in occupied East Jerusalem, as well as the possible evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods. He urges Israel to cease demolitions and evictions, in line with its obligations under international humanitarian and international human rights law," Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the Secretary-General, said in a Sunday statement.

Guterres urged that the status quo at the holy sites be upheld and reiterated his commitment, including that through the Middle East Quartet, to supporting Palestinians and Israel resolve the conflict on the basis of UN resolutions and international law.

"Israeli authorities must exercise maximum restraint and respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly," the Secretary-General said.

On Saturday, the Middle East Quartet - Russia, the US, the EU and the UN - expressed concerns over the recent violence in East Jerusalem and called on Tel Aviv to exercise restraint and to avoid measures that would further escalate the situation.

The unrest in East Jerusalem has been ongoing for several days over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the area.

A total of 14 Palestinians were injured during Sunday night unrest in the Bab al-Amud and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhoods in Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

On Saturday, the Red Crescent reported 80 injuries among Palestinians and said that a total of around 300 Palestinians had been injured over the past days of unrest in East Jerusalem.

The Arab League plans to hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday, May 10, to discuss the escalation of violence in East Jerusalem.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) will also hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the conflict, according to a Sputnik source.

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