Window for Peace in Gaza Not Indefinite, Speakers Stress, Urging Security Council to Consolidate Ceasefire, Ease ‘Profound’ Suffering of Palestinians

(Note: A complete summary of today's Security Council meeting will be available at a later time.)

While the Security Council heard today that a window exists for Israelis and Palestinians to move away from the conflict and suffering that have long defined their relationship, speakers also warned that this opportunity is neither assured nor indefinite.

"The decisions taken in the coming weeks - by the parties and by members of this Council - will determine whether it is sustained," said Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. Collective efforts must consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza and promote stabilization and recovery. To these ends, the 19 February meeting of the Board of Peace is an important step. However, she underscored that "despite the ceasefire, Gaza is still not at peace". The Israeli military has recently intensified strikes across the Strip and armed exchanges between Palestinian armed groups and Israeli soldiers have continued.

Meanwhile, the situation in the occupied West Bank is "deteriorating rapidly", she reported. Israeli forces have continued large-scale operations - frequently involving live fire - while widespread raids have been accompanied by home takeovers, mass detentions, movement restrictions and repeated displacement of Palestinian families. These unfold alongside settlement expansion, and - echoing the Secretary-General's concern and condemnation over Israeli Government actions - she stressed: "We are witnessing the gradual de facto annexation of the West Bank, as unilateral Israeli steps steadily transform the landscape."

"We cannot afford half measures" at this fragile juncture, she said, urging a reversal of the dangerous trajectory in the West Bank and restoration of a political horizon towards lasting peace in Gaza, an end to the occupation and pursuit of a two-State solution.

Two members of the "Uniting for a Shared Future" initiative - a coalition of more than 550 Israeli and Palestinian leaders - then took the floor, agreeing on both the urgency of the situation and the need for normalization.

From Trauma to Opportunity

Hiba Qasas, Founding Executive Director of the Principles for Peace Foundation, said that this coalition "carries the trauma, fears and aspirations of both peoples". Stressing that the status quo is not sustainable for either Israelis or Palestinians, she added: "Neither side can have lasting security, dignity and prosperity at the expense of the other." While the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire will decide whether halted hostilities will become a bridge to stability or merely a pause before the next war, she pointed out that "Gaza cannot succeed if the West Bank collapses".

"As long as this conflict remains unresolved, regional normalization, integration and the expansion of the Abraham Accords will remain contested, fragile and fraught," she continued. She outlined several urgent recommendations, including easing movement and access in Gaza and the West Bank, reversing the ban on humanitarian organizations, restoring Palestinian fiscal and banking functionality and backing Palestinian Authority reforms with realistic expectations and verification. She also urged the Council to apply consequences for terrorism and settler violence.

"Despite the profound trauma experienced by both Israelis and Palestinians following the 7 October massacre and the devastating war that followed, this moment presents a historic opportunity - one that must not be missed," said Nadav Tamir, Executive Director of J Street Israel. The growing international urgency about the Middle East must be translated into a clear, irreversible pathway towards a demilitarized Palestinian State alongside Israel, he said, calling for both sides to be integrated into a regional coalition that rejects jihadist and terrorist forces.

"Israelis understand that the path to security passes through normalization," he stressed, rejecting the de facto annexation of the West Bank and stressing the need to prevent Hamas from retaining an armed militia. "We stand at a crossroads between annexation and expulsion - which would lead to endless bloodshed - and a negotiated future grounded in mutual recognition and regional integration," he said. Here, the voice and engagement of the international community are critical. "History shows that trauma can be transformed into opportunity if leadership is courageous and the international community is resolute," he urged.

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Complete Live Blog coverage of today's meeting can be found here.