The escalating conflict in the Middle East dominated the headlines and the work of the United Nations over the past week. Throughout the crisis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly spoken out about the need to protect all civilians and minimize the loss of life. On Friday, he shared his perspective on the devastating events unfolding, in an opinion essay.
We have approached a moment of calamitous escalation, and find ourselves at a critical crossroads. It is imperative that all parties — and those with influence over them — do everything possible to avoid fresh violence or spillover of the conflict to the West Bank and the wider region. Clearly, the grievances felt by the Palestinian people do not justify the terror that was unleashed against civilians in Israel. I once again utterly condemn the abhorrent attacks by Hamas and others that terrorized Israel. And clearly, the horrific acts by Hamas do not justify responding with collective punishment of the Palestinian people. But any solution to this tragic, decades-long ordeal of death and destruction requires full recognition of the circumstances of both Israelis and Palestinians, of both their realities and both their perspectives. We cannot ignore the power and the pull of collective memory; the circumstances that shape and define our identity and our very essence. This horrifying cycle of ever-escalating violence and bloodshed must end. It is clear that the two sides in this conflict cannot achieve a solution without concerted action and strong support from us, the international community. That is the only way to save any chance of security and opportunity for both Israelis and Palestinians. | 
