Middle East, including the Palestinian Question

  • 24 July 2017

    Middle East Open Debate

    What's in Blue

    Tomorrow (25 July), the Security Council will convene for its quarterly open debate on “the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov will brief. His briefing and the interventions of Council...

  • July 2017

    Israel/Palestine

    Monthly Forecast

    In July, the Council will hold its regular quarterly open debate under the agenda item, “the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.”

  • 19 June 2017

    Middle East Briefing

    What's in Blue

    Tomorrow (20 June), the Council will hold its monthly briefing under the agenda item, “the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov is expected to brief and will...

  • 19 April 2017

    Middle East Open Debate

    What's in Blue

    Tomorrow (20 April), the Security Council will convene its regular quarterly open debate under the agenda item, “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.” Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov will brief. The...

  • April 2017

    Israel/Palestine

    Monthly Forecast

    In April, the Council is expected to hold its regular quarterly open debate on the Middle East, with a focus on Israel/Palestine.

  • March 2017

    Israel/Palestine

    Monthly Forecast

    In March, the Council expects to receive the first report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 2334 on Israeli settlements, adopted on 23 December 2016. The resolution requested the Secretary-General to report on its implementation every three months. 

  • February 2017

    In Hindsight: Resolution on Israeli Settlements

    Monthly Forecast

    The Council on 23 December 2016 issued a rare rebuke of Israel with the adoption ofresolution 2334, which condemned Israeli settlements as having no legal validity and constituting a major obstacle to a two-state solution. The Council’s consideration of the text on the issue, the first resolution adopted on Israel-Palestine in nearly eight years, elicited extreme pressure from the government of Israel and the incoming US administration on the Council member which had tabled the draft resolution, demonstrating how such pressure—external to the Council—can attempt to thwart Council initiatives even where consensus has been reached among its members. The story of resolution 2334, however, also demonstrates how elected members can play an instrumental role in galvanising the Council on even the most contentious issues.

  • January 2017

    Israel/Palestine

    Monthly Forecast

    In January, the Council is expected to hold its regular quarterly open debate on the Middle East, with a focus on Israel/Palestine.

  • 23 December 2016

    Vote on Resolution on Israeli Settlements

    What's in Blue

    This afternoon, the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution that condemns Israeli settlements. The text, drafted by Palestine, was put in blue by Egypt on Wednesday (21 December) evening with a vote scheduled for Thursday afternoon....

  • 15 December 2016

    Middle East Meeting and Draft Resolutions

    What's in Blue

    Tomorrow (16 December), the Security Council will meet for its monthly briefing and consultations on the situation in the Middle East, with a focus on Israel/Palestine. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will brief in the chamber, and Special Coordinator Nikolay Mladenov will...

  • Tomorrow, Council members are scheduled to hold an Arria-formula meeting entitled “Illegal Israeli Settlements: Obstacles to Peace and the Two-State Solution”. The meeting is hosted by Malaysia, with Angola, Egypt, Senegal and Venezuela co-hosting. Next week, on 19 October, the...

  • October 2016

    Israel/Palestine

    Monthly Forecast

    In October, the Council is expected to hold its regular quarterly open debate on the Middle East, with a focus on Israel/Palestine. Also in October, an Arria-formula meeting will be co-hosted by five Council members—Angola, Egypt, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela—on illegal Israeli settlements.

  • Tomorrow (12 July), the Security Council will hold its quarterly open debate on the Middle East. The 1 July report of the Quartet, comprised of the UN, Russia, US and EU, is expected to feature prominently in the discussion. Council...

  • July 2016

    Israel/Palestine

    Monthly Forecast

    In July, the Council will hold its quarterly open debate on the Middle East with a focus on the situation in Israel/Palestine and the absence of a path toward a political solution. An outcome is unlikely.

  • Yesterday, 21 May, on the last day of their visiting mission, Security Council members met in Cairo with members of the League of Arab States (LAS) – the first “consultative meeting” between the two bodies. They also met with the...