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Saturday, September 24, 2016
Statement by the Quartet's Principals

Statement by the Quartet's Principals
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 23, 2016
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2016/09/262344.htm


The following is the text of the Statement by the Quartet's Principals.

Begin Text

Representatives of the Quartet — United Nations Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, United States Secretary of
State John Kerry and European Union High Representative for Common Foreign
and Security Policy Federica Mogherini — met in New York on 23 September.

The Quartet Principals were joined by the Foreign Ministers of Egypt and
France during the second part of the meeting to brief on their work to
support Middle East peace. All agreed on the importance of close and
continuing coordination of all efforts to achieve the common goal of the
two-state solution.

The Quartet reiterated its call on the parties to implement the
recommendations of the Quartet Report of 1 July 2016, and create the
conditions for the resumption of meaningful negotiations that will end the
occupation that began in 1967 and resolve all final status issues.

The Quartet recalled its findings from the Quartet Report and expressed
concern about recent actions on the ground that run counter to its
recommendations. In particular:

The Quartet emphasized its strong opposition to ongoing settlement activity,
which is an obstacle to peace, and expressed its grave concern that the
acceleration of settlement construction and expansion in Area C and East
Jerusalem, including the retroactive “legalization” of existing units, and
the continued high rate of demolitions of Palestinian structures, are
steadily eroding the viability of the two state solution.

The Quartet expressed serious concern for the continuing dire humanitarian
situation in Gaza, exacerbated by the closures of the crossings as well as
for the illicit arms build-up and activity by militant Palestinian groups,
including rockets fired towards Israel, which increase the risk of renewed
conflict. In addition, advancing Palestinian national unity on the basis of
the PLO platform and Quartet principles remains a priority.

The Quartet condemned the recent resurgence of violence and called on all
sides to take all necessary steps to de-escalate tensions by exercising
restraint, preventing incitement, refraining from provocative actions and
rhetoric, and protecting the lives and property of all civilians.

The Quartet stressed the growing urgency of taking affirmative steps to
reverse these trends in order to prevent entrenching a one-state reality of
perpetual occupation and conflict that is incompatible with realizing the
national aspirations of both peoples.

The Quartet acknowledged certain practical steps and agreements by Israel
and the Palestinian Authority that could improve conditions for the
Palestinian people, while stressing the importance of full and timely
implementation. The Quartet also noted the importance of a political horizon
and reiterated its call for significant policy shifts consistent with the
transition to greater Palestinian civil authority contemplated by prior
agreements and called for in the Quartet Report.

The Quartet underlined its commitment to achieving a negotiated,
comprehensive, just and enduring resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict on the basis of United Nations Security Council resolutions 242
(1967) and 338 (1973).

The Quartet expressed appreciation for the efforts of the United Nations
Special Coordinator. It directed the Quartet Envoys to continue engaging
with the parties and key stakeholders and to keep the Principals apprised on
implementation of the Report’s recommendations.

End Text

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