Thanks very much.
I very much agree that we can only have this “just and lasting peace”.... This is a nice phrase, but in practice, what does it mean and how do you get there? As was mentioned, this is the latest exacerbation and conflict, but this has been persisting for many years and decades, and it is painful for everyone. We obviously need to deal with the most urgent humanitarian needs—medicine, lifesaving interventions—instantly, but then we need to rebuild the foundations to get to that place where we do not have these conflicts take place at all. The only way you do that is to deal with the underlying causes and frustrations that happen.
I agree as well that the challenges.... If you look at the most recent conflict, you see we had some immediate causes like marches and violence in and around Al-Aqsa, but underlying that you had the Palestinian Authority cancel elections. They haven't had elections in the territories for 15 years. Everyone was registering to vote and excited. It's a young generation. They wanted to exercise their democratic rights, and the elections were cancelled. There was already considerable frustration on the ground there in situ.
Also, I'd say, on the Israeli side, they are still in the process of coalition formation after four elections in the last couple of years. It is a very difficult political environment in the region, and it's hard to build a framework, a foundation, without that more politically stable environment.