Tor Wennesland, the veteran Norwegian diplomat is stepping down from his role as UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, after spending decades trying to improve relations across the region.
In an interview with UN News Wennesland says the war in Gaza represents “the biggest stress test” the UN has faced in its work to forge greater peace and a two-State solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
More than a year into the conflict, “we are at the point where diplomacy has failed in the situation where the geopolitics is superbly difficult,” said
Veteran of the Oslo agreement
Tor Wennesland was appointed Special Coordinator 1 December 2020. A career diplomat who joined the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1983, Mr. Wennesland was Norway’s Special Representative to the Middle East Peace. He was Adviser on the Middle East Desk in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the process that led to the Oslo II Agreement in 1994.
“I have abused the patience of my family for more than 15 to 20 years on this file, and at a certain point in time you have to take a decision on how long you’re going to continue,” he said.
Mr. Wennesland continues to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and humanitarians access to people on the ground.
He believes that peace is still possible between Israelis and Palestinians, and the two-State solution, in line with UN Security Council resolutions, remains viable despite attempts to undermine it.
“All we had done before under different circumstances – and I’ve been working on this file since Oslo II was signed – we had difficulties, we had bad times, but this time it was like an avalanche and it was hitting everybody by surprise,” Wennesland says. “This was the biggest stress test the UN has been exposed to on this file ever, so we needed to patch up our capacity and see what to do and see how to move forward.”
Wennesland says he is convinced that the peace process, including the two-State solution, can be revived
“Absolutely. And there is nobody – and I have had a huge outreach in my job here now – there is nobody who is defining it differently except from those who would like to kill it, and we have that happening as we speak.
Now we have an outright drive to dismantle the institutional structures of what was to become a Palestinian State, and it’s happening with a speed and a drive that I haven’t seen before.”
Poker game
Wennesland says that not only is Gaza going through horrific times and the Occupied territories suffering, but Israel too.
“We should not forget that Israel is crumbling as well as a result of this. The Israeli economy is going down and there are tensions in Israel that I have never seen in all my period of work here that are now playing out in front of our eyes.
The veteran diplomat is concerned with the fate of Palestinian youth.
“The Palestinian population is a very young population. If we cannot offer any way out, there are others that will start recruiting,” Wenneland points out.
“We are playing a poker game with a young generation that without any perspective on solutions, can find other ways to get an outlet for their frustration. That is very dangerous, and it’s dangerous for all. And it’s not only here. It is dangerous.
