Full text: UN Security Council brief: In 1 month Israeli forces invade Palestinian Territories 324 times, kidnap 162, dispossess 212, kill 4, injure 44; Palestinians fire 6 rockets - cause no injuries

Ma'an - Reporting period: 21 July- 17 August

-- For negotiations to succeed, it is crucial to maintain an enabling climate on the ground. Parties should adhere to their Roadmap commitments and obligations under international law.

-- We are hopeful that leaders on both sides will seize the opportunity and engage in a path of decisive progress towards a sustainable, mutually acceptable two-state solution, within a realistic time-frame. To support them in taking this step, we remain in close contact with Quartet partners to promote the start of meaningful direct negotiations as soon as possible.

-- We urge for the continuation of the settlement halt beyond its scheduled expiry and its extension to all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. Under the Roadmap, Israel is obligated to freeze all settlement activity, including natural growth, and dismantle outposts erected since March 2001.

-- The number of obstacles to movement throughout the West Bank remains over 500. Easing on movement and access should be expanded, including with regard to barrier-related obstacles.

-- Demolition or dismantlement of Palestinian-owned structures in Area C displaced or otherwise affected 212 people.

-- During the reporting period, Israeli security forces conducted 313 incursions in the West Bank, resulting in one Palestinian shot dead by Israeli soldiers on 22 July while he attempted to intrude into the settlement of Barkan. Overall, 15 Palestinians were injured and 162 Palestinians arrested, while 3 Israeli soldiers were also injured.

-- Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians amounted to 22 incidents, resulting in seven Palestinians injured and damages to property.

-- Without significant additional external financing, the Palestinian Authority will face a serious liquidity crisis in September and will have difficulty paying August salaries. Financing to date – USD 507 million – falls almost USD 200 million short of the budget.

-- Current initial estimates of donor commitments through 2010 suggest that the financing deficit will exceed USD 300 million.

-- The weekly average of imported truckloads entering Gaza has reached 1,006 – an almost 30 percent increase over the average from the last reporting period [780], and an 80 percent increase over the 2010 weekly average before the policy change [553].

-- While we welcome Israel’s recent approval of 11 United Nations construction projects in Gaza, we are nonetheless concerned about bottlenecks in project implementation if the current cumbersome procedures for approval and entry of materials are not streamlined. The Khan Younis housing project, approved at the time of the Quartet meeting on 19 March 2010, took 3 months to move from approval in principle to approval in practice.

-- During the reporting period, Palestinian militant groups fired six rockets and three mortars from Gaza into Israel, causing no injuries.

-- Israeli Security Forces conducted 11 air strikes and 11 incursions into Gaza, resulting in the death of three militants; two militants were injured as well as 22 civilians and 5 policemen.

-- Members of the Panel of Inquiry on the flotilla incident of 31 May, launched by the Secretary General, will meet together again in early September. They will strive to produce for the Secretary General an interim report on 15 September.

-- On Lebanon - Israel: Throughout the month, aerial over flights of Lebanon’s territory continued, almost daily, constituting a violation of resolution 1701 (2006) and of Lebanese sovereignty.