Gaza ceasefire closer than a week ago, says top UN humanitarian diplomat Tom Fletcher

Just one week after the US vetoed for a sixth time a UN-backed resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, a top UN diplomat has told The National that he believes the prospects for peace are closer now than ever.

“I think we are [closer to a ceasefire],” under secretary general for humanitarian affairs Tom Fletcher said in an interview.

“I think we're hearing much more clearly from the world: enough.”

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His remarks echoed comments earlier in the day from US President Donald Trump who told reporters outside the White House he thinks “we have a deal” on Gaza. Speaking from his offices at the UN headquarters in New York, Mr Fletcher said that his back-to-back meetings and conversations with regional diplomats had taken on an unexpected energy.

“I think a lot of people would have come into this week thinking diplomacy doesn't really matter. It's a more transactional sort of strong man surviving the fittest world,” he said. But “the bilateral [President Trump] had with the secretary general, where they focused on working together for peace … I think that has put energy through the system, and … voltage electricity through the peacemaking efforts", he added.

He was speaking just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on the floor of the UN sent many diplomats rushing for the exits.

“He’s made it very, very clear that [a two-state solution] is not part of his plan, or certainly not the plan of this current Israeli cabinet,” Mr Fletcher said. “But I think it is a plan of the global, international community.”

In a rare rebuke to Mr Netanyahu’s government, Mr Trump told reporters on Thursday that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Asked if he believed Mr Trump can keep his word, Mr Fletcher said he was confident.

“President Trump has a lot of clout,” he said. “He's the President of the United States. He's someone who has shown that he will pick up the phone, use the muscle, use the persuasion of the US to get stuff done. And we’re seeing positive results of that.”