U.N. Envoy Hints Iran Playing Spoiler in Gaza Ceasefire

The U.N. Special Coordinator to the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, hinted on Wednesday that Iran has been seeking to destabilize the Gaza border.

Referring to the still-fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Mladenov said, “There are forces out there that want to disrupt that agreement and push us all into the abyss of a confrontation.” The comment was made in reply to a reporter’s question at The Jerusalem Post annual diplomatic conference.

Mladenov added, “I am hoping that together we can overcome these forces.”

“What I have seen is that no one wants a war in Gaza now. It is going to be damaging for everyone,” he said.

“Egypt holds the key to the political process [to end the violence]. We have been working with the Egyptians for a couple of years. You [Israel] do not have a better partner anywhere in the Arab world than Egypt,” Mladenov said.

“There is a common understanding that going to war in Gaza now is against the interests of Israel, the Gaza people and against the [best] direction for the region,” Mladenov said.