UNITED NATIONS, May 26: A senior UN official warned on Thursday that unilateral actions in the occupied Palestinian territory cannot work, referring to the recent statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

“Unilateral moves simply cannot resolve issues such as the border between Israel and a future Palestinian state, which must be mutually agreed,” Ibrahim Gambari, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told the UN Security Council in a briefing.

But he noted that Hamas’s takeover of the Palestinian Authority, factional rivalries in Gaza and the new Israeli government have produced a fresh set of challenges and opportunities.

According to Palestinian officials, 45 Palestinians have been killed this month and 180 have been injured.

“This strife, notably in Gaza, has now reached worrying proportions,” Mr Gambari said.