The rejection of a two-state solution will indefinitely prolong the onslaught on Gaza, which is threatening global peace and emboldening anti-Western armed groups everywhere, the UN chief has said, Al Jazeera reports.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council, “The right of the Palestinian people to build their own fully independent state must be recognised by all — and a refusal to accept the two-state solution by any party must be firmly rejected.”

The alternative of a one-state solution “with such a large number of Palestinians inside without any real sense of freedom, rights and dignity … will be inconceivable”.

Risks of regional escalation “are now becoming a reality”. Guterres urged all parties “to step back from the brink and consider the horrendous costs” of a wider conflict.