It is hard to exaggerate the gravity of the situation today in Gaza and now in the Lebanon.

…[we must first] recognise why Hamas invaded from Gaza on 7 October 2023.  Scarcely three weeks before, there had been a review of the success of the Abraham Accords whereby the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco had pursued peaceful negotiations with Israel…. Hamas had one single major objective – to destroy those Accords. They must not be allowed to succeed.

Now the basic conflict has opened up a new front between Hezbollah and Israel involving Lebanon.

Active conventional diplomacy led by the US over many months has failed here as in Gaza.

The UN now has  two specific tasks.

First, it should .. back the approach involved in the Abraham Accords

Second, it  should urgently despatch a well-equipped force to hold both sides of the border between Lebanon and Israel. It should be manned by troops from countries who own and have experience of handling ground to air missiles and be authorized to use them.

This is an abridged version of Lord Owen’s full statement which you can read here