Aid agencies have accused to Middle East Quartet of not doing enough to bring peace to the region.
The Quartet - which comprises Russia, the US, the EU and the UN - and whose special envoy is former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is also criticised in a report for not making sufficient progress in improving the lives of Palestinians.
The report, entitled The Middle East Quartet: A Progress Reportwas published in New York on the eve of talks between the Quartet members to discuss the future of the Middle East peace process.
The report was compiled by a coalition of 21 aid agencies and human rights organisations, including Oxfam International, Save the Children UK, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, and World Vision Jerusalem.
It warns that areas the Quartet pledged to improve remain unchanged or have deteriorated since a major conference almost a year ago when the Annapolis Conference first set the goal of achieving a “two-state solution” as the way to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But the report says that since then the Quartet has “failed to hold the Israeli authorities to account” for the continued expansion of illegal settlements.
The group has spoken out about settlements 18 times but settlement expansion is accelerating, the report says, taking a “drastic” toll on Palestinian daily life.
It accuses the Quartet of having a “negligible” impact in its stated goal of improving Palestinians’ ability to move freely in their own territory, and failing to achieve a significant improvement in the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where 80% of the population remains wholly or partially dependent on aid.
Mr David Mepham, director of policy at Save the Children UK, said: “Today’s study shows that the Quartet has fundamentally failed to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground.
“Unless the Quartet’s words are matched by more sustained pressure and decisive action, the situation will deteriorate still further. Time is fast running out. The Quartet needs to radically revise its existing approach and show the people of the region that it can help make a difference.”
Daleep Mukarji, director of Christian Aid, said: “The Annapolis process was meant to herald a new dawn for the Middle East peace process. Nearly one year on, we are seeing exponential settlement growth, additional check-points and - because of this - further economic stagnation.
“The Quartet is losing its grip on the Middle East Peace Process.”