<\/p>\n
18 November 2024<\/p>\n
9787th Meeting (AM)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe current conditions are among the worst we\u2019ve seen during the entire war and are not set to improve,\u201d Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, warned the Security Council\u00a0during a meeting on ending the war in Gaza and Lebanon and securing durable peace in the Middle East, as Member States echoed the need for a ceasefire and voiced concern over developments that\u00a0jeopardize the two-State solution.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter over a year of horrific war and bloodshed, the region is at a grim crossroads,\u201d he said, outlining the ever-escalating situation in the Middle East, with the war between Hamas and Israel spreading to the region, involving non-State armed groups and now engulfing large swaths of Lebanon.\u00a0 \u201cWe are living a nightmare,\u201d he said, describing daily rocket fire from Lebanon towards northern and central Israel; massive Israeli air strikes across Lebanon and an Israeli ground operation in southern Lebanon; exchanges of missiles and strikes between Israel and Yemen, Iraq and Syria; and overt and direct military confrontations between Iran and Israel.<\/p>\n
The \u201cimmeasurable\u201d trauma and grief unleashed since Hamas\u2019s terrorist attacks inside Israel on 7\u00a0October\u00a02023 \u201cwill reverberate for generations and shape the region in ways we cannot yet fully comprehend\u201d, he stressed, reiterating his concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, particularly in the north, where the near-total displacement of the population is taking place \u201camidst what looks like a disturbing disregard for international humanitarian law\u201d.\u00a0 While humanitarian agencies in Gaza faced a challenging and dangerous environment, amid access restrictions and attacks, including by armed Palestinians, the occupied West Bank is \u201cstuck in a destructive spiral of violence and hopelessness\u201d, he went on, pointing to unabated and even accelerated settlement expansion, with some ministers openly calling for formal annexation in the coming months.<\/p>\n
Addressing Israel\u2019s laws against the Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)\u2019s operations, he said: \u00a0\u201cI must issue an urgent warning that the very institutional framework of support to the Palestinian people and Palestinian state are on the brink of dissolution, threatening to plunge the Occupied Palestinian Territory into even greater chaos.\u201d \u00a0\u201cHow much more misery can Israelis and Palestinians be expected to endure? \u00a0How much further can we bend the system of international laws and institutions meant to protect innocent civilians?\u201d he asked, adding: \u00a0\u201cFrankly, I don\u2019t have the answers, but I can tell you that what we are living now is the result of us testing all these breaking points for way too long.\u201d<\/p>\n
Against this grim backdrop, he called on the international community to change the present dangerous course of events, beginning with an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza. \u00a0In addition, he reiterated principles in need of urgent safeguarding, including for Gaza to remain an integral part of a future Palestinian State, for no long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza, and for Gaza and the West Bank to be politically, economically, administratively unified. \u00a0\u201cThere can be no long-term solution in Gaza that is not fundamentally political,\u201d he emphasized, calling on the international community to ensure that recovery and reconstruction needs in Gaza are addressed in the context of a political process that ensures tangible advancements towards a two-State solution and lasting peace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is nothing hidden about what Israel is doing in Gaza,\u201d declared the observer for the State of Palestine, pointing out that, 408\u00a0days into the conflict, \u201cno one can claim that civilians are not being killed on purpose, starved on purpose, forcibly displaced on purpose, terrorized on purpose, all part of an undeniable plan for the annexation of the land and annihilation of its people.\u201d \u00a0In this context, \u201cthe only question that matters now is: \u00a0Are you willing to do what is necessary to stop it?\u201d he stressed, underscoring that \u201cthere is only one course of action for this Security Council, if it is to retain any credibility \u2014 demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire under Chapter\u00a0VII of the Charter [of the Â鶹APP].\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are on the brink of total collapse of life in Gaza,\u201d he said, warning that justifying under any pretext harming civilians; the use of starvation as method of war; or depriving an entire people of medical care in a time of genocide will upend the fundamental rules elaborated to safeguard humanity. \u00a0Israel has declared war on the international rules-based order, with its attacks on the UN, its Secretary-General, Â鶹APP Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the International Criminal Court, he stressed, underscoring that \u201cGaza\u2019s fate will haunt the world for generations to come\u201d. \u00a0Therefore, he appealed to the Council to \u201cact now\u201d to protect civilians, recognize the State of Palestine, implement the International Court of Justice advisory opinion, and ensure respect for international legal obligations, starting with an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.<\/p>\n
However, Israel\u2019s delegate, spotlighting the kidnapping of hostage Yonatan Samihano by a \u201cmonster on the UN\u2019s payroll\u201d, questioned why today\u2019s meeting did not focus on the sponsorship of terrorism by UNRWA. \u00a0His country would never stop fighting to secure the freedom of Mr.\u00a0Samihano, who remained in Gaza along with 100 other Israeli hostages, he said, calling on the Council to condemn Hamas and demand their unconditional release.\u00a0 While his country continues to combat terrorism across Gaza, it is continuing its unrelenting efforts to facilitate humanitarian assistance, he said, highlighting the passage of 100\u00a0aid trucks through the border crossings at Kerem Shalom and Erez in the past six days. \u00a0However, the Council is ignoring the true cause of the humanitarian situation, which is \u201cHamas\u2019 violent greed\u201d, he went on, citing the looting at gunpoint by Hamas of 97\u00a0aid trucks in the past 48\u00a0hours.<\/p>\n
Week after week, Council members demonize Israel, exposing the blinding hatred behind their bias, he said, adding that his country is under attack on seven fronts. \u00a0Iran, through its sponsorship of terror, was the \u201ccommon thread\u201d through all crises in the Middle East, he said, calling for a \u201ccoalition of the courageous\u201d to counter the existential threat posed by its nuclear ambitions. \u00a0The resolution put forth by the 10\u00a0elected Council members, slated for a vote on 19\u00a0November, fails to outline the release of the hostages as a condition for a ceasefire, he said, adding: \u00a0\u201cHistory will remember who stood with us and who allowed terror to flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the ensuing debate, which included ministers and other high-level representatives, delegates echoed the Special Coordinator\u2019s calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages, including Malta, Slovenia and Switzerland\u2019s Ignazio Cassis, Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, who condemned Israel\u2019s destruction of a residential building in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, causing numerous civilian casualties, including children, as well as incessant rocket fire by Hamas on Israel.<\/p>\n
Algeria\u2019s representative was among several speakers urging the Council to adopt the resolution submitted by its elected members, aimed at halting the ongoing tragedy by imposing a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.\u00a0 Admitting Palestine as a full member of the UN reinforces international law, stressing that \u201cthe cost of silence and inaction is steep\u201d.<\/p>\n
Also highlighting the need for a universal recognition of the State of Palestine and its full admission as a member of the Â鶹APP, the delegate of Sierra Leone underscored that such recognition is a prerequisite for the Palestinian Authority to progressively assume its security and governance responsibilities in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.\u00a0 On the political front, he also cited the Arab League Initiative, which calls on all Member States \u2014 especially those in the region \u2014 to accept Israel as a neighbour living in peace and security in the context of a comprehensive settlement, and normalization of relations void of violent extremism, provocation and incitement.<\/p>\n
David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom and Council President for November, was among several speakers drawing attention to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where \u201cfamine is imminent\u201d, with just 37\u00a0humanitarian trucks entering the Gaza Strip each day in October \u2014 the lowest average in the last year.\u00a0 In northern Gaza, the situation \u201cis a nightmare of disease, destruction and despair\u201d, while over 300\u00a0aid workers have been killed, the highest number in UN history, amongst them three British nationals, he said.\u00a0 \u201cWe must bring this multi-front conflict to an end,\u201d he stressed, underscoring the need for the international community to give the people of the West Bank and Gaza a credible, irreversible pathway to a Palestinian State.<\/p>\n
Also voicing support for a two-State solution, Fujii Hisayuki, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, highlighted several initiatives led by his country under \u201cCorridor for Peace and Prosperity\u201d, which promotes regional cooperation by establishing an agro-industrial park on the West Bank.<\/p>\n
Many speakers, including those from the Republic of Korea and Mozambique, voiced concern over Israel\u2019s ongoing actions that jeopardize the two-State solution, with the latter calling for an end to that country\u2019s policy of land grabbing and occupation. \u00a0\u201cIllegal settlements are totally contrary to the notion and spirit of a two-State solution,\u201d he stressed, adding that such actions belong to the ideology of one-State solution \u2014 one that the Council does not embrace, and which contravenes General Assembly and Council resolutions as well as International Court of Justice orders and rulings.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, several Council members, including Ecuador and Guyana, underscored the need to end the war in Lebanon and for attacks on UNIFIL personnel to cease, with France\u2019s delegate echoing calls for full implementation of Council resolution 1701 (2006). \u00a0This is the framework recognized by all, and is more relevant than ever, he stressed, noting that the Paris conference of 24\u00a0October made it possible to mobilize $200\u00a0million to strengthen international support for the deployment of Lebanese armed forces south of the Litani River.<\/p>\n
On that, Lebanon\u2019s delegate, speaking for the Arab Group, deplored Israel\u2019s attacks on his country, which have killed civilians, internally displaced 1.2\u00a0million Lebanese people, targeted UN Education Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage sites, and led to losses of $8.5\u00a0billion, he said. \u00a0No single country could bear such a burden, let alone his, which has been beset by crises, he said, urging the Council to stop that country\u2019s aggression.\u00a0As well, he urged the 15-member organ to establish a Commission of Inquiry to investigate crimes perpetrated in Gaza.<\/p>\n
For his part, China\u2019s delegate singled out the United States for the Council\u2019s failure to discharge its duties on the Gaza issue, pointing out that it would not have been so \u201cweak and incompetent\u201d if it had not been for the repeated exercise of the veto by Washington, D.C.\u00a0 Moreover, had it not been for that country\u2019s weapons supplies, the war would not have lasted for so long, he added, underscoring the need for Israel to \u201clet go of its obsession with the use of force\u201d, and stop supressing UNRWA.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the Russian Federation\u2019s delegate pointed out that\u00a0the international community has been unable to take effective measures to stop the violence \u201cdue to the opposition of one State that deems itself the leader of the Western world\u201d. \u00a0Condemning \u201cthe vortex of instability\u201d in the Middle East and narratives presenting one side as barbarians and the other as an innocent victim of terrorism, he noted that Western delegations try \u201cto start the clock of the Middle Eastern conflict from 7\u00a0October\u00a02023, as if peace reigned in the region before that\u201d.\u00a07\u00a0October\u00a02023 as the \u201cday zero\u201d of the conflict is a handy version concealing the root of the\u00a0brutal tragedy: \u00a0the United Kingdom\u2019s unprincipled policy regarding Mandate Palestine and crass political engineering regarding Arabs and Jews, he said, pointing out that the United States and United Kingdom gave Israel a license to kill the Palestinian population, while UNIFIL peacekeepers face daily threats to their lives deliberately posed by the Israeli military.<\/p>\n
For its part, the United States\u2019 delegate highlighted her country\u2019s leadership and resolve in pursuing several clear objectives, including bringing the war in Gaza to an end by securing the release of hostages and surging aid for Palestinians.\u00a0 In that context, she stated that her Government has pressed Israel to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza, pointing to progress in implementing 12 out of 15\u00a0outlined steps.<\/p>\n
While Israel has achieved its goals, which included eliminating the leadership responsible for the 7\u00a0October\u00a02023 attacks, Hamas has refused to engage in proposals over the past eight weeks, despite public claims to the contrary, she said. \u00a0Further, Council members should speak in favour of diplomatic efforts to bring about a durable end to the fighting, rather than call for an unconditional ceasefire, \u201cwhich Iran and its proxies have no intention of honouring\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n
The meeting was suspended at 1:30\u00a0p.m., to be resumed on 18\u00a0November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
18 November 2024 9787th Meeting (AM) Delegates Also Stress Importance of Hostage Release, Relations Devoid of Violent Extremism \u201cThe current conditions are among the worst we\u2019ve seen during the entire war and are not set to improve,\u201d Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, warned the Security Council\u00a0during a meeting on […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329],"document-source":[1362],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2517,1769,2265,2005,1741,1745,6771],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-303489","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-source-security-council","document-subject-access-and-movement","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-ceasefire","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","document-subject-two-state-solution","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/303489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/303489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":303495,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/303489\/revisions\/303495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=303489"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=303489"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=303489"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=303489"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=303489"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=303489"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=303489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}