<\/p>\n
25 March 2024<\/p>\n
9794th Meeting (AM)<\/p>\n
Meeting on the heels of yet another thwarted attempt to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza, the Security Council heard a last time from Tor Wennesland, outgoing Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, who voiced deep frustration over the failure of combined efforts to broker a ceasefire, and urged Council members and Member States to guard against the \u201cunravelling of decades\u201d of hard-fought\u00a0multilateralism.<\/p>\n
He noted in particular the frameworks put in place in 1967 and 1973, when the 15-nation organ adopted the resolutions aimed at laying the foundations for a just and lasting peace.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs winter approaches, the horror in Gaza continues to grind on with no end in sight,\u201d Mr.\u00a0Wennesland said, in a statement delivered by Muhannad Hadi, Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.\u00a0 The treacherous dynamics described a week ago by\u00a0Mr.\u00a0Wennesland\u00a0continue to unfold in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and the broader region.\u00a0 \u201cRegrettably, the situation remains grave across the region,\u201d he said, outlining continuing Israeli military operations across the Blue Line with Lebanon and \u201ca barrage of rockets\u201d fired by Hizbullah towards Israel this weekend.\u00a0 As well, he welcomed ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a cessation of hostilities, recalling that, in over 13\u00a0months of conflict since Hamas\u2019s attacks inside Israel in October\u00a02023, some 44,000\u00a0Palestinians and 1,700\u00a0Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed.<\/p>\n
Against this backdrop, he urged the parties to accept a ceasefire anchored in the full implementation of Council resolution 1701\u00a0(2006). \u00a0He also reiterated key principles that would lay the groundwork for a viable, sustainable political future for Israelis and Palestinians, renewing the Â鶹APP\u2019 call for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and the de-escalation of regional tensions. \u00a0Further, he repeated his demand for immediate steps to improve humanitarian aid delivery, \u201cwhich is failing to meet even the most basic needs of Gaza\u2019s population\u201d and called for political and security frameworks that would advance a resolution to the conflict, ending the occupation, and achieving a two-State solution.<\/p>\n
As 101\u00a0Israelis remain in horrific conditions in Gaza, in recent weeks, \u201cmass casualty incidents\u201d are occurring with alarming frequency amid the\u00a0Israel Defense Forces\u2019 (IDF)\u00a0devastating intensification of operations in North Gaza, he said.\u00a0 Among other incidents, he cited the killing of 36\u00a0Palestinians \u2014 including women and children \u2014 on 10\u00a0November when a multi-story building was hit in Jabalya Al Balad and the killing of 65\u00a0Palestinians when two\u00a0Israeli airstrikes hit buildings hosting internally displaced persons in Beit Lahiya. \u00a0\u201cThese are but a small fraction of the deadly incidents that have occurred in recent weeks,\u201d he stressed, also recounting displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure \u201con top of the daily carnage\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cRepeated evacuation orders issued by the IDF have triggered over 100,000\u00a0people to be displaced from North Gaza southward,\u201d since the recommencement of ground operations by Israeli forces on 6\u00a0October, he went on, stating that the resulting influx into Gaza City and surroundings has swelled the population to some 375,000\u00a0people, with only an estimated 75,000\u00a0remaining in North Gaza.\u00a0Citing the daily struggle and risk of accessing humanitarian aid, amid violent looting of supplies by armed Palestinians, he called for the restoration of law and order and urged Israel to fulfil its obligations to facilitate the rapid, unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief into and throughout Gaza, noting that it is \u201cdeplorably inadequate to meet the overwhelming needs of the population\u201d.<\/p>\n
He also condemned the widespread killing and injury of civilians in Gaza and the endless displacement of the population, and voiced concern over a long-term reduction in Palestinian territory, due to the apparent creation of buffer zones in North Gaza.\u00a0 As well, he voiced concern over the increasingly dangerous dynamics unfolding in the occupied West Bank, with violence at alarming levels, citing the killing of 32\u00a0Palestinians during the reporting period, and the Israeli Government\u2019s unrelenting advancement of settlements and its policy of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures, amid open calls by Israeli ministers for the annexation of the occupied West Bank.\u00a0 \u201cI reiterate that annexation constitutes a violation of international law and must be firmly rejected,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He went on to relay a few \u201cfinal reflections\u201d on behalf of Special Coordinator Wennesland, who stressed, \u201cAmidst the unimaginable horror of the past more than one\u00a0year, I fear that even after the guns fall silent, we will have lost hope for a better future\u201d and decades of hard-fought gains for institutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis war, this genocide, is transforming the Middle East for generations to come, with the gravest implications for our region and the world,\u201d said the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, warning that \u201cthis fire will devour everything on its path if it is not urgently stopped\u201d.\u00a0 In this context, he emphasized that every Member State \u201chas a decisive choice to make, whether to defend the rule of international law and the common institutions of humankind or to defend the massacres perpetrated by this Israeli government\u201d. \u00a0To those politicians who have difficulties making the right and evident choice, he said, \u201cOur children should not be sacrificed for the sake of your political calculations and ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ICC [International Criminal Court], the ICJ [International Court of Justice], this Council and the General Assembly, the Secretary-General and the Â鶹APP are not anti-Semitic, and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu\u2019s efforts to frame efforts to uphold international law as anti-Semitic must be firmly rebuked,\u201d he stressed.\u00a0 Addressing \u201cthe mighty Security Council,\u201d he said, \u201cYou must act now to restore primacy to international law, to the humanitarian and human rights laws that Israel is shredding to the detriment of all.\u201d\u00a0 The Israeli war machine must be stopped in Palestine and Lebanon, he said, calling on the international community to undertake \u201cdecisive actions\u201d to uphold UN resolutions and International Court of Justice rulings. \u00a0\u201cSurrender is not an option,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Countering that, Israel\u2019s delegate asked, \u201cWhen will you address Hamas in your speeches?\u201d \u00a0Calling for accountability for the recent \u201cbarbaric\u201d kidnapping and murder of rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates, he called on the Council to \u201cface the reality of who the true aggressors are\u201d, pointing out that while his Government is moving towards a ceasefire in Lebanon, in the past 24\u00a0hours, Hizbullah has launched 500\u00a0rockets towards Israel in its continued attempts to commit mass murder. \u00a0Taking aim at the International Criminal Court\u2019s issuance in recent days of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, he rejected the suggestion that democratically elected leaders \u201cacting in defence of Israel following the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust\u201d should be placed alongside an \u201carch-terrorist\u201d, Hamas leader Mohammed Deif.<\/p>\n
Asserting that his country is not a party to the Rome Statute, he stated that the Court ought to be named the \u201cInternational Circus Court\u201d for its \u201cdiplomatic terrorism\u201d. \u00a0To his Palestinian counterpart, he said, \u201cYou come [to the Council] with venom and blame\u201d, stating that his speeches justified Hamas and lacked tangible solutions to improve Palestinian lives. \u00a0Last week\u2019s attempted ceasefire resolution was a near-historic mistake due to its abandonment of the hostages, he said, adding that his Government would never stop fighting for their release.<\/p>\n
In a further exchange of words, the speaker for the State of Palestine asserted that Israel is not listening even to countries that support it, citing the support voiced for the International Criminal Court by its European Union members.\u00a0To Israel\u2019s delegate, he responded: \u00a0\u201cYou listen to the noise in your head, but you don\u2019t listen to the distinguished members of the Security Council,\u201d some of whom are in solidarity with Israel \u2014 citing their calls for an end to the war crimes, and the killing and starvation of the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n
In the ensuing debate, many delegates voiced regret over the 2\u00a0November draft resolution put forth by the 10\u00a0elected Council members and vetoed by the United States delegation, with the speaker for that country stressing that the Council is obliged \u201cnot to let Hamas off the hook\u201d for the misery, death and destruction it sparked 13\u00a0months ago.\u00a0He therefore called for pressure to be increased on the group to ensure implementation of Council resolution 2735\u00a0(2024), stressing that only then will it be possible to \u201cchart a new path forward in Gaza that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives free from Hamas\u2019 tyranny\u201d.<\/p>\n
He also joined many other speakers, including those from Malta, China, Algeria and Switzerland, in voicing his opposition to proposals to annex the West Bank or construct Israeli settlements in Gaza, adding that, if implemented, such actions would be inconsistent with international law and create new obstacles to Israel\u2019s full integration into the region.\u00a0Voicing concern over an uptick in extremist settler violence in the West Bank, he cited recent attacks by extremist settlers on Palestinians in Jurat Al Khiel, near Hebron, where they damaged property, assaulted civilians and released dogs on residents.<\/p>\n
Such attacks are also preventing Palestinians from harvesting their olive crops, he said, underscoring that Israel\u2019s Government must deter extremist settler violence, including through intervening in, preventing and stopping attacks.\u00a0 In this context, he cited his Government\u2019s imposition of sanctions on 17\u00a0individuals and 16\u00a0entities for their actions in the West Bank, including Amana, the largest organization involved in settlement and illegal outpost development there.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the United Kingdom\u2019s representative, Council President for November, also announced three\u00a0tranches of sanctions targeting illegal settler outposts and organizations that have supported and sponsored violence against communities in the West Bank.\u00a0 Voicing concern over the instability and dire economic situation there, she urged Israel to extend correspondent banking relations for at least one\u00a0year, immediately release withheld clearance revenues and stop settlement expansion on Palestinian land, which is illegal under international law and undermines prospects for peace.<\/p>\n
Among delegates voicing regret over the failed ceasefire measure were the speakers from the Republic of Korea, Guyana and Malta, with the latter emphasizing that the text represented \u201cthe bare minimum of what is needed to begin to address the desperate situation on the ground\u201d.\u00a0 Also urging rapid de-escalation and full recommitment to diplomacy, he stated that an effective political framework must be accompanied with support for a revitalized Palestinian Authority \u2014 an appeal also made by other delegations \u2014 which integrates Gaza and the West Bank and includes a sustainable recovery plan for Gaza.<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s delegate was among a handful of delegations underscoring the Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u2019s (UNRWA) crucial role in humanitarian operations, warning that Israel\u2019s Knesset\u2019s recent bills targeting the Agency would have a devastating impact on UNRWA and those who depend on it.\u00a0 While calling for a concerted international effort to avoid the implementation of those measures, he underscored that UNRWA should take steps to ensure its neutrality.<\/p>\n
Slovenia\u2019s representative, reiterating the need to respect international law, emphasized, \u201cInternational law is not a menu to choose from and it should know no double standards.\u201d\u00a0 Voicing support for the International Criminal Court, she called for its decisions and advice to be respected, including arrest warrants, adding:\u00a0\u201cWe built this system to serve humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Algeria\u2019s representative, pointing out that the Middle East is at a crossroads, whereby either international law is upheld or might and impunity prevail, also underscored the need for accountability.\u00a0Israel must be held accountable, including at the International Criminal Court, otherwise, it will be emboldened to continue its aggression, he stressed, pointing out that the country\u2019s authorities prefer to boast about, rather than hide, their \u201cdespicable, racist project\u201d.\u00a0 Nonetheless, the Council\u2019s hands have unfortunately been tied, being unable to put in place an immediate, permanent ceasefire, he said, adding that this raises questions about the point of international law.<\/p>\n
In a similar vein, China\u2019s delegate, pointing to the Council\u2019s paralysis amid a \u201cwar machine going at full throttle\u201d, said:\u00a0 \u201cInsisting on preconditions for a ceasefire means condoning the continued killing of innocent civilians and giving the greenlight for prolonging the war.\u201d\u00a0 He called on an \u201cindividual country\u201d to face up squarely to its responsibility and support the Council in \u201cusing all options in the toolbox\u201d to secure an immediate ceasefire and restore peace.<\/p>\n
The Russian Federation\u2019s representative also took aim at that country, stating that, having received carte blanche from Washington, Israel has been knowingly worsening the situation since October last year.\u00a0 Its gross violations of international humanitarian law constitute a tactic, he said, pointing to the obstruction of humanitarian operations in Gaza by Israeli authorities.\u00a0 \u201cThe Israeli authorities are planning for a Gaza empty of Palestinians,\u201d he stressed, calling for the fulfilment of a two-State solution, a call also echoed by the delegates of Ecuador and Switzerland, with the latter warning against measures that would introduce permanent changes, notably demographic and administrative, both in Gaza and in the West Bank.<\/p>\n
France\u2019s delegate, also voicing support for a two-State solution, emphasized that the Palestinian Authority must have a central role.\u00a0 As well, he called for Council resolutions to be fully implemented and for the obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza to be lifted without delay.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Mozambique\u2019s representative underscored the need for more diplomatic action, a point echoed by Sierra Leone\u2019s representative, who said his delegation looked forward to the urgent resumption of the diplomatic negotiations facilitated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"