Peace Is Good for Us; Peace Is Good for Everyone<\/strong><\/h4>\nRiyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, citing the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report, stressed:\u00a0\u201cFor the first time, in connection with the Â鶹APP, famine is in fact taking place in the Gaza Strip.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0He called this \u201ca crime against humanity that must be stopped\u201d, and urged large-scale food delivery through the Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u00a0(UNRWA), which \u201chas the capacity and the network in all corners of Gaza to do the job they have been doing for a long period of time\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mr.\u00a0Mansour also condemned Israel\u2019s new military campaign, saying: \u00a0\u201cThe Government of the occupying authority approved a dangerous plan to unleash massive military force to control completely all parts of Gaza\u201d. \u00a0He warned this would demolish Gaza City, forcibly displace half a million people and \u201cexpel them completely out of the Gaza Strip in the direction of Sinai\u201d.\u00a0 He further emphasized:\u00a0 \u201cWe all condemn such a plan, and we are united in demanding it be cancelled and not implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning to the situation in the West Bank, he decried Israel\u2019s settlement-expansion: \u00a0\u201cThe illegal approval of thousands of settlement units, known as the so-called E1 project around occupied East Jerusalem, and the annexation of significant portions of the West Bank must be condemned\u201d.\u00a0 The international community must respond with \u201cconsequences and accountability for the Israeli occupying authority\u201d.<\/p>\n
Turning to the International Conference co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, he said the outcome document and annex \u201creflect a peace plan in line with the historic opinion of the International Court of Justice, which characterized the occupation as illegal and demanded its termination\u201d. \u00a0He also urged all countries to endorse the outcome ahead of the September summit: \u00a0\u201cWe need to reach as many endorsements as possible before resumption of the International Conference\u201d.<\/p>\n
He concluded with urgent demands: \u00a0\u201cWhat we need is an immediate ceasefire, immediate and permanent.\u201d\u00a0He also highlighted that 14\u00a0Security Council members had already called for unimpeded humanitarian access and rejected Israel\u2019s military escalation. \u00a0\u201cPeace is good for us, peace is good for everyone, including the Israelis. \u00a0It would allow the release of hostages and prisoners, and within 15\u00a0months, make the two-State solution a reality on the ground,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n