New York (UNA/WAFA) – The UN Security Council held a ministerial meeting on Tuesday evening on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue.
The meeting was chaired by the French Foreign Minister, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Council this month, and was attended by the UN Secretary-General.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the two-state solution is in danger of fading into oblivion, and political commitment to this long-term goal is more distant than ever.
Guterres added that the Middle East is undergoing fundamental transformations, marked by violence and volatility, but also by opportunities and potential. He stated that people across the Middle East are demanding the better future they deserve, rather than endless conflict and suffering.
He stressed the need to work collectively to ensure that this turbulent and transitional period meets their aspirations and achieves justice, dignity, rights, security, and lasting peace.
He said that this begins with recognizing two fundamental truths: First, that the region stands at a crossroads in history, and second, that true and sustainable peace in the Middle East depends on a fundamental issue that the Security Council has repeatedly affirmed over decades and years: the two-state solution.
The Secretary-General warned that the two-state solution is approaching the point of no return, and that the legitimate national aspirations of Palestinians have been denied while they endure Israel's continued presence, which the International Court of Justice has ruled is illegal.
He added, "The world cannot stand idly by and watch the two-state solution disappear. Political leaders face clear choices: silence, acquiescence, or action."
The Secretary-General issued a clear and urgent appeal to Member States to take irreversible steps towards implementing the two-state solution and not to allow extremists on any side to undermine what remains of the peace process.
He explained that the high-level conference (on the two-state solution), to be held next June, co-chaired by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represents an important opportunity to galvanize international support.
He urged Member States to think creatively about the concrete steps they would take to support a viable two-state solution before it is too late.
He said that since October 2023, XNUMX, the situation has worsened on all fronts, warning that there appears to be no end in sight to the killing and misery in Gaza.
Guterres continued, saying that the ceasefire had brought a glimmer of hope, but that those opportunities faded with the collapse of the ceasefire on March 18. Since then, nearly XNUMX Palestinians have been killed in Gaza due to Israeli airstrikes, including women, children, journalists, and humanitarian workers.
The Secretary-General explained that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip “has gone from bad to worse, to unimaginable,” noting that Israel, for nearly two months, has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine, and commercial supplies, depriving more than two million people of life-saving relief, “all while the world watches.”
He expressed concern about statements made by Israeli government officials regarding the use of humanitarian aid as a tool for military pressure, stressing that "aid is non-negotiable."
Guterres spoke about the occupation's aggression in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where Israel is using heavy weapons in residential areas, along with forced displacement, demolitions, movement restrictions, and settlement expansion, significantly altering demographic and geographic realities.
He also addressed the advisory proceedings currently underway at the International Court of Justice regarding Israel's obligations, as an occupying power and a member of the United Nations, with regard to the presence and activities of the United Nations in and related to the occupied Palestinian territory.
He said that the UN Legal Counsel had submitted a written statement on his behalf to the court in February and had delivered an oral statement to the court yesterday, Monday.
The Secretary-General explained that Israel, as an occupying power, is obligated to ensure the provision of food and medical supplies to the population, and to respect and protect humanitarian and medical personnel and United Nations personnel.
He stressed the need to respect, under international law, the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its personnel, including the absolute inviolability of United Nations premises, property, and assets, and the legal immunity of the United Nations, noting that this immunity applies to all United Nations entities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including UNRWA.
For his part, Minister Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, said that starvation is being used as a weapon of war against an entire civilian population, which continues to be subjected to relentless bombardment.
Mansour added in his speech that the Security Council adopted binding resolutions with clear objectives: to end the bloodshed, ensure humanitarian access to those most in need, release hostages and detainees, prevent forced displacement and any attempts at annexation of territory, and achieve a two-state solution. He pointed out that the world united behind these objectives, but the reality today is a declared punitive blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza, depriving two million Palestinians, half of whom are children, of food, water, medicine, electricity, and all other basic necessities of life, while they endure inhumane and unbearable conditions.
“There is no shortage of bombs falling on Gaza, but there is a shortage of everything else,” he said, adding that plans for forced displacement and annexation are well underway, and Israeli leaders no longer feel the need to hide their nefarious intentions.
Mansour stressed, "We cannot surrender to this situation. We must put an end to it. An immediate ceasefire must be resumed, and all its objectives must be achieved."
He expressed his hope that the United States, Egypt, and Qatar—with the support of the entire international community—would be able to secure a return to a ceasefire in order to begin putting an end to all this suffering.
Mansour said, "There is a way out of this nightmare, and that is in everyone's interest. President Mahmoud Abbas, in his speech to the PLO Central Council, made it clear that we want peace, not just for ourselves, but for everyone. We are committed to the rule of international law, and we want to see international law prevail. We believe that the peaceful approach is the one that will achieve the rights of our people, and there is no justification for harming civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli."
He continued: “At the same meeting, the PLO Central Council created the position of Vice President of the PLO and the State of Palestine, to be held by Mr. Hussein al-Sheikh. I was supposed to attend the Central Council meeting in Ramallah, but after being detained for five hours by Israel, I was denied entry to the country I proudly represent here. I am a Palestinian born in Palestine to Palestinian parents, and I am barred from entering my country. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the collective punishment imposed on all Palestinians, and of the denial of our existence and our rights as a nation and as individuals.”
He continued: “On the one hand, there is a Palestinian leadership committed to nonviolence, and on the other, an Israeli leadership that unleashes the worst forms of violence against entire civilian populations. There is a Palestinian leadership clearly and unequivocally committed to the two-state solution, and an Israeli leadership that seeks to destroy that solution. There is a Palestinian leadership that shows restraint and acts responsibly, and an Israeli leadership with populist and extremist views that dictate its actions. On the one hand, there is a Palestinian leadership committed to international law and in line with the international consensus, while there is an Israeli leadership that believes that the rules depend on the identity of the victims and the identity of the perpetrators, seeks impunity for its crimes, and considers our very existence a crime. There is a Palestinian leadership that has consistently responded to demands for reform, while an Israeli leadership has categorically rejected change. There is a Palestinian leadership committed to the simple yet fundamental idea of live and let live, while there is an Israeli leadership that believes that the existence of one people requires the elimination of another.”
He said, "The international community has long been determined that there are not so many peoples in the Middle East, but there is one incomplete independent state, namely the independent state of Palestine."
He added, "There are solutions for those who are not looking for excuses to prolong the war and the unbearable human suffering. There are solutions whereby Hamas does not return to governing Gaza, and whereby transitional governing arrangements are put in place that pave the way for the Palestinian Authority to assume full responsibilities in the Gaza Strip. There are solutions to rebuild what Israel has destroyed in Gaza, without displacing its population. There are solutions to end this illegal occupation and conflict and to usher in an era of peace, security, and shared prosperity."
In this regard, Mansour said, “Arab countries have demonstrated leadership that has been internationally acclaimed, with Egypt and Qatar mediating a ceasefire. Arab countries such as Jordan and Egypt have been at the forefront of providing humanitarian aid. We must not forget the responsible roles played by Algeria and the UAE in this Council over the past two years, nor the leadership role played by Saudi Arabia as chair of the Arab-Islamic Committee, as co-chair of the Global Alliance with Norway and the European Union, and as co-chair of the June peace conference with France.”
He explained that international partners welcomed these initiatives, joined them, contributed to them, and helped advance them toward achieving a just and lasting peace, adding, "The international momentum has never been stronger than it is today to confront a grim reality that has never been darker. We see this momentum here in the Council, in the General Assembly, and in the International Court of Justice. All are determined to defend international law and end this painful and historic injustice."
He said: “As the June conference on a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution approaches, we call on all countries to do everything in their power to respect international law, support our right to self-determination, and save peace.”
He also called on states that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to do so without delay, as a clear signal that they will not tolerate the sabotage of the two-state solution.
Mansour also called on all states to take measures against settlements, annexation, and forced displacement, to put an end to Israel's illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, in line with the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion, to support the Palestinian government, which has demonstrated a clear commitment to reform and peace, to support the Arab Reconstruction Plan politically and financially, and to continue supporting UNRWA.
Mansour said, "The Palestinian people are in a cage, being killed and starved day after day. Our greatest fear is that the world is becoming accustomed to such atrocities. And while it condemns Israel's actions, it feels powerless to stop them. But we ask all countries not to surrender to this self-imposed powerlessness."
He stressed that "these atrocities are unjustifiable, neither morally nor legally. This genocide must end. Life must prevail," emphasizing that the Palestinian people are entitled to international protection as long as they remain under military occupation.
He stressed that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip must be accompanied by an end to the incursions and repression carried out by Israeli occupation forces and settlers in various areas of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Mansour pointed to the misleading speech delivered by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu two days ago, in which he once again insisted that a two-state solution would mean the destruction of Israel.
Mansour asked: Is the pursuit of an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel, in accordance with the resolutions of this very Council—and the UN resolutions under which the State of Israel was established through the partition of Palestine—in some way considered an effort to destroy Israel?
“Netanyahu spoke of attempts to annihilate Israel, while in fact he seeks to annihilate Palestine and its people. He spoke of how the Israeli army removes Palestinian civilians from danger zones, while in reality he showed complete disregard for Palestinian lives, killing, maiming, arresting, torturing, and starving them endlessly. He bragged about Israel’s violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and Syria, violations that must be rejected by all. He reiterated that he would continue to pursue peace with regional partners while marginalizing the Palestinian issue, as if nothing had happened over the past 18 months. He spoke with the same arrogance, the same aversion to facts, and the same disregard for the suffering of people, whether Palestinian or Israeli,” he said.
He added, "We need strong leadership for peace, and the activation of collective resolve on an unprecedented scale, to achieve freedom for the Palestinian people, the establishment of two states living side by side in peace and security, and to unleash the true potential of our region for the benefit of all. We belong firmly to this camp, and we count on your collective support to ensure its victory."
In turn, the Algerian representative expressed his rejection of the Security Council's unacceptable inaction regarding the tragedy of the Palestinian people, calling for an end to the ongoing Israeli aggression against civilians. He noted that all efforts exerted have failed to prevent the occupation from continuing its campaigns of ethnic cleansing, collective punishment, and systematic destruction of Palestinian life in the face of the failure of the international community and the Security Council.
He considered that the lack of accountability, double standards, and the absence of international law encouraged the occupation to continue its aggression, as the Palestinian people suffer from killing, displacement, and mass destruction. They were abandoned and left to face the most brutal military forces in the world.
The Algerian delegate said: What is happening is not a war, but rather an organized and systematic process of destruction.
He pointed out that Gaza is considered the worst humanitarian disaster and reflects the failure of the international humanitarian community in the face of the blockade imposed by Israel. Food is now completely running out in Gaza. Israel is not waging a war, but rather trying to wipe out a people. We must impose an immediate ceasefire before it is too late. Not to mention the situation in the West Bank, with settlement expansion, displacement, attacks on holy sites, arrests, and the destruction of homes. The occupation is trying to diminish the dignity of Palestinians and erase their identity.
For his part, Panama's representative expressed his country's condemnation of the war in Gaza, which has led to the largest humanitarian disaster in history. He called for an immediate ceasefire and guaranteed access for humanitarian aid to Gaza, and stated that the solution must allow for the rebuilding of governance and the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers.
He addressed the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, including increased restrictions on movement and violence, calling for respect for international law in this regard.
For his part, British Foreign Office Under-Secretary Ray Collins called for a return to a ceasefire to end this horrific bloodshed.
He expressed grave concern about the depletion of WFP food stocks in Gaza, noting that "it is unacceptable that Israel has prevented the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza for nearly two months."
He stressed that: “UN staff and others must be able to deliver life-saving assistance safely and in accordance with humanitarian principles.”
For her part, Danish Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen highlighted the deteriorating situation in Gaza, where Israel has not allowed any humanitarian aid into the Strip for nearly two months.
She also expressed deep concern over reports that the World Food Programme had exhausted all its food stocks, adding that families “reported complete exhaustion as a result of being on the move repeatedly due to evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military.”
“We will continue to remind Israel that it must defend itself within the limits of international law, including international humanitarian law,” she said.
For her part, US Ambassador and Acting Representative Dorothy Shea said that "new thinking" is needed to achieve lasting peace and prosperity in the Middle East, providing opportunities for all its people.
Regarding the humanitarian needs in Gaza, she said: “No one wants to see Palestinian civilians hungry or thirsty.”
She added, "The ceasefire agreement will create conditions for the flow of humanitarian aid."
In turn, Pakistani Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed told the Security Council that the tragedy unfolding in Gaza was "unprecedented," both in its scale and inhumanity.
“This is not just a humanitarian crisis, it is the systematic destruction of a people and the erasure of a nation’s right to exist,” he added, describing the Israeli raid on the Arab Baptist Hospital earlier this month as a “horrific massacre.”
He pointed out that the deliberate targeting of civilians and essential infrastructure, the use of starvation, and the burning of displaced families in tents are "not collateral damage of war, but rather tools of war."
He continued: Israel's unilateral violation of the ceasefire, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, "was a deliberate choice to return to war rather than diplomacy."
The Pakistani ambassador said, "In the face of this darkness and devastation, the world must act, and the status quo is unbearable."
He called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, full and unhindered humanitarian access, and a clear political horizon based on the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Portuguese representative stressed that the situation in the Gaza Strip requires everyone to work together to end the war and resume unhindered humanitarian access.
For his part, the Russian representative spoke about the crimes committed and continuing by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza, including humanitarian workers. These crimes must stop immediately, especially in light of the depletion of food supplies and the imminent threat of famine in the Gaza Strip.
He called for preserving the role played by UNRWA and not undermining its work.
The Russian representative emphasized that statements prohibiting the establishment of a Palestinian state are unacceptable, and that the continued construction of settlements must cease, as this threatens the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. He expressed hope for progress in the negotiations to pave the way for reconstruction and the flow of humanitarian aid.
The Norwegian representative called for an end to the fighting and immediate access for aid, believing that Gaza's future must be determined by the Palestinians.
She called on the international community to guarantee the rights of the Palestinian people, work to prevent the cessation of UNRWA operations, halt forced displacement, halt the expansion of settlement activities, and commit to the two-state solution.
In his speech, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, speaking in his national capacity, affirmed France's commitment to the two-state solution.
He said that France's first priority is to stop "hostilities to end the suffering of civilians," adding that there is a need to resume the ceasefire in Gaza.
Barrow noted that "the situation in Gaza is catastrophic," calling on Israel to lift all restrictions to allow the entry of humanitarian aid.
He added that France's second priority is to help rebuild "the lands devastated by the conflict," and its third priority is to work toward a political solution that guarantees a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution. He added that France, in conjunction with Saudi Arabia, is organizing an international conference on implementing the two-state solution next June.
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