Dozens of foreign ministers and senior officials from around the globe urged a swift response to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas for humanitarian reasons in Gaza in a high-profile Security Council session in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Emphasizing the urgency to prevent further escalation, they urged the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the two-state solution.
Representatives of over 30 countries reiterated UN Secretary-General António Guterres' concern that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of the two-state solution could indefinitely prolong the conflict.
Stephane Sejourne, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Council President for January, told Israel that there must be a Palestinian State, that violence towards Palestinians, particularly by settlers in the West Bank, must end, and that international law applies to everyone.
To Palestinians, he said that there could be no ambiguity about Israel’s right to live in peace and security and to exercise its right to self-defense in the face of terrorism.
Turkish FM Hakan Fidan stated that the argument that the current war is about providing security for Israel is “far from being convincing”, adding that the situation in Gaza and the West Bank demonstrates who needs security and the right to self-defense most.
Uzra Zeya, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights of the US, underscored the need for more to be done to ensure rapid humanitarian assistance at scale for all civilians in Gaza.
“The United States oscillates between vetoing resolutions about the ceasefire and calling for a reduction in the intensity of hostilities in Gaza. This serves as a carte blanche for the ongoing collective punishment of Palestinians," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Categorically repudiating the aggression against Yemen by the United States and United Kingdom without Council approval, Lavrov added that their actions pose a direct threat to international peace. He also condemned Israeli strikes in Syria.
Describing calls for a ceasefire by Council members as “shocking”, Israel’s Representative to the UN Gilad Erdan warned that any such measure would leave Hamas in power, allowing it to regroup and rearm.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stressed that the killing of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank cannot continue until the “destruction of Hamas”, warning that “this time will never come”.
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad Al-Maliki said that Israeli leaders “do not see our people as an empirical and political reality to coexist with but as a demographic threat to get rid of through death, displacement or subjugation”.
“Israel has unleashed the most savage and indiscriminate bombing campaign since the Second World War,” Al-Maliki said, adding that this has led to famine and forcible displacement at a scale.
The Minister accused Israel of “taking thousands of innocent civilian lives.”
Waleed El-Khereiji, Saudi Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, said that the Council must oblige Israel to respect international law and end the suffering.
The Minister further underscored the need for a lasting solution to tackle the root causes of the crisis. Also, he rejected calls for forced displacement.
Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stated, “Adopting a binding Security Council resolution forcing the end of this misery is the least that you can do now.”
Algerian FM Ahmed Attaf called for the convening of an international peace conference to achieve a definitive solution to the conflict based on a two-state formula. “After everything that has happened in Gaza, the international community cannot simply manage the ramifications of this war without any regard for its root causes.”
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib stated, “Only a solution to the Palestinian question will open the door to security.”
He further called on the international community to pressure Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian, Lebanese, and Syrian land.
