April 18, 2024
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank the Secretary-General Guterres for his appearance and his briefing.
Colleagues, we meet at a moment of great peril in the region. Iran and its militant partners, including Hamas, have driven us to the precipice of a broader conflict.
The United States condemns Iran’s direct attack on Israel, which we, along with Israel and partners, helped to defeat.
There is no doubt Iran’s aim in launching more than 300 munitions at Israel was to inflict significant damage and cause a loss of life. The U.S. commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad – repeat, ironclad – and our contributions to Israel’s defense against Iran are a clear manifestation of that commitment.
It is vital that the international community is united in condemning Iran’s reckless escalatory acts, which pose a direct threat to international peace and security, destabilize the region, and endanger its own people.
In response, the United States announced sanctions this morning against several actors involved in Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle program, suppliers and customers of one of Iran’s largest steel producers, and Iranian automobile companies with connections to the U.S.-designated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.
We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions, and we will continue to disrupt the networks that support Iran’s reckless proliferation of weapons that destabilize the Middle East and beyond.
The Security Council must also not let Iran’s actions go unanswered. Indeed, for far too long Iran has flagrantly violated its international legal obligations, notably through the actions of the IRGC.
The evidence is clear: Iran has armed Hezbollah in violation of Security Council Resolution 1701. It has also armed, facilitated, and enabled Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE and, more recently, merchant, and commercial shipping in the Red Sea in clear violation of Resolution 2216 and in defiance of Resolution 2722. Iran has transferred Shahed one-way attack drones used in attacks against multiple Member States, at a time when such transfers were in clear violation of Resolution 2231.
Iran also has repeatedly violated international law by targeting with mines and seizing commercial ships in international waters of the Persian Gulf and surrounding waterways – just as it did on April 12.
Iran has provided significant funding and training for the military wing of Hamas, which as we know, perpetrated unspeakable acts of cruelty on October 7 against Israelis, Americans, and citizens from countries all over the world. This longstanding Iranian support continues to contribute to the current crisis in Gaza.
While Iran’s minister will offer excuses for these actions today, we have a collective responsibility to set the record straight on Iran’s nefarious actions, to ensure that Iran both complies with the Council’s resolutions and ceases its violations of international law.
Colleagues, the United States is committed to strengthening our cooperation to end the crisis in Gaza, including by continuing to work towards an immediate and sustainable ceasefire as part of a deal to release the hostages by Hamas, and deliver additional, increased humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in need.
Hamas, however, continues to reject offers from Israel that would halt fighting and release hostages – over and over and over. If Hamas accepted the offer Israel has made, it would allow for an immediate ceasefire that would benefit Palestinians immediately.
Hamas should take this deal. If not, they should explain to the world and to the Palestinian people why they have yet to do so, because right now, Hamas is the sole obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza. The sole obstacle.
Colleagues, it is extraordinary the extent to which Hamas has been almost erased from the story of what is happening in Gaza.
None of what we have seen in Gaza would have happened had Hamas released the hostages, put down its weapons, stopped hiding behind civilians and in tunnels, and surrendered.
Hamas has an opportunity now to agree to the proposal on a ceasefire and on hostages. The ball is in Hamas’ court and the world is watching to see what it does.
President Biden has called on Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to protect civilians from harm, address humanitarian suffering, and ensure the safety of aid workers. Israel must do more to prevent civilian casualties. Far too many lives have been lost. And the President has made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate and sustained action on these steps.
We welcome Israel’s decision to open more land crossings. We need immediate implementation of these commitments; we need immediate results. As Gaza faces imminent famine, lives depend on it.
We reiterate our support for Senior Coordinator Sigrid Kaag and call on Israel to cooperate with the UN’s efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale. Over 240 humanitarians have been killed – there cannot be any more.
We reiterate our call for Israel to implement immediate measures to remediate deficiencies within its deconfliction procedures so that humanitarian personnel can safely perform their life-saving work.
Colleagues, the United States also remains gravely concerned by the tensions in the West Bank. We strongly condemn the murder of 14-year-old Israeli Binyamin Achimair and the violence against Palestinian civilians and their property that ensued after his disappearance, resulting in dozens of injuries, property damage and the killing of two Palestinians: 24-year-old Jihad Abu Aliya and 17-year-old Omar Ahmad Adulghani Hamed. We strongly condemn these murders, and our thoughts are with their loved ones.
Civilians are never legitimate targets. We call on the authorities to take measures to protect all communities from harm, and we urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to do everything possible to de-escalate tensions.
Additionally, the United States will continue to impose our own sanctions on people involved in violent activities in the West Bank.
Colleagues, the United States reiterates its commitment to continue working to address the multiple challenges we face in the Middle East today.
We will support Israel as it faces unprecedented threats from Iran and reiterate that Iran must comply with all UN resolutions and the Charter. At the same time, we also will continue direct diplomacy to advocate for normalization of ties between Israel and its neighbors, as well as a political horizon towards a two-state solution, so that Palestinians and Israelis can live side-by-side in peace.
We are committed to achieving credible, timebound, and irreversible steps toward a two-state solution.
Mr. President, the representative of the Russian Federation has criticized a U.S. resolution put forward on the situation in Gaza. As many in this room know, the U.S. resolution was an effort to try to promote a realistic pause in the conflict and to help facilitate humanitarian assistance. No country has worked harder than the U.S. to improve the prospects for peace in the region.
Russia has frankly done nothing, other than promulgate lies and disinformation about the U.S. and its partners. I’ve said this many times – Russia is in no position to criticize any member of the Security Council given the war crimes and other atrocities it is committing on a daily basis in Ukraine. For Russia, the tragic situation in Gaza is nothing more than an opportunity to distract attention from the horrific war being conducted against the people of Ukraine. Thank you, Mr. President.