May 28, 2025
Thank you Mister President. And thank you, Coordinator Kaag, Dr. Sidhwa, for your briefings.
First, let me express condolences on the tragic murders of Israeli Embassy officials Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim – an American citizen – at a Jewish community event last week in Washington.
Yaron and Sarah were murdered for no other reason than the assailant wanted to kill Jews. It is horrific and shameful. We can and must do better to combat the sickening rise in antisemitism around the world. May their memories be a blessing.
I think it is worth noting that Yaron’s final post before his murder on the social media platform X addressed antisemitism at the UN. Specifically, it condemned Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher for spreading antisemitic lies.
When he addressed this Council on May 13, Under-Secretary-General Fletcher used language invoking the charge of “genocide” against Israel. Last week, he claimed that 14,000 babies were about to die within 48 hours, an abject falsehood. These kinds of remarks are absolutely unacceptable for an official in his position.
Last week, Yaron and Sarah were murdered simply for attending an event for young Jews. The irony? The event discussed finding ways to bring aid to Gaza. But that didn’t matter. They were targeted because of who they were.
The United States has been working tirelessly to free the hostages and bring this war to an end, one that Hamas brutally started. Yet in the most delicate of moments, some Member States remain unwilling to condemn the terror group responsible.
Forget that these actions endanger hostages. The actual outcome is condemning civilians in Gaza to remain under Hamas’s control for another generation.
For our part, the United States will continue its effort to bring about a diplomatic agreement that will free the hostages. Hamas continues to reject proposals from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt that would release the 58 remaining hostages who have now been cruelly held for 600 days – and bring calm to Gaza.
Everyday, Hamas demonstrates its lack of regard for the Palestinians it claims to represent. All while it violently suppresses protests against its barbaric rule and diverts aid meant for civilians.
The United States fully stands behind Israel and its right to defend itself.
In order to move forward, Hamas must be defeated. As Secretary Rubio has said: if an ember survives, it will spark again into a fire. There can be no peaceful and prosperous Gaza as long as Hamas governs it by force.
The Council should apply pressure on Hamas to disarm, leave, and free Palestinians in Gaza from Hamas’s tyranny. Shielding Hamas from accountability only undermines Israel’s security and prolongs Palestinian anguish.
Hamas must release the hostages immediately, including the bodies of the four murdered Americans it continues to hold: Itay Chen; Gaddi Hagai, Judi Weinstein Haggai; and Omer Neutra. We will not rest until every hostage has been returned from Gaza.
Let us be clear: this Council should be supporting the work of the negotiators.
The United States supports getting assistance to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not allow Hamas to benefit. We support the new initiative to resume the flow of aid through preexisting mechanisms in advance of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s mechanism becoming fully operational.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is an independent entity established to provide a secure mechanism for the delivery of aid directly to those in need.
We call on the UN to work with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and Israel to reach agreements on how to operationalize this system in a way that works for all. One that provides the opportunity to deliver aid directly to civilians without diversion by Hamas and other terrorist and criminal groups.
The United States will support a future for the people of Gaza that is free of Hamas and full of opportunity.
As President Trump emphasized during his recent visit: “Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together.”
The United States will do its part to help forge this new reality alongside Israel and our Arab partners.
But at the same time – the United States stands with Israel in unequivocally rejecting any effort to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state or impose conditions on Israel – which would be an unconscionable reward for the heinous Hamas attack on Israel that massacred and brutally kidnapped Israelis and Americans.
Thank you Mister President.