May 28, 2025
Mr. President,
France thanks the Special Coordinator Ms. Sigrid Kaag and Dr. Feroze Sidwha for their briefings, which remind us of the ordeal being endured by the civilian population in Gaza.
Mr. President,
1/ France will never forget the heinous terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023. The hostages remaining in Gaza, held by Hamas and other terrorist groups, must be released. As the Minister reiterated here, Hamas is not and cannot be part of the solution in Gaza. It must be disarmed and it must be politically neutralized.
However the civilians in Gaza are not Hamas, and they are enduring a devastating humanitarian situation, that this Council must address by continuing to demand that Israel meet its obligations under international humanitarian law. This Council must act and adopt a humanitarian resolution.
Firstly, all obstacles to the entry and delivery of humanitarian aid and all restrictions on its quantity and composition must be lifted. The very limited quantities that have entered in recent days are not sufficient to meet the needs of the population, especially after 11 long weeks of total blockade. The images of starving people storming trucks and aid distribution points are a tragic illustration of this. Dozens of tons of assistance financed by France and other countries cannot be delivered to Gaza. This is unacceptable.
Secondly, we reiterate our full support for the United Nations and its humanitarian partners, which have demonstrated their ability to deliver assistance fully in line with humanitarian principles. We welcome the plan announced on May 16, which strengthens safeguards against the risk of aid diversion. In this regard, we call on Israel to allow full access for United Nations personnel to Gaza to verify the delivery of humanitarian assistance, as stipulated in Resolution 2720.
I reiterate our support for UNRWA, for Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher and his services, and for all the agencies, funds, programs, and organizations of the United Nations system working on the ground seeking to provide honest and impartial testimony and to deliver humanitarian need.
We call on Israel to allow the United Nations and its humanitarian partners to operate in complete safety. The establishment of an alternative system that does not respect neither international law nor humanitarian principles and would engender the forced displacement of people is unacceptable. Yesterday was a stark illustration of the limitations of the mecanisms established by Israel. France also reiterates its firm opposition to any plan for permanent occupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel and the forced displacement of people. These grave violations of international law would lead to a complete stalemate.
Furthermore, the protection of civilian populations and infrastructure is one of Israel’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions. Recurrent strikes on schools, hospitals and civilian homes are unacceptable and must end.
Mr. President,
2/ It is urgent that Israel cease its military operations and that a permanent ceasefire be established in Gaza. France calls on the parties to revert back to full respect with the ceasefire agreement and supports the efforts of the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to facilitate negotiations.
I reiterate that we stand in solidarity with the families of all hostages, who must be released without delay. We reaffirm the right of Israelis to live in security and condemn the recent Houthi attacks.
3/ However there is an urgent need to find an alternative to war for Palestinians and Israelis, an alternative rooted in the two-state solution and reflecting the legitimate aspirations of both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples to have a State and to live in peace and security. France thanks the Member States for their active engagement during the preparatory meeting on May 23, especially those that have accepted responsibility of the working groups. We must now make concrete political, financial, and material commitments to preserve the two-state solution ahead of the conference that France will co-chair with Saudi Arabia from June 17 to 20, 2025, an international conference convened at the request of the General Assembly in support of the two-state solution here in New York. As the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs recalled, France whishes this conference resulting in meaningful progress on peace and security for Israel and Palestine, the recognition of Palestine as a State, regional normalization and integration, the disarmament of Hamas, and the revitalization of Palestinian governance.
Thank you.