November 25, 2024
Madam President,
We thank Deputy Special Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the the Middle East, Muhannad Hadi, for his comprehensive briefing on the situation in the region.
The Middle East today is the best illustration of the danger posed by drawn-out unresolved regional conflicts. The failure to address the Palestinian question for more than 70 years has triggered a number of brutal wars that have brought unimaginable suffering to the peoples of the region. The other day, we marked 400 days since the Arab-Israeli confrontation entered its hot phase. And over all those 400 days, the UNSC has failed to fulfil its mandate to maintain international peace and security and to play the role that is entrusted to it by the UN Charter.
Throughout this time, having got carte blanche from Washington to act at its sole discretion, Israel has arrogantly ignored the views of the international community and deliberately exacerbated the situation.
Since the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation began in October 2023, more than 44,000 people have been killed and 104,000 Palestinians have been injured in the Gaza Strip. Another flagrant violation of all norms of international law was the Israeli bombing on the eve of our meeting of the area around Kamal Adwan hospital in the north of Gaza, as the result of which 12 medical staff were injured, including the chief physician. Since the beginning of the conflict, the Israeli Defense Force has been committing gross violations of IHL and attacking civilian objects such as residential buildings, schools and hospitals, and this is not occidental mistaken strikes but a deliberate tactic. According to the assessments by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, 80 per cent of Gaza is a high-risk area where civilians have been trapped and have essentially become live targets for the Israeli military.
And yet, for 40 days now, the people of Gaza have been unable to receive humanitarian aid, the deliveries of which have been held up by the Israeli authorities in every possible way. We know from humanitarian workers that over the past week alone the Israeli authorities have obstructed two thirds of humanitarian operations. All of this is taking place against the backdrop of the repressive campaign launched by West Jerusalem against UNRWA. Since the beginning of the escalation in Gaza, the strikes against the Agency’s facilities have killed more than 230 staff members, and a total of 380 humanitarian workers have fallen victim to Israeli attacks. That is an unprecedented monstrous anti-record in contemporary history.
In disregard for the opinion of the overwhelming majority of UN members and in violation of international law and the conditions of its own membership in the Organization, Israel passed bills against UNRWA that prohibited the Agency’s activities and revoked the immunities and privileges of this UN body. If these decisions come into force, the last life line for the Gazans will collapse, as no one will be able to replace UNRWA in the foreseeable future. We once again demand that Israel uphold its international legal obligations and not enact or repeal those bills.
Madam President,
For five months, The Council has been unable to take any decision on Gaza since the US forced through UNSC Resolution 2735 in support of the so-called Biden Plan, which was built on the mendacious assertion that Israel had consented to a deal. In fact, West Jerusalem didn’t consent to any scheme and all this time it continued to implement its military plans and tried to impose its demands in violation of resolution 2735. In response, the United States only demanded and continue to demand that we all exert pressure on Hamas.
Against this background, it is telling that Israel’s ministers of national security and finance are persistently clamoring for the deportation of Palestinians from Gaza. All of this speaks to the true intentions of the Israeli authorities, who don’t have any negotiated solution on their agenda. Their plan is clear – to create yet another irreversible ‘fact on the ground’ – a scorched, depopulated Gaza ‘cleansed’ of Palestinians.
Last week, the Council, which for more than 13 months had been unable to demand an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, got another opportunity to do so. The non-permanent members of the Council under the leadership of Guyana took the initiative to prepare a worthy draft resolution that contained both a demand for an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire and that for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages. But once again, the US single-handedly vetoed the draft, demonstrating to the entire world that it does not care neither about the lives of Palestinian civilians nor about saving the hostages. After all, if they were really driven by the desire to get them released as quickly as possible, they would have done everything they could to stop the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, due to which the captured Israelis are also dying. In particular, the other day there were reports that one hostage had died and another had been seriously injured in a neighborhood in the north of Gaza that had been bombed by the Israelis. This is yet another confirmation that further escalation will not help the hostages in any way. It is clear to all of us that their release will only be possible if there is an immediate ceasefire in the Strip.
By vetoing the draft prepared by the E10, the USA found itself in complete international isolation. Their approaches are not supported neither in the Middle East, nor by members of the Security Council, nor by the overwhelming majority of UN member states. Washington’s policy of blocking the UNSC work on the Middle East remains a stain on the reputation of the outgoing US administration, and this stain will never be “washed off”. US administration’s indulging and playing along with Israel has already resulted in the deaths of already more than 44,000 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children. How many more people must die for Gaza to finally see peace? Or will the USA obstruct the peace process until all Palestinians are exterminated and the two-state solution falls away by itself?
I do hope that other – sensible – members of the international community will summon the determination to prevent that. Russia will continue to insist on the adoption of the most decisive measures to stop the bloodshed in Gaza. We stand ready to cooperate on this issue with all sane and responsible members of the Security Council as well as to work within the framework of the UN General Assembly.
Madam President,
The conflict in Gaza is spilling over into the region in the worst-case scenario, wreaking havoc and destruction everywhere and threatening to drown the Middle East in blood. In Lebanon, the Israeli military operation has killed more than 3,500 people, nearly 15,000 have been injured and over a million have been forced to flee their homes. As in Gaza, most of the casualties there are civilians that have fallen under the destructive roller of Israel’s war machine. The key to resolving the conflict in Lebanon is the full implementation by all parties of UNSC Resolution 1701, which stipulates observing and implementing both Israel’s obligations to halt all offensive military operations, to withdraw its armed forces from the south of Lebanon and to end its occupation of Lebanese lands, as well as the provisions on the withdrawal of all Hezbollah formations to the north of the Litani River.
Russia’s approaches to the Middle East settlement are well known, they are based on a universally recognized international legal framework and have remained consistent and principled over many decades. We have no doubt that only a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza as well as the stabilization of the situation in the West Bank will create the prerequisites for peace talks that could eventually bring about the long-awaited, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. It can solely be premised on the two-state solution that envisages the establishment of an independent sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting in peace and security with Israel. The experience of the past decade shows that such negotiations need to be conducted under the aegis of all key international and regional players, rather than being monopolized by individual powers that are interested exclusively in advancing their own agenda. Only then will it be possible to restore historical justice for the Palestinian people and ensure their right to self-determination.
Thank you.