<\/p>\n
20 January 2025<\/p>\n
9842nd Meeting (AM & PM)<\/p>\n
In the wake of profound changes across the Middle East \u2014 including new Governments in Lebanon and Syria and a recent agreement for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza \u2014 speakers in the Security Council today, during a day-long debate, offered their visions for how to ensure that these developments usher in positive changes for the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear the region is being re-shaped \u2014 but it is far from clear what will emerge,\u201d observed Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. \u00a0Recalling his recent visit to Lebanon \u2014 where \u201ca new dawn is rising\u201d \u2014 he reported that, while the cessation of hostilities is fragile, it is holding. \u00a0\u201cIt is vital that the Israeli presence in the south ends as defined in the agreement, and that the Lebanese Armed Forces are present in the totality of Lebanon,\u201d he stressed. \u00a0On this, he spotlighted the efforts of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (±¬ÁÏÍøIFIL), which has carried out over 730 missions in cooperation with such Forces.<\/p>\n
He went on to state:\u00a0 \u201cIn Gaza, at long last, the ceasefire and hostage-release deal offer a ray of hope.\u201d \u00a0Underscoring that nothing justifies either the \u201cappalling 7\u00a0October terror attacks by Hamas\u201d or the \u201cdramatic levels of death and destruction inflicted on the Palestinian people in Gaza\u201d, he urged the Council and all Member States to support all efforts to implement the ceasefire, ensure accountability and create conditions for recovery and reconstruction. \u00a0Nevertheless, he stressed:\u00a0 \u201cIt is clear that greater stability in the Middle East requires irreversible action toward a two-State solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
State of Palestine\u2019s Speaker Hopes New Deal Will Lead to Full Final Ceasefire\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Yet, the occupation Government\u2019s actions and laws aim to undermine the official institutions of the State of Palestine, said Varsen Aghabekian, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine. \u00a0\u201cThe Palestine Liberation Organization is the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,\u201d she said, noting its readiness to assume responsibility for governing Gaza and the West Bank, provide basic services, guarantee the return of the displaced to their homes and prepare for reconstruction.<\/p>\n \u201cThe glimmer of hope we see today allowed us to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,\u201d she continued, commending mediation efforts by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.\u00a0 She expressed hope that \u201cthis ceasefire will hold\u201d, leading to \u201ca full and final ceasefire without any return to aggression\u201d and a full withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza.\u00a0 Underscoring the need to implement relevant Council resolutions, she rejected any attempt to annex Palestinian land.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s Representative Calls Hostage Deal \u2018Step in a Demanding Journey\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The representative of Israel, however, noted that Hamas violated Council resolutions with impunity, emphasizing:\u00a0 \u201cAnd, yet, it is Israel who has been scrutinized in this room.\u201d \u00a0For 472 days, hostages have been subjected to \u201cunimaginable suffering\u201d, she said, adding that \u201cthe joy of their return is shadowed by the immense pain\u201d. \u00a0It was unity, she stressed, that drove Israel\u2019s determination to bring them home, dismantle Hamas\u2019 military capability and ensure that Gaza will never again pose a threat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe now stand at a turning point for the entire region,\u201d she added, stating that Israel has fundamentally altered the strategic landscape in the Middle East.\u00a0 Israel will continue to enforce the ceasefire in Lebanon, and she stressed that her Government has no interest in a conflict with Syria. \u00a0Adding that the hostage deal is not a \u201cconclusion\u201d \u2014 but a \u201cstep in a demanding journey to ensure the return of every single hostage\u201d \u2014 she emphasized: \u00a0\u201cWe will not rest until every one of them is back home.\u201d<\/p>\n Underscoring that such deal \u201cwas long overdue\u201d, the representative of the United States spotlighted the diplomatic efforts of Qatar, Egypt and her own country that led to this agreement. \u00a0This will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinians and reunite hostages with their families. \u00a0\u201cIt is the result not only of the extreme pressure Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran, but also of dogged and painstaking diplomacy,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n Calls for Security Council to Adopt Binding Resolution on Ceasefire\u2019s Implementation, Accountability for Crimes Committed against Palestinians<\/strong><\/p>\n Qatar\u2019s representative also pointed to the diplomatic efforts of her country and its partners to reach an agreement to \u201cend the war and give hope to the region\u201d. \u00a0For its part, the Council must now shoulder its responsibility to monitor the ceasefire and \u201cpass a binding resolution on the implementation of this agreement\u201d. \u00a0Further, regional and international efforts to deliver humanitarian aid must continue, and she joined others in warning against actions hindering the \u201cessential\u201d activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (±¬ÁÏÍøRWA).<\/p>\n The representative of Egypt \u2014 speaking for the Arab Group \u2014 concurred, also calling for accountability \u201cfor the crimes committed against the Palestinian people\u201d. \u00a0The starvation and killing of civilians \u2014 broadcast all over the world \u2014 cannot pass without accountability, and Israel is solely responsible for the destruction of Gaza. \u00a0Also calling for accountability, South Africa\u2019s representative \u2014 joining others urging respect for the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice \u2014 stressed:\u00a0 \u201cWe cannot allow the Palestinian people to be decimated through bombs, starvation and displacement while the world is seemingly unable to act.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Palestinian population that has, for decades, experienced the horror of war today confronts a genocide,\u201d said Luis Gilberto Murillo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia. \u00a0Israel must pay reparations to Palestine for the death and destruction of the last 15 months, stressed Ahmed Shiaan, Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives. \u00a0Peya Mushelenga, Minister for International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia, added: \u00a0\u201cThe toll on human life and infrastructure have set a new precedent for violence and destruction in an ugly chapter in human history.\u201d<\/p>\n Building on that, Iran\u2019s representative said that the tragedy in Gaza \u201cexposed double standards, moral failures and inaction from the international community and the Security Council.\u201d \u00a0Yet, while the Council was unable to end the \u201ctrue genocide in the Gaza Strip\u201d, Eltaher Salem Elbaour, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs of Libya, said that, today, \u201cGazans are finally going to be able to spend a night calmly and at peace\u201d. \u00a0However, a ceasefire alone cannot end the suffering of those in the Gaza Strip. \u00a0For that, he pointed out that urgent international action is required to improve the devastating humanitarian situation there \u2014 \u201cbecause it is just a scene of debris and rubble at the moment\u201d.<\/p>\n United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (±¬ÁÏÍøRWA) Must Be Allowed to Continue Vital Work Unhindered\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In that vein, Musa Timothy Kabba, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone, urged Israel to allow ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA \u2014 \u201cthe only organization with the logistical and human resources to address the severe needs of Palestinian civilians in Gaza\u201d \u2014 to continue its vital work unhindered. \u00a0However, Israeli legislation \u201cmeans that ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA faces a cliff-edge in its ability to support Palestinian refugees\u201d, observed Hamish Falconer, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom, who also urged Israel \u201cnot to endanger ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA\u2019s ability to operate\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must hold Israel accountable to its commitments, including establishing a permanent ceasefire, withdrawing forces from Gaza and enabling unimpeded humanitarian aid,\u201d stressed the representative of T\u00fcrkiye. \u00a0Adding to the voices of support for ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA, she said that Israeli legislation seeking to ban the Agency\u2019s operations in the Occupied Palestine Territory contravene its legal obligations under the Charter of the United Nations. \u00a0She therefore urged the Council to \u201cshield and support ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA until a just and lasting two-State solution is achieved\u201d.<\/p>\n Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia, similarly pointed out that ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA is a lifeline for millions of refugees. \u00a0He also emphasized that the challenge lies not in stabilizing the recent ceasefire agreement; rather, it is in addressing the root causes by lifting the \u201cinhumane\u201d blockade of Gaza and rebuilding the Strip. \u00a0Carlos Ru\u00edz-Hern\u00e1ndez, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama, also underlined the need to recognize the conflict\u2019s root causes. \u00a0\u201cWithout security for Israel, peace will be unachievable \u2014 but there also needs to be justice and dignity for the Palestinian people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Speakers for Lebanon and Syria Stress Israel Must Withdraw from Their Territories<\/strong><\/p>\n For her part, Lebanon\u2019s representative described the situation in the region as \u201ca Middle East earthquake that saw coalitions cracking and regimes falling\u201d.\u00a0 Spotlighting the drastic changes in her country, she pointed to the election of a new President and Prime Minister after two years of institutional vacuum.\u00a0At the same time, she condemned Israel\u2019s ongoing land and air violations, calling on that country to respect its obligations under resolution 1701 (2006) and withdraw from occupied Lebanese territories within the 60-day framework timeline.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the representative of Syria observed that a \u201chistoric map of Israel\u201d shows parts of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and the West Bank as part of its alleged borders, stressing that sharing similar maps will not contribute to peace. \u00a0Rather, it reflects Israel\u2019s intention to continue its occupation and its hostile approach. \u00a0While Syria does not intend to engage in any new conflicts, it will not abandon its rights to the occupied Syrian Golan, he said. \u00a0He added:\u00a0 \u201cOur region is witnessing a major political transformation that will have repercussions on the countries of the region for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHistory will judge whether this Council rose to the occasion or faded into irrelevance,\u201d observed Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia. \u00a0While the ceasefire agreement in Gaza \u2014 which came at the \u201cdevastating cost of tens of thousands of innocent lives\u201d, he noted \u2014 was a vital first step towards peace in the Middle East, the Council must safeguard the deal and help break the cycle of violence.<\/p>\n Stakes are Too High for Inaction\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Underscoring that \u201cthe stakes are too high for inaction\u201d, Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, observed:\u00a0\u201cAfter yesterday\u2019s silence of the guns and first exchange of hostages and prisoners, we feel a relief and a sense of hope that a different future is possible for the Middle East.\u201d \u00a0However, the region \u201cwill never truly turn a new page\u201d so long as the suffering, hatred and fear persist, she stated, calling for leadership for people, peace and multilateralism.<\/p>\n \u201cGaza is no longer Gaza after the vast destruction that has levelled the entire area,\u201d said Ahmed Attaf, Minister for Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs of Algeria, Council President for January, as he spoke in his national capacity. \u00a0Yet, people in Gaza took to the streets to celebrate the ceasefire, he noted \u2014 \u201casserting to the entire world that oppression will not hijack the will of the Palestinian people\u201d. \u00a0Urging the Council to strengthen and monitor the deal \u2014 which \u201crepresents precious hope\u201d \u2014 he said:\u00a0 \u201cThe future [of Gaza] must be determined by the Palestinians, without foreign intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 20 January 2025 9842nd Meeting (AM & PM) Greater Stability Requires Irreversible Action towards Two-State Solution, Secretary-General Stresses In the wake of profound changes across the Middle East \u2014 including new Governments in Lebanon and Syria and a recent agreement for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza \u2014 speakers in the Security 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