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7673rd Security Council Meeting: Situation in Middle East, Palestinian Question - Part 1
Representatives of Israel, State of Palestine Trade Heated Words in Day-long Debate.
The demolition of Palestinian homes and businesses in the West Bank was continuing at an alarming rate and plans for more illegal Jewish settlements in the area cast doubt on Israel’s commitment to a two-State solution, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this morning at the start of a day-long Security Council open debate on the Middle East.
“The creation of new facts on the ground through demolitions and settlement-building raises questions about whether Israel’s ultimate goal is in fact to drive Palestinians out of certain parts of the West Bank, thereby undermining any prospect of transition to a viable Palestinian State,” said Mr. Ban, pointing out that 20-year-old Palestinians living under occupation had seen no political progress at all during their lifetime.
By early April, the number of Palestinian structures demolished had exceeded the entire total of those destroyed in 2015, displacing 840 people, he said. Meanwhile, plans to build more settlements and retroactively legalize construction in almost untraceable steps, together with the declaration of “State land” in March — the first in more than 18 months — signalled that Israel’s strategic settlement enterprise continued to expand on land intended for a future Palestinian State.
For more than six months, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory had been gripped by a surge in deadly violence, triggered by individual attacks perpetrated by Palestinians, he continued, condemning all such attacks, which had only deepened the legacy of divisiveness, hatred and grief. The Middle East Quartet was moving forward on a report that would review the situation on the ground and threats to a two-State solution, while providing recommendations on how to advance peace, he said.
Turning to Lebanon, he said he had addressed that country’s political and security issues with Lebanese leaders in Beirut on 24 and 25 March. On the occupied Syrian Golan, he noted the statements made on Sunday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel that his country would never pull back from the area, and reminded the Netanyahu Administration of its obligation to implement Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 497 (1981).
He said that during a ministerial conference that he had co-chaired with the Presidents of the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank last Friday, eight countries as well as the European Union had pledged $1 billion for a concessional loan facility and other aid to help Lebanon, Jordan and other countries disproportionately affected by the conflict in Syria.
Meanwhile, Israel’s representative questioned the Palestinians’ desire for peace, recalling that his compatriots had faced a wave of daily attacks that had left 34 people dead and hundreds injured over the last few months. Instead of condemning the attacks, the Palestinian leadership had encouraged them and treated terrorists like heroes. He demanded of the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine: “Will you condemn Palestinians who commit terror attacks against Israelis? You can do it right now. We are being translated into five different languages. Here is your chance.”
In the ensuing heated exchange, the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine retorted that the Palestinians had to defend themselves against Israeli incitement. “You are oppressing us. You are sitting on our lives. Leave us alone. Let my people be free. Shame on you; you are an occupier, you are a colonizer.” Asking when the Council would finally act, he called for a firm resolution to address Israel’s intensified illegal settlement campaign, the rising extremism and violence of Israeli settlers and the need to protect Palestinians. The Palestinian people could no longer wait, he emphasized, pointing out that Israel’s plans to construct settlements had jumped by 250 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 over the corresponding period in 2015, and that more than 200 Palestinians had been killed since October 2015. “At a time when the situation is boiling, the passivity and silence of the Security Council is truly shocking,” he said, stressing that it was time to stop managing the conflict and to mobilize political will.
Egypt’s representative said mere words of regret were not enough and called on the Council to move from “theoretical” statements to action to end the occupation. The Palestinians and their right to self-determination and an independent State seemed to have been forgotten. Exploiting the crisis for political gain could not be tolerated, he said, asking whether the Israeli Government would prefer to continue the occupation while thumbing its nose, or work towards a just, comprehensive solution.
New Zealand’s Minister for Foreign Affairs asked why the Council had not adopted a single resolution on the question of Palestine in more than seven years. The international community expected it to reassert a two-State solution as the only path to peace; to support the work of the Middle East Quartet, the League of Arab States and the international conference proposed by France; and to endorse a path back to negotiations, potentially through a “parameters” resolution. Its timing and relationship to external processes were the only remaining issues, he said, adding that “maximalist” positions were likely to fail.
France’s representative said the rift between Palestinians and Israelis was fuelling the radicalization of public opinion, and many people no longer believed in two States. “We have to take a long, hard look at the reality on the ground,” he said. France had proposed a ministerial meeting be held in Paris in June among the Quartet, the five permanent Council members, the League of Arab States and other stakeholders to reiterate support for a two-State solution and define a timetable, specific goals and a methodology for an international conference later in the year.
Venezuela’s representative said Israel’s prolonged occupation merely served to consolidate settlements on Palestinian land. While condemning retaliatory attacks by Palestinians, he nonetheless rejected the occupying Power’s disproportionate and heavy-handed response, citing reports that of the 149 Palestinians murdered by the Israel Defense Forces last year, almost half had not posed a security threat. The Council should heed the petition to create an international protection system for the Palestinian population, with the participation of United Nations aid agencies already in the region.
Angola’s representative said regional Powers must set aside their rivalries and take into account the wake-up call of terrorism on their doorsteps. The Israeli Government’s heavy-handed approach was counter-productive, while the Palestinian divide hampered their ability to engage constructively. Some members of the Security Council had not been using their leverage over Israel to halt settlement activity. Echoing that sentiment, South Africa’s representative said the Council’s failure could be seen in Israel’s continuing expansion of settlements and expropriation of land, both of which were in contravention of international law and obstructed a two-State solution. Nigeria’s representative warned against a scenario in which extremists on both sides dictated the political agenda, declaring: “Provocations and hostile rhetoric must be avoided.”
Turning to the crisis in Syria, speakers welcomed the cessation-of-hostilities agreement that had taken effect on 27 February and the start of the latest round of peace talks in Geneva earlier this month. Lebanon’s representative stressed the need for help to deal with the more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees residing in his country, emphasizing that it was also crucial to follow up on the various donor conferences.
Japan’s representative, echoing the sentiments of many delegates, said the truce had created the conditions to access besieged areas in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. In addition to food and other supplies, Japan would provide an additional $11 million in grant aid through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to rehabilitate three electricity facilities in Syria.
Syria’s representative called upon the Security Council immediately to condemn a 17 April meeting held by the Israeli occupation Government in the occupied Syrian Golan. Emphasizing that Syria’s right to recover the occupied Golan was not open to negotiation, he said that sooner or later, it would be cleansed of Israeli occupation. Settlements were not just a war crime, but also a systematic Israeli policy aimed at killing any chance for peace in the region or for a viable Palestinian State.
On Yemen, delegates urged the start of United Nations-brokered peace talks in Kuwait without further delay. Ukraine’s representative said he was encouraged by the 10 April ceasefire between the warring parties, and emphasized that it must be followed by meaningful dialogue and intensified efforts to drive back Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaida.
Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation, noting that her country was one of the largest donors to Yemen, stressed the need to address that country’s massive humanitarian needs, saying the talks in Kuwait must bring a political solution closer.
On Libya, the Russian Federation’s representative said international efforts were moving too slowly and exacerbating the situation, calling for better coordination of initiatives. Citing information that suggested some international partners might have a hidden agenda in Libya, he said the country needed help, but only in the context of international law.
Several speakers expressed condolences and solidarity with the people of Ecuador over the deadly earthquake that struck the nation on Saturday night.
Also speaking today were representatives of the United States, Spain, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Senegal, China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran (on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement), India, Iraq, Indonesia, Jordan, Cuba, Kuwait (on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation), Nicaragua, Norway, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Turkey, Iceland, Viet Nam, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Qatar, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Morocco and Tunisia, as well as of the European Union, the Holy See and the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
Taking the floor a second time were representatives of Israel and Malaysia.
The meeting began at 10:05 a.m., suspended at 1:24 p.m., resumed at 3:10 pm and ended at 6:46 p.m.
