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UN / GENERAL ASSEMBLY PALESTINE
STORY: UN / GENERAL ASSEMBLY PALESTINE
TRT: 04:26
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 20 MAY 2021, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
RECENT – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
20 MAY 2021, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, General Assembly
3. Wide shot, Secretary-General António Guterres walks up to podium
4. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The fighting must stop immediately. I appeal to all parties to cease hostilities now. And I reiterate my call on all sides for an immediate ceasefire.”
5. Med shot, Israeli Ambassador
6. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“If there is a hell on earth, it is the lives of children in Gaza today. The destruction of media offices and the killing of a journalist in Gaza are extremely concerning. Journalists must be able to carry out their essential work, including in conflict zones, without fear of attack and harassment. They must be protected and respected. I am deeply distressed by damage to United Nations facilities in Gaza. United Nations premises are inviolable, including during armed conflict.”
7. Med shot, Palestinian Ambassador
8. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“I likewise urge Hamas and other militant groups to stop the indiscriminate launching of rockets and mortars from highly populated civilian neighbourhoods into civilian population centres in Israel, also in clear violation of international humanitarian law.”
9. Wide shot, Palestinian representatives
10. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Even wars have rules. First and foremost, civilians must be protected. Indiscriminate attacks, and attacks against civilians and civilian property, are violations of the laws of war. So are attacks against military objectives that cause disproportionate loss of civilian life and injury to civilians. There is no justification, including counterterrorism or self-defence, for the abdication by the parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
11. Med shot, Israeli Ambassador
12. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The United Nations is deeply committed to working with Israelis and Palestinians, and with our international and regional partners, including through the Middle East Quartet, to realize a lasting and just peace. Only through renewing our commitment and redoubling our efforts towards a negotiated solution can we bring this cruel violence and hatred to a definitive end.”
13. Wide shot, Palestine Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki walks up to podium
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Riyad al-Maliki, Foreign Affairs Minister, Palestinian National Authority:
“To those who say that Israel has the right to defend itself, what right are they exactly talking about? Israel is a colonization power; it is occupying our land. It is persecuting a whole people. Israel would ask you, what would you have done if missiles were targeting your cities? But Israel forgets that its occupation is the root cause of the violence. So, I would like to ask you, what would you do if your territory is occupied, if your people were displaced, if your people were killed, detained, arrested, and persecuted? How can an occupying power have the right to defend itself, when a whole people under occupation is deprived of the same right?”
15. Wide shot, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“The human toll of this violence has been heartbreaking. The stories of the families, of children who have been killed, of those living with the trauma of surviving, are painful. We will never be silent in the face of such suffering. We are committed to working in concert with other members of this body to bring a rapid end to the current violence and, over the longer term, create the conditions for a lasting and sustainable peace.”
17. Med shot, al-Maliki
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Israel:
“Every speaker here today that failed to unequivocally condemn Hamas, that failed to distinguish between Hamas’ war crimes and Israel’s self-defence, that chooses to demonize Israel rather than supporting its heroic efforts to dismantle Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure, is only strengthening extremist forces, encouraging terrorist groups to use civilians as human shields, and undermining the chances for peace.”
19. Wide shot, General Assembly
Secretary-General António Guterres today (20 May) called for the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians to “stop immediately,” appealing “to all parties to cease hostilities now.”
In his address to the General Assembly, Guterres described the plight of Palestinians who have been displaced and are seeking shelter in UNRWA schools, mosques, and other places with little access to water, food, hygiene, or health services, as well as the killing of nine members of one family in al-Shati refugee camp. He said, “if there is a hell on earth, it is the lives of children in Gaza today.”
He said, “the destruction of media offices and the killing of a journalist in Gaza are extremely concerning. Journalists must be able to carry out their essential work, including in conflict zones, without fear of attack and harassment. They must be protected and respected. I am deeply distressed by damage to United Nations facilities in Gaza. United Nations premises are inviolable, including during armed conflict.”
Guterres also urged Hamas “and other militant groups to stop the indiscriminate launching of rockets and mortars from highly populated civilian neighbourhoods into civilian population centres in Israel, also in clear violation of international humanitarian law.”
The Secretary-General said, “even wars have rules. First and foremost, civilians must be protected. Indiscriminate attacks, and attacks against civilians and civilian property, are violations of the laws of war. So are attacks against military objectives that cause disproportionate loss of civilian life and injury to civilians. There is no justification, including counterterrorism or self-defence, for the abdication by the parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
He stressed that the United Nations “is deeply committed to working with Israelis and Palestinians, and with our international and regional partners, including through the Middle East Quartet, to realize a lasting and just peace. Only through renewing our commitment and redoubling our efforts towards a negotiated solution can we bring this cruel violence and hatred to a definitive end.”
In his address to the General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said, “to those who say that Israel has the right to defend itself, what right are they exactly talking about? Israel is a colonization power; it is occupying our land. It is persecuting a whole people. Israel would ask you, what would you have done if missiles were targeting your cities? But Israel forgets that its occupation is the root cause of the violence. So, I would like to ask you, what would you do if your territory is occupied, if your people were displaced, if your people were killed, detained, arrested, and persecuted? How can an occupying power have the right to defend itself, when a whole people under occupation is deprived of the same right?”
United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “the human toll of this violence has been heartbreaking. The stories of the families, of children who have been killed, of those living with the trauma of surviving, are painful. We will never be silent in the face of such suffering. We are committed to working in concert with other members of this body to bring a rapid end to the current violence and, over the longer term, create the conditions for a lasting and sustainable peace.”
For his part, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said, “every speaker here today that failed to unequivocally condemn Hamas, that failed to distinguish between Hamas’ war crimes and Israel’s self-defence, that chooses to demonize Israel rather than supporting its heroic efforts to dismantle Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure, is only strengthening extremist forces, encouraging terrorist groups to use civilians as human shields, and undermining the chances for peace.”
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