The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question - Security Council, 9309th Meeting

The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question Reports of the Secretary-General on the Sudan and South Sudan.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 03:04:20
• Production Date: 25 April 2023
• Asset Language: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Original; Russian; Spanish
• Personal Subject: WENNESLAND, TOR
• Subject Topical: MIDDLE EAST SITUATION; PALESTINE; PEACE; PEACE AND SECURITY; VIOLENCE
• Geographic Subject: ISRAEL; MIDDLE EAST; PALESTINE
• MAMS Id: 3039764
• Parent Id: 3037963

Description

Even as the holy days of Eid al-Fitr, Passover and Easter overlapped around the world, violence erupted in the holy sites of Jerusalem, the United Nations senior official in charge of the Israel-Palestine peace process told the Security Council today, urging all parties to recommit to the two-State solution.

Briefing the Council during its quarterly open debate on the topic, Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, detailed a series of shocking incidents that began on 4 and 5 April, when Israeli security forces entered the al-Qibli prayer hall of Al-Aqsa Mosque and forcibly removed Palestinians who were barricaded inside.nbsp;

Also pointing to continuing violence in the occupied West Bank and in Israel, he said many Palestinian casualties were incurred in Israeli military operations, while Huwwara remained a flashpoint for settler-related violence. nbsp;

Stressing that all settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace, he expressed concern about the violence and inflammatory actions of the past weeks. nbsp;Condemning the indiscriminate launching of rockets towards Israeli population centres, he also added that security forces must exercise maximum restraint.

When the floor opened for discussion, the representative of Israel expressed outrage and sadness at the choice of the date for this open debate.nbsp;Describing his country as the only liberal democracy in the region, he said the portrayal of Israel as the root of all the region’s problems could not be further from the truth.nbsp;

Palestine alone can no longer salvage the two-State solution, Riad Al-Malki, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine, said, expressing concern about a political conflict transforming into a religious conflict, as settlers take over not only Palestinian land but also Israeli politics.nbsp;

Pakistan’s delegate highlighted the discriminatory laws that dispossess Palestinians under Israeli occupation of their lands. nbsp;He cited a recent statement by the special rapporteurs on adequate housing and the human rights of internally displaced persons, who said that such discrimination, along with the transfer of Israeli populations, represent “a prima facie war crime”.nbsp;

The meeting began at 10:06 a.m., suspended at 1:08 p.m., resumed at 3:03 p.m. and ended at 6:20 p.m.