Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUN / MIDDLE EAST
STORY: UN / MIDDLE EAST
TRT: 06:53
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 18 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, UN Headquarters
18 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Med shot, Palestinian and Lebanese ambassadors
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations:
“We are living a nightmare. The trauma and grief that has been unleashed is immeasurable. Hamas appalling terrorist attacks inside Israel on 7th October 2023 and Palestinian armed groups killing and continued holding hostages in unbearable condition has devastated Israel. Grinding warfare and Israel's devastating military campaign in Gaza has wrought mass destruction and enormous casualties. Most of the Palestinian population in Gaza has been displaced and whole areas of the Strip are being emptied and made uninhabitable. These events will reverberate for generations and shape the region in ways we cannot yet fully comprehend.”
5. Wide shot, Council
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations:
“Settlement expansion continue unabated as the Israeli government has taken numerous steps to accelerate settlement advancement, while some minister now openly calling for formal annexation of the West Bank in the coming months and establishing settlements inside Gaza. This comes in the wake of significant steps in recent months to reshape Israeli control in the West Bank, including not only settlement enlargement but large-scale state land declarations and the appointment of civilian deputy, the civil administration, thus deepening the illegal occupation.”
7. Wide shot, Council
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations:
“How much more misery can ordinary people on both sides be expected to endure? What greater burden can be placed on humanitarians to deliver. How much further can we bend the system of international law and institutions meant to protect innocent civilians? How many times can we test the limits of restraint? How deeply can we allow Palestinian institutions to be undermined, threatening the very arrangement meant to ensure a peaceful settlement to this conflict? Frankly, I don't have the answers, but I can tell you that what we are living now is the result of us testing all these breaking points for way too long.”
9. Wide shot, Council
10. SOUNDBITE (English) David Lammy MP, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, United Kingdom:
“The situation is devastating and frankly, beyond comprehension. And it's getting worse, not better. Winter is here. Famine is imminent. And 400 days into this war, it is totally unacceptable that it's harder than ever to get aid into Gaza.”
11. Med shot, Wennesland and Israeli Ambassador
12. SOUNDBITE (English) David Lammy MP, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, United Kingdom:
“The situation in northern Gaza is a nightmare of disease, destruction and despair. Over 300 aid workers have now been killed. This is the highest number in UN history. Amongst them are three British nationals whose families yearn for justice.”
13. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya addressing Council
14. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“Guyana has brought to the Security Council for consideration a strong draft resolution with a call for the parties to implement an immediate, unconditional, permanent ceasefire. Now, of course, this was too late for the 43,000 Palestinians who've been killed, but it's better late than never. Tomorrow during the vote - and I do hope it will take place tomorrow - it will be a moment of truth for the Anglo Saxon tandem in the Security Council. If it is tandem - once again under drummed up cynical reasons - refuses to support it, then that will mean one thing, despite all the beautiful, well-calibrated words and slogans and the apparent concern about humanitarian needs of the Palestinians, Washington and London openly support and encourage a continuation of the Israeli punitive operation.”
15. Med shot, Palestine Ambassador Riyad Mansour addressing Council
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Palestine:
“No one can claim they do not know what is happening in Gaza. No one can claim that civilians are not being killed on purpose. Starved in purpose. Forcibly displaced on purpose. Terrorized on purpose. All part of an undeniable plan for the annexation of the land and annihilation of its people.”
17. Wide shot, Council
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Palestine:
“Israel has declared a war on our international law-based order. It is attacking the UN, its Secretary-General, UNRWA and UNIFIL. It is attacking the ICC, attacking the ICJ, and breaching its authoritative opinion and its provisional orders under the Genocide Convention.”
19. Med shot, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon addressing Council
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Danon, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Israel:
“While we flood Gaza with aid, there is a drought of distribution. We will continue to fulfil our duties, but the UN and international organizations must step up in this respect. Not only must the UN step up to its aid distribution obligations, but the focus must also shift to Hamas's constant hijacking of humanitarian aid to feed the machine of terror and misery.”
21. Med shot, Palestinian and Lebanese ambassadors
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Danon, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Israel:
“Week after week, some at this table villainize and demonize Israel, but your failure to identify the crimes of Hamas against the Gazan people exposes your true agenda, your true bias, and the blinding hatred that lies behind it.”
23. Wide shot, end of Council meeting
The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, today (18 Nov) told the Security Council that the events taking place, “will reverberate for generations and shape the region in ways we cannot yet fully comprehend.”
Wennesland said “we are living a nightmare,” and “the trauma and grief that has been unleashed is immeasurable.”
He told the Council the Israeli government “has taken numerous steps to accelerate settlement advancement, while some ministers now openly calling for formal annexation of the West Bank in the coming months and establishing settlements inside Gaza.”
Wennesland said, “How much more misery can ordinary people on both sides be expected to endure? What greater burden can be placed on humanitarians to deliver. How much further can we bend the system of international law and institutions meant to protect innocent civilians? How many times can we test the limits of restraint? How deeply can we allow Palestinian institutions to be undermined, threatening the very arrangement meant to ensure a peaceful settlement to this conflict? Frankly, I don't have the answers, but I can tell you that what we are living now is the result of us testing all these breaking points for way too long.”
The United Kingdom’s Secretary of State David Lammy said, “the situation is devastating and frankly, beyond comprehension. And it's getting worse, not better,” adding that “400 days into this war, it is totally unacceptable that it's harder than ever to get aid into Gaza.”
In northern Gaza, Lammy said, the situation is “a nightmare of disease, destruction and despair” with “over 300 aid workers have now been killed,” the highest number in UN history.
He noted that “amongst them are three British nationals whose families yearn for justice.”
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya pointed out that Guyana has brought “a strong draft resolution” to the Council for consideration “with a call for the parties to implement an immediate, unconditional, permanent ceasefire.”
Nebenzya said the vote, expected to take place tomorrow “will be a moment of truth” for The United Kingdom and the United States in the Security Council, as if they refuse to support it, “then that will mean one thing, despite all the beautiful, well-calibrated words and slogans and the apparent concern about humanitarian needs of the Palestinians, Washington and London openly support and encourage a continuation of the Israeli punitive operation.”
Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said, “no one can claim they do not know what is happening in Gaza. No one can claim that civilians are not being killed on purpose. Starved in purpose. Forcibly displaced on purpose. Terrorized on purpose. All part of an undeniable plan for the annexation of the land and annihilation of its people.”
Mansour said, “Israel has declared a war on our international law-based order. It is attacking the UN, its Secretary-General, UNRWA and UNIFIL. It is attacking the ICC, attacking the ICJ, and breaching its authoritative opinion and its provisional orders under the Genocide Convention.”
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said, “while we flood Gaza with aid, there is a drought of distribution,” stressing that “the UN and international organizations must step up in this respect.”
Danon said, “not only must the UN step up to its aid distribution obligations, but the focus must also shift to Hamas's constant hijacking of humanitarian aid to feed the machine of terror and misery.”
Week after week, he said, “some at this table villainize and demonize Israel, but your failure to identify the crimes of Hamas against the Gazan people exposes your true agenda, your true bias, and the blinding hatred that lies behind it.”
Today’s session was suspended after going over its time allotment and will continue tomorrow.
Download
There is no media available to download.
Related Content
UN / GAZA UNRWA
UN / GAZA UNRWA
UN / GAZA HUMANITARIAN
UN / GAZA ISRAEL
