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STORY: UN / ISRAEL PALESTINE
TRT: 4:21
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 11 FEBRUARY 2020, NEW YORK CITY
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
11 FEBRUARY 2020, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Zoom in, President Abbas joining Security Council meeting
4. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations:
“The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements and realizing the vision of two States – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines. This is a time for dialogue, for reconciliation, and for reason. I urge Israeli and Palestinian leaders to demonstrate the necessary will required to advance the goal of a just and lasting peace, which the international community must support.”
5. Wide shot, Security Council
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations:
“There is no other framework except the one that Israelis and Palestinians together agree on, a framework based on relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements. In the absence of a credible path back to negotiations, we all face a heightened risk of violence. Violence, which will drag both peoples – and the region, into a spiral of escalation with no end in sight.”
7. Wide shot, Israeli ambassador at meeting
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine:
“This is the summary of the plan which was presented to us. This is the State they want to give us. It is Swiss cheese. Who among you would accept his State to be this way?”
9. Wide shot, Security Council
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine:
“This deal, ladies and gentlemen, carries in its folds orders, entrenches occupation and annexation by military force, and consolidates the apartheid regime, which we thought had ended long ago only to remain and return to Palestine.”
11. Wide shot, Security Council
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine:
“The Palestinian people, ladies and gentlemen, can no longer bear the continuation of this occupation to our country. The entire situation could implode at any moment. To avoid this, we must renew hope – do not lose hope – for our people and all the peoples of the region in freedom, independence, and achieving peace; and that there is hope free people to achieve their rights. Do not kill this hope in our people.”
13. Wide shot, Security Council
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations:
“It is clear that some of are beginning to embrace the spirit of the plan. That is why you have used the opportunity presented by its release to call on President Abbas to negotiate. And we thank you for that. But President Abbas refuses to be pragmatic. He refuses to negotiate. He is not interested in finding a realistic solution to the conflict.”
15. Wide shot, President Abbas
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations:
“Let’s not beat around the bush, progress towards peace will not be made as long as President Abbas remains in his position. This is the reality. Only when he steps down can Israel and the Palestinians move forward. A leader who chooses rejectionism, incitement, and glorification of terror can never be a real partner for real peace.”
17. Pan right, Guterres and Abbas walking into meeting room and stand for photo op
18. Wide shot, Abbas signing
19. Wide shot, UN and Palestinian delegations sitting for meeting
UN chief Antonio Guterres said this was a time for “dialogue, for reconciliation, and for reason,” and urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to “demonstrate the necessary will required to advance the goal of a just and lasting peace.”
Addressing the Security Council today (11 Feb), in the presence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Secretary-General said the UN’s position on the Middle East peace process has been defined by resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly, by which the Secretariat is bound. He added that the UN remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements and “realizing the vision of two States – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security with recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.”
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov told the Council that in the days since the US proposal was unveiled, there were some violent incidents throughout the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in and around Gaza. He added that all must show restraint and clearly and unequivocally condemn violence wherever it occurs.
Mladenov reminded that unilateral steps and plans for annexation would have a devastating impact on the prospect for a two-state solution and would close the door to negotiations. He added that those who reject the proposal should also not turn to violence.
The Special Coordinator stressed that there was “no other framework except the one that Israelis and Palestinians together agree on, a framework based on relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements. In the absence of a credible path back to negotiations, we all face a heightened risk of violence. Violence, which will drag both peoples – and the region, into a spiral of escalation with no end in sight.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said there was wide refusal for the Trump administration’s plan worldwide because it violates international legitimacy and annuals Palestinian rights to self-determination, freedom, and independence, while legitimizing illegal settlements and annexation.
He said the plan should not be used an international reference for negotiations because it puts an end to the Palestinian Question and destroys the basis of all previous agreements, turning Palestine into fragmented residential compounds. He said the State suggested in the plan was “Swiss cheese” and asked Council members, “Who among you would accept his State to be this way?”
The Palestinian President said the deal “carries in its folds orders, entrenches occupation and annexation by military force, and consolidates the apartheid regime, which we thought had ended long ago only to remain and return to Palestine.”
Abbas thanked Israelis and Americans who protested the deal, including 300 Israeli military officers and members of the US Congress. He stressed that peace was still possible between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples adding Palestinians would never resort to violence to achieve their rights.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine:
“The Palestinian people, ladies and gentlemen, can no longer bear the continuation of this occupation to our country. The entire situation could implode at any moment. To avoid this, we must renew hope – do not lose hope – for our people and all the peoples of the region in freedom, independence, and achieving peace; and that there is hope free people to achieve their rights. Do not kill this hope in our people.”
Abbas said Palestine would no longer accept the US alone as a mediator for peace efforts and stressed that he was willing to negotiate directly with the Israelis under the auspices of the Quartet (US, Russia, EU, and the UN) based on the terms of reference.
Israeli ambassador Danny Danon said if President Abbas was serious about peace, he would not be at the UN rather he would be in Washington or Jerusalem sitting with a negotiating partner. He said Abbas’s rejectionism was encouraged by many in the international community with words and actions, adding that many have also fallen into the habit of forcing the outcome of negotiations before they begin. He said it was time to reconsider the international community’s approach to solve the conflict.
Danon said the US plan represents the requirement of a realistic approach that is not afraid to incorporate innovative ideas to the concerns of both parties. He told Council members, “It is clear that some of are beginning to embrace the spirit of the plan. That is why you have used the opportunity presented by its release to call on President Abbas to negotiate. And we thank you for that. But President Abbas refuses to be pragmatic. He refuses to negotiate. He is not interested in finding a realistic solution to the conflict.”
The Israeli ambassador stressed that progress towards peace will not be made “as long as President Abbas remains in his position. This is the reality. Only when he steps down can Israel and the Palestinians move forward. A leader who chooses rejectionism, incitement, and glorification of terror can never be a real partner for real peace.”
