UN / ISRAEL PALESTINE
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STORY: UN / ISRAEL PALESTINE
TRT: 04:54
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 19 SEPTEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN Headquarters
19 SEPTEMBER 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tor Wennesland UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
“I would like at the outset to express my grave concern over the growing risk of a widescale regional escalation. The series of explosions across Lebanon and rockets fired toward Israel in recent days adds to the volatility. I call on all sides to refrain from steps that will further exacerbate the situation and take immediate steps to deescalate.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Tor Wennesland UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
“Demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures continued across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain, Israeli authorities demolished, seized, or forced people to demolish 373 structures, displacing more than 550 people, including 250 children.”
6. Med shot, Palestinian representative
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Tor Wennesland UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
“The Security Council, in its resolution (2334 (2016)), called upon both parties to refrain from provocative actions, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric. Unfortunately, such acts continued. A joint statement from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad threatened a return to the use of suicide bombings, a call echoed in a speech by a senior Hamas official, while Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades published a graphic leaflet showing an explosive belt and a bombed Israeli bus. In a video posted on social media, an Israeli minister said ‘Palestinian prisoners must be killed. Shot in the head’ while urging the passing of the bill by the Knesset allowing capital punishment for terrorist offences.”
8. Med shot, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Helen Clark, Member of the Elders:
“It is clear that unless and until the root causes of the conflict are addressed, violence will persist and escalate. The conflict management approach pursued by powerful members of the international community has failed. A new approach is needed, grounded in international law, including the enforcement of this Council's resolutions. Council members who question the binding status of these resolutions, or who use their veto to protect an ally or to oppose a geopolitical rival are eroding the council's authority.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad H. Mansour, Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Palestine:
“Mr. President, the ICJ, the highest judicial organ, made clear, unequivocal determinations. Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and must be brought to an end as rapidly as possible. In this historic advisory opinion, the Court reaffirmed the illegality of Israel’s settlements and associated regime, including the wall, across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, stressing the obligations of the occupying Power to cease immediately all settlement activities and to evacuate its settlers from our Territory.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Danny Danon, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Israel:
“This Council and the world must wake up to the reality of the threat Iran poses. The Dark force driving the violence we see today is not a collection of independent groups, it is Iran pulling the strings. The Iranian proxies, Hezbollah in the North, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria and terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria, are all Iran's attack dogs unleashed to spread death and destruction across the region. These proxies are the cloth of a beast, a beast that is not content with attacking Israel alone but is curbing paths toward the domination of the Middle East. While Iran pulls the strings, the Palestinian Authority stands by utterly weak and impotent. When they are not turning a blind eye due to the weakness, they are actively collaborating with this very their own networks.”
14. Wide shot, end of Security Council meeting
Briefing UN Security Council members today (19 Sep) on the situation in the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process expressed his “grave concern” on the "the series of explosions across Lebanon and rockets fired toward Israel in recent days," warning that these incidents add to the overall volatility. Wennesland urged all parties to "refrain from steps that will further exacerbate the situation and take immediate steps to deescalate."
In his briefing, Wennesland also highlighted the ongoing demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. He noted that over 550 people, including 250 children, had been displaced. He said, “demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures continued... citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain.”
The Special Coordinator also expressed alarm over provocative actions and rhetoric on both sides. Urging all parties to reject such dangerous incitements, he said, “a joint statement from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad threatened a return to the use of suicide bombings... while an Israeli minister said, ‘Palestinian prisoners must be killed. Shot in the head.’”
Helen Clark, a member of The Elders and former Prime Minister of New Zealand, told the Security Council that the current approach to managing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has failed. She criticized member states that use their veto power to "protect allies" or "obstruct geopolitical rivals," warning that this undermines the authority of the Council.
Riyad H. Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN, referred to a recent advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, declaring Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as unlawful. “The Court reaffirmed the illegality of Israel’s settlements... stressing the obligations of the occupying Power to cease immediately all settlement activities,” Mansour said.
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said, “this Council and the world must wake up to the reality of the threat Iran poses. The dark force driving the violence we see today is not a collection of independent groups; it is Iran pulling the strings," He said, “the Iranian proxies, Hezbollah in the North, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria and terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria, are all Iran's attack dogs unleashed to spread death and destruction across the region.” Danon further said that Iran is not only targeting Israel but is seeking domination of the entire Middle East, while the Palestinian Authority is being “utterly weak and impotent.”