Permanent Observer Mission
of the State of Palestine
To the United Nations
Statement by H. E. Dr. Riad Malki, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine, before the United Nations Security Council, open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine Question, New York, 22 October 2015:
Thank you Mr. President, allow me to begin by expressing Palestine’s gratitude to the Kingdom of Spain for convening this debate, for the seriousness you have accorded to the critical mater before us, and for your able leadership of the Security Council this month.
I also thank the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Mr. Jan Eliasson, for his briefing. We express our appreciation for the efforts of the Secretary-General and his entire team to contribute to a de-escalation of the current dangerous situation and to restore focus to the core issues and the imperative for a credible political horizon that will bring an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian land and denial of Palestinian rights, un unjust and grave situation that continues to threaten regional and international peace and security.
Mr. President,
I come before the Security Council at a time when the Palestinian people are under lockdown and assault by Israel, the occupying Power, which has intensified its violations and collective punishment with blatant and inhumane aggression throughout Occupied Palestine, especially in Occupied East Jerusalem. Palestinian civilians, including children, are being killed and injured by occupying forces on a daily basis, their basic right to life violated due to their national and religious identities and their legitimate rejection of the occupation met with lethal, destructive force yet again.
The very hopes and national aspirations of the Palestinian people – for a future of freedom, security and peace, free from occupation, free from injustice and free from humiliation – are under assault by an occupying Power totally reliant on force and illegitimate means to enforce its occupation and subjugation of an entire nation.
Yet, even in the face of such threats to their human security, dignity and existence, the Palestinian people remain resilient and determined to continue their just struggle for freedom. They are unrelenting in their demand for realization of their inalienable right to self-determination in their independent sovereign State, as all other free peoples around the world. And, despite the injustices they are enduring, they remain committed to political, diplomatic, peaceful and legal means to achieve those objectives, for which there is overwhelming and longstanding international support.
But our people’s perseverance in the face of such adversity should not be mistaken for acquiescence. They will never accept this illegal occupation. We therefore once again appeal for immediate and collective action to end this injustice and solve this conflict, which threatens to spiral out of control with grave and extensive consequences. The Security Council cannot in any way justify remaining on the sidelines while we face the threat of this conflict spiraling out of control, including into a religious conflict, which is being fomented by the current extremist Israeli Government and its Prime Minister.
As we met, a grave escalation on the ground, particularly in Occupied East Jerusalem, continues to unfold. Israel occupying forces and extremist settler militias have unleashed a wave of violence and hatred against the Palestinian civilian population, including our youth. Repeated acts of aggression, provocation and incitement against Palestinian civilians and the right of Muslim Worshipers to access Al-Haram Al-Sharif and Al-A1sa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem have triggered this cycle of violence, which has claimed many innocent civilian lives.
Since the start of this month, 50 Palestinians have been killed, many killed by extrajudicial execution, including at least 10 children. More than 1,900 Palestinians have been injured, many severely due to Israel’s use of live ammunition against an unarmed, defenseless civilian population. Hundreds more Palestinians have been detained and arrested. Homes are being demolished in blatant acts of reprisal and collective punishment. Tensions are extremely high and situation has deteriorated on all fronts.
Mr. President,
Over the years, indeed the decades, we come to the Council warning about the illegal actions and aggression by Israel , the occupying Power against the Palestinian people in the Occupied State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem. Despite the constant deterioration of the situation and repeated setbacks in the political process, we held to our logical expectation that the Council would uphold its Charter duties and act to compel a halt to Israel’s violations – this being one of the most fundamental requirements for advancement of any peace process aimed at resolving the core issued and realizing a just, lasting solution based on international law and the Council’s own resolutions.
Unfortunately, this has been to no avail. The Security Council has proven unable and unwilling to bear its obligations. Repeated calls – by the League of Arab States, Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other concerned Member States, including Council members – for the Council to address the explosive situation and end Israel’s impunity in order to open the path for peace have not resulted in action. Instead, the Council has remained paralyzed, to the grave detriment of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples and region as a whole, with the conflict compounded with each passing day and peace and security remaining painfully elusive.
The Council is in fact in dereliction of its duties to preserve peace and security and uphold the Charter; and the human impact has been vast, are reflected in the ongoing suffering and plight of the Palestinian people, the current escalation only being the latest reminder of this reality. The Council’s repeated failure has shown that it is completely out of touch with the global pulse and consensus that peace can only be realized by ending the Israel’s occupation and realizing the independence of the Palestinian people in their own State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a just solution for the Palestine refugee issued in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions and Arab Peace Initiative. That perpetual occupation, interim solutions and management of the conflict will never lead to peace and security has been proven over and over again.
Mr. President,
Our discussions today must focus on the main source of the current violence and root of every other round of violence, which are the continued Israeli foreign occupation of Palestine and its illegal, destructive regime of settlements, its blockade and its oppression that denies Palestinians every right enshrined in the Charter and more. These are not isolated incidents that can be tied to a single event or person. Rather, they are expressions of the deep frustration, despair and anger that living under the boot of a racist, suffocating, brutal military occupation invariably produces.
The events we witness today prove once more that achieving a just and peaceful solution requires the Security Council’s urgent involvement must start with confronting the occupation’s illegal and provocative actions, including settlement activities and terrorism by extremists and settler militias against the Palestinian civilian population, actions that have repeatedly undermined peace efforts, seriously impaired the situation on the ground and encourage extremism.
The Council must act responsibly and immediately to de-escalate the current crisis. It must insist on respect for international law, without exception. A practical step in this regard is for the Security Council to reaffirm the basis for justly resolving the conflict, redressing that historic injustice that befell the people of Palestine. The Council must contribute to creating a credible political horizon that can help to restore hope to our people that the 48-year Israeli military occupation of their land and their oppression will soon end. You cannot just keep talking about the occupation and you cannot keep attempting to manage the conflict each time of a crisis flares. You must be clear and adamant: this occupation is illegal and it must end. A time-frame must be set for an end to the occupation. Such a step will renew faith that freedom and peace are attainable, rather than slipping out of reach.
Moreover, the Security Council has a legal and moral responsibility to provide the defenseless Palestinian people with protection for as long as this occupation continues. Israel, the occupying Power, is not only in violation of its Fourth Geneva Convention obligations to ensure the safety and well-being of the civilians under its occupation; it is actually the source of their insecurity and suffering and has effectively abdicated its obligations. In such a situation, in accordance with article 1 of the Convention and with the responsibility to protect, the international community must act to protect the civilian population from the occupation’s aggression and war crimes.
Protection options must be considered in accordance with international law and we urge the Council to undertake this important step. Promoting protection also requires real measures to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law. If Israel. The occupying Power is permitted to persist with such violations against the Palestinian people and their land and holy sites with impunity, the situation will surely devolve even further and the prospects for peace will become even more remote.
Mr. President,
Equally urgent, the Security Council must address the dangerous situation in Occupied East Jerusalem. Efforts are necessary to ensure that the Israel, the occupying Power, complies with its obligation to preserve the status quo in Jerusalem, including and especially regarding Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which houses the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque. At the moment it is clear that Israel is determined to preserve the status quo of occupation, nothing more. This is unacceptable and unsustainable, as all have recognized, and will only lead to further escalation, with untold consequences.
For months, the Israeli government has fanned the flames of hatred and religious fervor by allowing, and even participating in, provocations, incitement and raids at Al-Haram Al-Sharif. For months, we have warned Israel and international community that these provocations, incitement and raids, along with punitive measures against Palestinian Muslim and Christian worshipers, are seriously aggravating the situation and must end. We have repeatedly warned that such Israeli actions risk igniting a religious conflict with grave implications.
This reckless course of action must stop now. Israel must cease its contempt for Palestinian and Muslim rights and sensitivities and its contempt for international law, including the prohibition of all acts aimed at a altering the demography, character and status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Respect for the historic status quo at Al-Haram Al-Sharif among all parties must not only be in words, but also in practice. This is matter of urgency.
Mr. President,
Israel’s inhumane disregard for Palestinian life and all other illegal actions, in particular settlement activities, must also stop immediately. We cannot progress in any way towards a peace based on the two-State solution on the pre-1967 borders while Israel continues to actively and illegally alter the demographic and physical situation on the ground and entrench the occupation. The occupying Power must cease the confiscation of Palestinian land, the construction, settlements and the wall, the demolition of homes and the forced displacement of civilians. It must halt the terror, violence, provocations and incitement by its settlers, including in Occupied East Jerusalem and towards the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Needless to say, this must all be preceded by an end to the open, racist, and irresponsible calls by Israeli ministers and other senior officials to use deadly force against Palestinians, targeting in specific our youth. These calls have resulted in intensified the culture of hate and impunity, inciting Israeli occupying forces, Israeli settlers and other Israeli citizens, who know that they will never be held accountable for killing innocent, unarmed, defenseless Palestinians.
We again appeal to the Security Council to respond to the current crisis with the necessary determination with a view to saving lives and salvaging the prospects for peace. However, we caution that focusing on short-term formulas and treating only the symptoms of the problem, rather than its root cause, will further aggravate the situation and serve the agenda of those wanting to “manage” and prolong the occupation, rather than end it.
Here, we commend all initiatives to re-focus efforts on ending the conflict and finding a solution, particularly the ongoing efforts of France, and the widespread calls by States for the Council to uphold its duties and the clear expressions of support and readiness to contribute to creating a credible political horizon for peace and justice. Palestine stands, as always, ready to cooperate and engage positively with these efforts. Attempts to thwart such efforts, under the guise of absence of a peace process, would be better exerted towards ending the illegal and destructive actions of the occupation.
Beyond the political process, the situation on the ground must change. Urgent steps are required to stem this downward spiral. Every State, within the Council and beyond, has the duty to act urgently to compel Israel, the occupying Power, to cease its illegal policies and practices in Occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem, and to commit to the path of peace, based on the international consensus in this regard.
On our part, we affirm our commitment to pursuing a peaceful, political, diplomatic and legal path to the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, a just, comprehensive peace that fulfills their rights and aspirations to live in freedom and dignity in their State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as a just solution for the Palestine refugees. We will continue exerting every possible effort to achieve the noble goals of freedom, justice and peace for our people, while firmly confronting Israel’s efforts to impose on us never-ending occupation and conflict. We will not stop approaching the Council and knocking on its door to uphold its Charter duties and implement its resolutions and remind Member States that occupying a seat in the Council is granted to further the cause of peace and security in our world, including bringing an end to this unbearable situation. We all know what needs to be done and that requires political will, leadership and bold measures without delay.
The Palestinian people and their leadership will preserve in pursuit of our legitimate national aspirations and a peaceful resolution to this conflict. We will not be tied by rhetoric about a failing and absent political process as a pretext to invalidating the important function of the international system, including the Security Council. The regime of Israeli military occupation is the source from which all tensions erupt, including this latest round of bloodshed. It is the standing testament to the historic injustice that the Palestinian people have endured for decades. It is time for the international community to act to implement the only viable formula for peace: ending the Israeli occupation and ensuring justice, freedom and independence for the Palestinian people, long overdue and more urgent than ever.
Thank you, Mr. President.