Security Council: Middle East
(Note: A complete summary of today's Security Council meeting will be made available after its conclusion.)
THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION (S/2023/962)
Briefing
ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said he invoked Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations because “we are at a breaking point”. There is a high risk that the humanitarian support system in Gaza will collapse and that would have devastating consequences, including a complete breakdown of public order and increased pressure for mass displacement into Egypt. “I fear the consequences could be devastating for the security of the entire region.” He also emphasized the complete lack of safety and security for UN staff and the intensity of military operations, with at least 130 UN staff killed so far. “Some of our staff take their children to work so they know they will live or die together,” he said.
“The conditions for the effective delivery of humanitarian aid no longer exist,” he continued. The Rafah crossing point is a major bottleneck and even if sufficient supplies were allowed in, it would be impossible to reach people in need due to the intense bombardment, Israeli restrictions on movement, fuel shortages and interrupted communications. Between 3 and 5 December, UN aid distribution was possible in only one of Gaza’s five governorates, namely Rafah. “People are desperate, fearful and angry.”
More than 17,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, including more than 4,000 women and 7,000 children, he said. Tens of thousands have been injured and many are missing. Some 339 education facilities, 26 hospitals, 56 health-care facilities, 88 mosques and 3 churches have been hit. Over 60 per cent of Gaza’s housing has reportedly been destroyed or damaged and 85 per cent of the population is displaced. “The people of Gaza are being told to move like human pinballs — ricocheting between ever-smaller slivers of the south, without any of the basics for survival. But, nowhere in Gaza is safe.” People are running out of food, with the World Food Programme (WFP) reporting a serious risk of starvation and famine. WFP’s own food stocks are running out and in the north of Gaza, 9 out of 10 people have spent at least one full day and night without food.
Gaza’s health system is collapsing while needs are escalating, with just 14 out of 36 hospitals still functioning, he stated. Of these, three are providing basic first aid. Many patients are being treated on the floor and without anesthetics, while unsanitary conditions in shelters and insufficient water supplies are leading to more respiratory infections, scabies, jaundice and diarrhea.
He said that he condemns unreservedly the brutal terror attacks unleashed against Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on 7 October, adding that he is also appalled by reports of sexual violence. There is no possible justification for the deliberate killing of 1,200 people, he said, calling for the immediate release of the 130 remaining hostages. “At the same time, the brutality perpetrated by Hamas can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.” International humanitarian law is binding on all parties equally at all times, and the obligation to observe it does not depend on reciprocity.
“The people of Gaza are looking into the abyss. The international community must do everything possible to end their ordeal,” he said, urging the Security Council to push for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the protection of civilians and the urgent delivery of life-saving aid. At the same time, he added, the international community must not lose sight of the only viable possibility for a peaceful future — a two-State solution. “This is vital for Israelis, Palestinians and for international peace and security,” he said.
Statements
RIYAD H. MANSOUR, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, noted that Ecuador is the third President of the Security Council to take office “since Israel started its carpet bombing of the Gaza Strip”. He thanked the Secretary-General António Guterres for “the clarity of his voice” and condemned “despicable attacks” on UN personnel. In two months, Israel has killed 17,000 Palestinians including 7,000 children, displaced 1.9 million people, “and we are all supposed to pretend that this aggression is not aimed at the destruction of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip”. He added: “Are we supposed to pretend we don’t know the objective is the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip?” If the Council is agianst the destruction of the Palestinian people, it must be in favour of an immediate ceasefire, as Israel is conducting the war through atrocities and by telling people to head south to be safe while bombing them in the south itself.
“This is the moment of truth,” he continued, as the shame is not on those calling for a ceasefire in the face of such atrocities — it haunts those refusing to do so. “This is Netanyahu’s war […] the war of the extremist coalition in power in Israel.” No one should pretend that this war is targeting Hamas when 70 per cent of those killed are women and children. Citing hostages held by Israel as a means to terrorize and pressure the Palestinian people, he referred to “2 million hostages in the Gaza Strip.” There is no hierarchy of races, faiths or nationalities and no one should take example from the horrors of the Second World War to justify horrors taking place in Gaza. Israeli exceptionalism must end immediately, he said, calling on the international community to stop rewriting international law to fit Israeli crimes.
“The Palestinian people will not die in silence,” he said, emphasizing that they have survived every attempt to annihilate them over a century. This is a moment in history, one where everyone will be asked where they stood, and that will determine who they truly are and what they really stand for. Calling on the Council to heed the call of the overwhelming majority of States and billions of people worldwide, he said that the organ has no role more important than saving civilian life. Noting that 2.3 million Palestinians are fighting for their lives every single day, he said: “Tell them — show them — help is on the way.” The Council must vote for a ceasefire by supporting the draft resolution presented by the United Arab Emirates as the Arab representative on the Council, he said, adding: “Time is up.”
GILAD MENASHE ERDAN (Israel) said that, after the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, a chance of a global war became a possible reality, yet Article 99 was not invoked. Thousands of people were also killed and millions displaced in Yemen and Syria, but again, Article 99 was not invoked. Regional stability and security of Israelis and Gazans can be achieved once Hamas is eliminated and the true path to that goal means supporting Israel’s mission, not a ceasefire. “On 6 October, there was a ceasefire in place. But, on October 7, Hamas broke the ceasefire with an unprovoked invasion,” he said, adding that a ceasefire would cement Hamas’s control of Gaza. Without military pressure, no amount of diplomacy can secure the release of hostages, he added.
Hamas knows that they cannot win against Israel on the conventional battlefield; therefore, it hides behind the civilian population to maximize casualties. “The more civilian fatalities there are, the more pressure the international community will put on Israel.” In addition, Hamas fabricates death tolls which are taken at face value at the United Nations. “Do we want to be the actors in the show that Hamas has carefully crafted?” Hamas violated the recent humanitarian pause while still holding 138 hostages in Gaza, he noted. “If the Security Council wants to see a ceasefire, start by demanding it from Hamas — the party that broke the past two,” he said.
Hamas is solely responsible for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, he said, adding that that group is committed to bringing death and destruction to both Israelis and Gazans. “Israel is taking every possible effort to improve the situation,” he said, reporting that since the war began, more than 35,000 trucks carrying more than 70,000 tons of humanitarian supplies entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Israel has also facilitated the entry of 65 trucks with fuel, he said, adding that the UN has a limited capacity to accept more trucks. Israel has facilitated the construction of two field hospitals, while France has supplied a floating hospital with Italy to follow suit. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia donated 21 additional ambulances and 5 more field hospitals are set to open soon. “This was all allowed and facilitated by Israel,” he said, adding that aid is being distributed by Hamas among its terrorists. Noting that today is the start of Hannukah, he stated: “I pray that we see another Hannukah miracle here in the UN.”
MOHAMED ISSA ABUSHAHAB (United Arab Emirates) said that the scale of destruction in Gaza has surpassed that of the 1945 bombing of Dresden. “The invocation of Article 99 must be a tipping point.” The Council must act when too little aid is getting in, when humanitarian workers cannot deliver aid for fear of being killed, when the siege of Gaza is becoming a major source of death and when unrelenting bombardment has killed more than 130 UN staff members. Resolution 2712 (2023) must be fully implemented, “but we all know that the only way to end this tragedy is to impose an immediate humanitarian ceasefire”. After two months of war, ambulances are delivering more dead than survivors to the few emergency rooms still functioning in Gaza, he said, adding that the United Arab Emirates has circulated a draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, on which the Council will vote later today......
https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15518.doc.htm
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