Addressing ambassadors on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, Chef-de-Cabinet Courtenay Rattray warned that on top of the dire situation in the war-ravaged enclave, the spectre of further regional spillover is increasing by the day.<\/p>\n
End collective punishment<\/h3>\n
Reiterating his strong condemnation of the brutal attacks by Hamas and other armed groups on 7 October last year, Mr. Rattray stressed that nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n
He noted that in recent weeks, Israeli military operations and fighting has intensified across Gaza, while rockets continue to be launched by Palestinian armed groups from the enclave towards Israeli towns and cities.<\/p>\n
Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the UN Secretary-General, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cRafah is in ruins \u2013 and the Rafah crossing remains closed<\/strong>, further hampering humanitarian operations. Almost two million people have been displaced \u2013 nearly the entire population of Gaza \u2013 and many of them multiple times,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cNowhere in Gaza is safe<\/strong>,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n Mr. Rattray also voiced deep concern over the situation in the occupied West Bank, amid high levels of violence by Israeli security forces, settlers and Palestinian militants.<\/p>\n Between 7 October 2023 and 8 July, 553 Palestinians, including 131 children, were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem \u2013 the vast majority in the context of Israeli security operations. During the same period, 22 Israelis, including nine members of Israeli forces, were killed by Palestinians in Israel and occupied territories.<\/p>\n Israeli administrative and legal steps are also \u201csteadily altering\u201d the geography of the occupied West Bank, Mr. Rattray said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe seizure of large land parcels in strategic areas and changes to planning, land management and governance are expected to significantly accelerate settlement expansion<\/strong>,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n He further informed ambassadors of the issuance of two military orders at the end of May, which transferred powers to, and appointed, a civilian deputy in Israel\u2019s Civil Administration.<\/p>\n \u201cThis move is another significant advance in the ongoing transfer of authority over many aspects of daily life in the occupied West Bank\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf left unaddressed, these measures risk causing irreparable damage<\/strong>…we must change course. All settlement activity must cease immediately. Israeli settlements are a flagrant violation of international law and a key obstacle to peace.\u201d<\/p>\n While noting that the UN continues its effort to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza and to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, Chef-de-Cabinet Rattray reiterated the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.<\/p>\n \u201cThe parties must reach such a deal now…and this terrible war must end<\/strong>,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for the observer State of Palestine<\/strong>, said Israel has, for months, manufactured a humanitarian catastrophe, with famine at its core as it wields starvation, dehydration and the spread of diseases as \u201cthe ultimate weapons\u201d.<\/p>\n Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cTwo million people who were subjected to a 17-year-old blockade are now confronted with a hermetic siege, dying of hunger and disease while food and medicine are available only meters away,\u201d he said, adding that until now, Israel \u201cpretended\u201d the blockade, its walls and military rule were about security.<\/p>\n Underscoring that there is a reason Israel behaves this way, he said \u201ceverything in its history tells it it will get away with it. It is betting this time will be no exception. But, this time must be the exception, and change must start right now.\u201d<\/p>\n While the Security Council adopted resolution 2735 in June to achieve an immediate ceasefire leading to a permanent cessation of hostilities, he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu \u201cdoes not care about Palestinian civilian lives or even the hostages\u2019 life\u201d nor about international law or human decency, and only cares about his own political survival.<\/p>\n However, in recent weeks, there is a global consensus in support of the Palestinian people\u2019s right to self-determination and the two-State solution – in line with UN resolutions and international law, he said, citing the International Court of Justice (ICJ) cases against Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is more convergence on the Palestine question than on any other matter on the international agenda,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Russia,<\/strong> which holds the Council presidency for July, spoke in his national capacity, saying that\u00a0\u201ctoday, Gaza is in ruins,\u201d becoming once again the only conflict zone in the world from which people are not even allowed to flee, due to closed borders.<\/p>\n Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Stressing that the current \u201cunprecedented explosion of violence in the Middle East\u201d is largely a consequence of the failed US policy in the region, he said that by providing diplomatic cover for Israel\u2019s actions, supplying weapons and ammunition, \u201cWashington has become a direct participant in the conflict, just as in the case of the situation in Ukraine; if this support stops, the bloodshed will be stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n Expressing Russia\u2019s support for a permanent and widespread ceasefire, which will make it possible to release the 120 Israeli hostages and about 9,500 Palestinians arbitrarily arrested since 7 October, he called for safe and adequate humanitarian access to all victims and those in need, reaffirming the key mandate of UNRWA as \u201ca unique structure for providing assistance to Palestinians\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, we all have a responsibility to stop the unfolding human tragedy,\u201d he said, underscoring that the cessation of violence in Gaza and the West Bank can create conditions not only for the search for a lasting settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but also for overcoming \u201cother hotbeds of crisis in the vast Middle East\u201d in line with Council resolutions.<\/p>\n To do this, he said, all external players must \u201cstep over their geopolitical ambitions\u2026and stop the decades-long policy of discrimination against the Palestinian people\u201d.<\/p>\n Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana<\/strong>, expressed hope that resolution 2735 would have already silenced the bombs and bullets that continue to rain down on the enclave, emphasising that \u201cthe silence has been deafening on a possible solution to end the war in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the responsibility of this Council to continue to do all in its power to bring an end to this war,\u201d the ambassador said, calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and release of all hostages and Palestinians detained without trial in Israeli prisons and urging adherence to previous Security Council resolutions.<\/p>\n She also called for a collective mustering of political will to secure a stable future for the region alongside a set of actions, including the protection of UN and humanitarian personnel and the scaling up of aid entering Gaza, underlining Israel\u2019s obligation as the occupying power to ensure that the population has access to assistance and echoing the ICJ\u2019s related demands.<\/p>\n Actions must reduce tensions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and heightened violence between Palestinians and Israelis, Ms. Rodrigues-Birkett said, adding that \u201cwe further call for good faith efforts aimed at reducing tensions in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador and Permanent Representative<\/strong>, highlighted the continued suffering of the hostages, demanding their immediate release.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not dare to think what horrors they are experiencing at this very minute\u2026I beg you to look into their eyes and look at the sheer brutality that Hamas is doing to them,\u201d he told ambassadors.<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation of the hostages alone is a crime against humanity,\u201d he stressed, adding that the war will not end until the hostages are released and that Israel \u201cwill not leave a single hostage behind\u201d.<\/p>\n He also called on the Security Council to pay attention to the crisis in the wider Middle East region, accusing Iran of threatening peace and stability.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you choose to address this issue properly, we can improve the chances of peace and security in the region. The choice is urgent, and the choice is yours,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He added that Iran is not just a \u201cmissing element\u201d in any conversation on Gaza, but is the \u201ccentral element\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout taking meaningful action against Iran, the death and bloodshed will increase and spread. This is the truth about the multiple-front war against the Jewish State,\u201d he said.<\/p>\nOccupied West Bank<\/h3>\n
Irreparable damage<\/h3>\n
The war must end<\/h3>\n
Palestine: End the Israeli occupation now<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Riyad](\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Libraries\/Production%20Library\/17-07-2024_UN-Photo_SC_Mansour.jpg\/image1024x768.jpg\" "\\"Riyad")
\n<\/div>\nGlobal consensus has emerged<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Russia: Failed US policy triggered \u2018explosion of violence\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Foreign](\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Libraries\/Production%20Library\/23-01-2024-UN-Photo-Russia.jpg\/image1024x768.jpg\" "\\"Foreign")
\n<\/div>\nUNRWA indispensible<\/h3>\n
Guyana calls for immediate ceasefire<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Israel: Release the hostages now<\/h2>\n
Threats against Israel<\/h3>\n