New York-Sana
Member states of the UN Security Council affirmed the necessity of stopping the Israeli occupation’s aggressive practices against the Palestinian people, especially its settlement plans aimed at displacing them and settling their cause.
In a speech during a session of the UN Security Council via video today, Tunisian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Muhammad Ali Al-Nefti, whose country chairs the Council, called for an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people and to continue serious work to put an end to the occupation’s systematic and aggressive practices towards the Palestinians, their land and their sanctities.
Al-Nefti stated that the Israeli occupation continues its crimes against the Palestinians, striking at the wall with all international efforts and dozens of UN Security Council resolutions, by changing the legal status of the occupied Palestinian territories, stressing the need to hold the occupation accountable for the crimes it has committed over seven decades.
In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that "there is a need to reaffirm Security Council resolutions and Madrid principles with regard to Israeli settlements and the refugee issue," calling for uniting efforts to reach a solution to the Palestinian issue.
For his part, the United Nations envoy to the Middle East, Tor Winsland, warned of the danger of continuing settlement expansion and the seizure of Palestinian lands through the demolition of Palestinian homes and facilities.
On the role of the Office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Winsland stressed that the financial situation of UNRWA is a source of concern for the United Nations, calling for continued support as it is a lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees.
While the Indian delegate to the UN Security Council renewed his country's commitment to support the Palestinian people, the Niger representative condemned the continued Israeli occupation of establishing settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, destroying Palestinian property and displacing them in flagrant violation of international laws.
Estonian Foreign Minister Rein Tamasar called on the occupation to stop unilateral actions, settlement expansion and demolishing buildings as a matter of concern and contrary to international law.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Eini Eriksen Suridi explained that the settlement policy undermines stability in the region, stressing the importance of continuing to provide support to UNRWA to continue its work.
The Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Simon Coveney, stressed the need to respect international law and the relevant international references, once again his country's position on settlement, which violates international law, and called for it to stop in all regions.
