YouSaid · the spoken record

Al-Mouallimi

lines on the record: 516
first: 2011-10-24
most recent: 2020-01-22
sittings or episodes: 53
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The settlements deal a death blow to the possibility of a peaceful settlement to the Palestinian question based on the principle ofland for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-State solution. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the guardian of Islamic holy sites, is deeply concerned about the Israeli practices in Al-Quds Al-Sharif. The Security Council and the General Assembly have adopted over 10 resolutions pertaining to Jerusalem and the need to avoid any negative impact on its religious and spiritual significance. Nevertheless, over half of Israeli settlers live in the area of Jerusalem and its environs, and increasingly in the area between southern Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The most recent resolution on Jerusalem was Assembly resolution 67/24, adopted on 30 October 2012 and entitled "Jerusalem".”
2013-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6906Resumption1 (2013) · source
“We hear statements in this and other bodies expressing the strong belief on the part of the international community and the United Nations in the justice of the Palestinian cause and the inevitability of putting an end to their plight. However, practically speaking, the Council is paralysed and helpless because the occupying Power continues to disregard the international community and carry on with its brutal and unjust policies. In his most recent report on the situation in the Middle East (S/2012/701), the Secretary-General states that settlement expansion undermines the territorial basis for a future Palestinian State. The settlements incontrovertibly violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids occupying Powers to change the demographics of the land or to confiscate territory.”
2013-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6906Resumption1 (2013) · source
“He went on to say that the Israeli Government had decided to speed up the construction of approximately 6,500 residential units in East Jerusalem. That was the Israeli Government's response to resolution 67/19. As another means of punishing the Palestinian people, Israel refused to pay the tax and customs revenues due to the Palestinian Authority. That is a violation of the Paris Protocol, which stipulates that tax revenues must be transferred. To alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia gave budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority in the amount of $100 million. The Israeli occupation of Palestinian land has become one of the longest- standing occupation issues that this Organization has dealt with.”
2013-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6906Resumption1 (2013) · source
“The Palestinian cause has witnessed important developments since the last Council debate on the issue (see S/PV.6847). Through its resolution 67/19, adopted on 29 November 2012, the General Assembly granted Palestine the status of a non-member observer State of the United Nations. After the adoption of that resolution, Israel started expanding settlements and increasing the number of residential units in existing ones. In his briefing to the Council last month (see S/PV.6894), the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs noted Israel's announcement in the wakes of that adoption that it would continue planning for the construction of thousands of residential units in the area between Jerusalem and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement.”
2013-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6906Resumption1 (2013) · source
“Mr. Al-Mouallimi (Saudi Arabia) (spoke in Arabic): I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for convening this open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine. It is an issue of great importance to regional and international peace and security, especially in the circumstances currently prevailing in the Middle East. At the outset, I would like to confirm our endorsement of the statements that have been and will be made on behalf of the Group of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement. I also salute the presence among us of the Foreign Minister of the State of Palestine and his participation in this meeting, and I thank Mr. Robert Serry for his comprehensive briefing.”
2013-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6906Resumption1 (2013) · source
“Ben Emmerson, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, particularly for his report to the Human Rights Council on framework principles for securing the human rights of victims of terrorism (A/HRC/20/14). We emphasize that the fight against terrorism cannot retain its high morals unless they are fully aligned with respect for human rights. We also stress that combating terrorism can never justify harming innocent civilians or considering them mere collateral damage.”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“Those include occupation, oppression, colonization, ethnic cleansing, and, finally, depriving people of their right to self-determination, achieving national independence and meeting people's aspirations to freedom and dignity. In particular, they include the aggressive Israeli practices perpetrated on a daily basis against the Palestinian people in the State of Palestine, which is still under occupation. It is important to note that the acts of resistance to such occupation cannot be classified as terrorism, because acts of legitimate resistance are no more than a form of self-defence against the systematic State terrorism manifested through occupation. With regard to the fourth pillar, which addresses human rights, I would like to express our appreciation for the efforts of Mr.”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“While I reiterate my country's support for, and commitment to, all the elements and pillars of the Strategy, I should like point out that most international efforts have focused on the Strategy's second and third pillars, concerning ways to confront and combat terrorism, build countries' capacity and develop the role of the United Nations. We are fully aware of the sensitivity of discussing the first pillar of the Strategy, which refers to the factors that lead to the spread of terrorism. But in order to be fair and honest with ourselves, we must admit that it is important that we look into ways to eradicate the causes that lead to terrorism.”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“Saudi Arabia has been keen to address the ideological, economic and social aspects of terrorism, as well as to compensate the victims of terrorist crimes and provide them with the necessary psychological treatment. In that regard, we have established the Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef Rehabilitation Centre, which provides counselling and guidance to repentant terrorists, in order to reintegrate them into the societies of their homelands as active citizens. The Centre has now become a model for the eradication of the roots of terrorism and its ideologies. I would like to recall the outcome of the third review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which was adopted by consensus by the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session (General Assembly resolution 66/282).”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“At the national level, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has instituted several important measures and security safeguards aimed at combating and limiting terrorism. Those include establishing new security departments specialized in counter-terrorism activities; enacting and amending many laws, rules and regulations related to combating terrorism; and strengthening rules and restrictions regulating the weapons, munitions, equipment and/or spare parts industry and the import, sale, possession and/or trade in such weapons, so as to prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorists. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has also tightened border controls in order to prevent the infiltration of terrorists and arms smuggling. However, my country's efforts to combat terrorism are not limited to security measures.”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“An idea emerged at the Conference that is today a reality, namely, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre, which is now effectively and actively shouldering its responsibilities in strengthening international cooperation in combating terrorism. Saudi Arabia's support for the Centre demonstrates our commitment to collective action and the maintenance of international peace and security. Accordingly, we call on all members of the international community to cooperate with the Centre in providing it the benefit of their expertise, which will in turn enable the Centre to achieve the goals for which it was established. In that respect, I am pleased to announce that my country is cooperating with the United Nations on convening meeting, to be held in mid-February, on cooperation between internationals centres to fight terrorism in Riyadh.”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“We reiterate the importance of such resolutions in limiting terrorist organizations' access to weapons of mass destruction and in intensifying the policing of providers of nuclear services in order to ensure that they are not providing illegitimate entities with nuclear materials or technology. As always, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has continued to undertake effective leadership initiatives in support of international cooperation in combating terrorism, in the form of the International Conference on Counter-Terrorism, held in Riyadh in 2005 by invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“I also recall the High-Level Meeting on Countering Nuclear Terrorism, with a Specific Focus on Strengthening the Legal Framework, which was held at the start of the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly on 28 September 2012. In that regard, I take this opportunity to commend the efforts of the Security Council, especially its Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), to control and prevent the use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery to non-State actors, whether individuals or organizations, who attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use those weapons. In that context, last year the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contributed an $500,000 in support of the work of that Committee.”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“Moreover, the Kingdom has implemented all resolutions ofthe Security Council to counter terrorism and its funding, including through the freezing of assets, travel bans and arms embargos against all persons and entities listed on the Security Council sanctions committees consolidated list, and through its close cooperation with other countries and international organizations in the fight against terrorism. Those include, in particular, United Nations entities and their subsidiary bodies, such as the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities and the Working Group on Counter-terrorism.”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“There is clearly no need for us to reiterate the well- known fact that terrorism is a global phenomenon, unassociated with a specific religion or race. Although it threatens no specific country or region, it represents a threat to the entire world; the international community must therefore combat it with determined action and cooperation aimed at achieving the desired results. My country remains a leader in the fight against terrorism. At the international level, the Kingdom continually reiterates its rejection and condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, regardless of its source or objectives. Since 1963, my country has acceded to 14 regional and international agreements and conventions against terrorism and its funding.”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“Mr. Al-Mouallimi (Saudi Arabia) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, I would like to congratulate you, Sir, on Pakistan's assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. I am confident that your experience and wisdom will enable the Council to achieve appropriate outcomes on the sensitive issues under consideration. Moreover, I express my deep gratitude to you for convening this open debate on counter-terrorism, and particularly thank Her Excellency Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, for attending and presiding over our meeting today. In addition, we underscore our alignment with the statements delivered on behalf of the Group of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries.”
2013-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6900Resumption1 (2013) · source
“How can anyone hold the victim responsible for its own killing and ignore the deadly years-long blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip? Is it not time for the Council to order the cessation of violence, wherever it takes place and whatever its origin, and end the occupation and to lift the sea blockade in order to give the Palestinian people an opportunity to lead their lives freely, independently and in dignity, like the rest of humankind?”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“That goal is achievable if we commit ourselves to transparency and full respect for the sovereignty of each State and the laws that regulate its regional waters. I cannot conclude my statement without addressing the air, sea and land piracy carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. I wonder what the minimum number of Palestinian victims needs to be before the Security Council is moved to shoulder its responsibilities and seek to stop the Israeli killing machine. How can you, Mr. President, and members of the Council turn a blind eye to the wounded babies and children or ignore the screams of women and the groans of the elderly who at this very moment are being subjected to bombardment with Israeli missiles and rockets?”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“My country therefore welcomed the adoption of resolution 1851 (2008), which led to the establishment of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has supported the Group and participated in its meetings, its working groups and its Trust Fund. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notes with satisfaction the latest decrease in piracy off the coast of Somalia. However, we realize that the threat still exists and that there is an urgent need to support Somalia's new Government and help it to assert control over the various parts of the country, including supporting it in addressing the root causes of piracy off its coast and on the seas. In that regard, we continue to cooperate with the international community as it seeks to find a permanent framework that legalizes the use of contractual security personnel.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Mr. Al-Mouallimi (Saudi Arabia) (Spoke in Arabic): At the outset, Mr. President, I would like to congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. We wish you every success and hope that your leadership of the Council's work will show the necessary vitality, dynamics and ability of the Council to respond to events affecting international peace and security. Since the onset of the newly emerging phenomenon of piracy, especially off the coast of Somalia, Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries affected owing to its geographical location and economic and political status. Our commercial ships and oil tankers fell under a direct threat. Some of them were exposed to repeated attacks, robberies and kidnapping.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Consequently, we call on Iran to negotiate seriously and in good faith in order to achieve that goal. We further call on all parties to refrain from threats and counterthreats.”
2012-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6847Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Furthermore, we demand that an investigation be conducted on the Syrian regime's crimes against humanity and that all those involved in such heinous acts be brought to justice. My country is deeply concerned about the continuation of the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear programme outside international control, a matter that is seriouslyjeopardizing the security of the entire Arabian Gulf region. While we reaffirm the right of Iran and all countries in the region to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, we uphold the principle that the process should be under the full and comprehensive supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. We also support the efforts of the 5+1 group with respect to negotiations with Iran aimed at reaching a peaceful resolution to the issue.”
2012-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6847Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Lakhdar Brahimi, we believe that the success of his mission requires a focus on achieving a peaceful transition of power and the taking of concrete steps towards building the future of new, modern and civil Syrian State in which the entire Syrian people, with its broad spectrum of religious, sectarian, ethnic and regional affiliations, enjoy equal rights and responsibilities. The Syrian regime must realize that the time for its departure has arrived, as it cannot build its rule on the bones of its people, nor can it quench its thirst for power with the blood of innocent women and children. The international community must shoulder its responsibilities and intensify its support for the Syrian people using every possible means to enable them to defend themselves, heal their wounds and care for their children and displaced refugees.”
2012-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6847Resumption1 (2012) · source
“That regime insists on considering its citizens as enemies who deserve nothing but bullets, artillery shells and bombardment by aircraft and helicopter. Moreover, the regime's aggression goes beyond its national borders and threatens the security of the entire region while depending on military and political backup and cover from certain major Powers. The Syrian regime continues to pursue a military solution, ignoring the fact that fate will inevitably answer the people's call for freedom. While we support the efforts of the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the Legal of Arab States, Mr.”
2012-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6847Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Rather, the threats and pressure should have been directed towards Israel, to compel it to end the occupation, cease settlement activities and seriously negotiate the process of establishing an independent Palestinian State. My country looks forward with great interest to the conference on the Middle East aimed at establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction, to be held in Helsinki by the end of the year. We call on the Finnish facilitator of the conference, Mr. Jaako Laajava, and the States that sponsored the initiative, to issue invitations to the Conference without delay. The tragic situation in sisterly Syria has reached dangerous levels. The number of victims, refugees and displaced persons has increased every day as a result of the Syrian regime's arrogant policies and practices.”
2012-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6847Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The settlements clearly violate international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibit occupation authorities from taking any action that could lead to changing the demographic or geographic character of occupied territory. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia considers resolving the Palestinian issue a top priority, and reiterates its full support for Palestine's request for full membership of the United Nations and its affiliated entities. As a step towards that goal, we call upon all Member States to support upgrading Palestine to non-member State status, and urge them to support Palestinian endeavours in that regard. At the same time, we question the unfair practices that put pressure on the Palestinians and threaten to cut back assistance to them.”
2012-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6847Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by virtue of its responsibility for Islamic holy sites and its custodianship of the two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina, is deeply concerned about Israel's continuous assault on Jerusalem, in general, and on Al-Haram Al-Sharif in particular, including its continuous attempts to burn down or otherwise destroy Al-Haram Al-Sharif. We draw attention to additional Israeli plans to accelerate the demolition and displacement timetables and to intensify settlement policies. The most accurate description of the illegal settlement expansion carried out by Israel is that it is a great danger that threatens the two-State solution.”
2012-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6847Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Israel has never ceased its abhorrent actions, including attacks against religious sites, forced displacement and expulsion, arbitrary detention and mistreatment of prisoners, building new settlements and expanding existing ones, as well as extrajudicial killings. Furthermore, in the past month, Israel has stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacked worshipers with sound bombs. Prior to that, Israeli settlers and the occupation forces launched more than 60 attacks on holy sites in Jerusalem and other occupied Palestinian territories.”
2012-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6847Resumption1 (2012) · source
“In return, the United Nations has continued to ignore what is right and kept silent on instances of violent provocation, unjust aggression and illegal acts committed by Israel against the Palestinian people - the very same people who continue to hope that the international community will grant them justice by authorizing the establishment of their free and independent State, within the 4 June 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital. While we support the demands of the Palestinian people, we also call for the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from all other occupied Arab territories, including the Syrian Golan and the Shaba'a farmlands and other occupied Lebanese territories.”
2012-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6847Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Mr. Al-Mouallimi (Saudi Arabia) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, allow me to extend my sincere congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. I also thank you for convening this open debate on the situation in the Middle East. I also express my country's endorsement of the statements delivered, and to be delivered, on behalf of the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement. Israel has continued both its occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories and its aggression against religious holy place in violation of international law.”
2012-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6847Resumption1 (2012) · source
“They have urged the Syrian regime to abandon the security option and to adopt the political option, pursuant to the resolutions of the League of Arab States that formed the basis of the mandate given to Mr. Kofi Annan, Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States on Syria. On that basis, and in view of the Security Council's inability to take the necessary measures incumbent upon it by virtue of its mandate and responsibilities, the Arab States have decided to appeal to the General Assembly to uphold its responsibilities in such situations, pursuant to the Charter of the United Nations.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“What encourages the regime to persist in killing its people is the inability of the Council and the international community to take any firm measure to stop it, most recently when the Council failed to adopt a draft resolution pertaining to Syria last week. It appears that those who support the regime in its criminal actions do not understand the dangers of their support and its consequences in terms of human tragedy, which will be remembered for all time. The Syrian regime would not have killed or displaced those thousands of people if it had not enjoyed the support and backing of influential international Powers. The Arab States have taken a clear and firm position on the situation in Syria.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“In closing, I cannot fail to mention the seriously deteriorating situation in the Syrian Arab Republic. We all know of the recent increased intensity of killing, whose victims now exceed 17,000. Syria has also witnessed an increased flow of refugees escaping the hell of fighting to neighbouring countries. Their numbers now exceed 200,000 refugees, not to mention internally displaced persons. The most recent victims fell in the Al-Hula massacre of 25 May and the Trimseh massacre of 13 July, in which over 250 civilians were killed, not to mention the daily acts of killing in which tens if not hundreds die as a result of these clashes. All of that leaves no room for doubt that the Syrian regime is relentlessly killing any Syrian who opposes it.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The wall breaks the West Bank into small and isolated pockets in a manner that deprives the Palestinian people of their land and water resources. The deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories at the very least requires the Security Council to dispatch a mission to Palestine. In the past, the Security Council has Visited many areas throughout the world, such as Sierra Leone, Haiti and most recently Liberia, in order to observe the situation there first-hand. We therefore call on the Security Council to make such a visit, out of moral and humanitarian motives and on the basis of its mandate to maintain international peace and security. We also call on Council members to respond to the invitation that has been sent to them from the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, in that regard.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“According to the Centre for Jerusalem Studies, which is part of Bar-Ilan University in Israel, the recent activities undertaken by the Israeli authorities are considered to be the largest excavation operation ever beneath the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque and its vicinity. All of these actions are illegitimate and illegal, according to the resolutions on Jerusalem adopted by the Security Council and the General Assembly. The third issue thathould like to address - following the eighth anniversary of the adoption of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 9 July 2004 on the illegitimacy of the construction of the wall in the occupied territories - is that of the racist separation wall built by Israel, the occupying Power.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Israel also continues to build settlements around the city on the lands of Palestinian citizens. The occupying Power continually transfers Israeli settlers to East Jerusalem, forcefully displacing Palestinian families from their homes and cancelling their residency permits. In the past, we have spoken in the Council about Israeli excavation activities around the Al-Aqsa Mosque. However, the past 10 years have witnessed unprecedented excavation activity in the area directly attached to the Mosque, including the Arab village of Silwan, which was annexed by Israel along with the holy city of Jerusalem.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Israel has not only ignored that article, but has violated it by providing political and economic incentives to its residents to move to and live in the occupied Palestinian territories, thereby changing their geographic and demographic nature. The establishment of the settlements has imposed limitations on the daily lives of Palestinians in the occupied territories and has left no reasonable room for the long-awaited establishment of a Palestinian State. The second issue which is of equal importance is the situation of Holy Jerusalem, the first of the two prayer points and the third holiest shrine for more than 1.5 billion Muslims throughout the world. The Israeli occupation authorities continue to confiscate land and demolish the homes of Jerusalemites in order to change the human nature of the holy city.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The position of the international community and the Council on the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories is clear. However, it needs a strong international political mechanism to implement it, because the settlements clearly violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which considers Israel an occupying State that may not alter the demographic character of the area it occupies or confiscate occupied territories. Moreover, the sixth paragraph of article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that "[t]he Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies".”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“My first point concerns the stalled negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis, which have always been and remain the result of Israel's continued and accelerating settlement activities, especially its Judaization of Holy Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. According to Israeli media reports, on 14 July Israel decided to construct 130 new housing units in the Har Homa settlement in Jabal Abu Ghneim on the road leading south-east from occupied Jerusalem to Bethlehem. This is part of a wider plan, endorsed by Israeli authorities, to build over 1,000 housing units in Jerusalem and Ramallah in the heart of the West Bank. The continued settlement activity undermines the peace process, destroys the two-State solution and remains the main obstacle to any just solution.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“When we consider the issues of occupation and colonialism in the world, which the Organization has discussed for many years and in many cases has successfully resolved, we cannot help but wonder about the inability of the Council and the wider international community to find a solution to the question of Palestine and other occupied Arab territories. Hope for finding a resolution is starting to dwindle and has gone through many ups and downs over the past 60 years. Whenever a ray of hope appears on the horizon, it is quickly extinguished by Israel's intransigence and refusal to abide by the will of the international community. The human conscience demands that a solution to the Palestinian question be found, calling on the political will of the entire international community to take the most courageous steps towards that goal.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Mr. Al-Mouallimi (Saudi Arabia) (spoke in Arabic): I am making this statement on behalf of the group of Arab States, which endorses the statements delivered by the representative ongypt, on behalfofthe Non-Aligned Movement, and the representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. I would like to offer you, Mr. President, our sincere congratulations on your friendly country's assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of July and to thank you for your tireless work during your presidency. The topic ofthis meeting, the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine, is not a new item on the Security Council's agenda. This issue has been with the United Nations since its founding.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We urge the Security Council to ensure that the Syrian authorities are not able to delay any further and that Syria is no longer able to continue to ignore its commitments, as it has with regard to the League of Arab States Initiative. The Council cannot give the Syrian authorities additional deadlines at the expense of the lives of the women, children and young people of Syria. The world is watching events closely in the Middle East. The international community, as represented by the Security Council, is called upon to uphold international law and to heed the aspirations of the people of the Middle East to justice, freedom and national independence.”
2012-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6757Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We call attention to the fact that the Syrian Government is nevertheless continuing its violence against its own people, using heavy weapons to attack population centres, including towns and villages. Instead of prisoners being released, people continue to be detained. It is clear that the Syrian Government is not respecting the commitments it made to the international community through Mr. Annan. It is high time for the Syrian Government to put an end to the use of weapons against its own people. The aspirations and resolve of the people will prevail. Repression and violence no longer have a place in the modern world.”
2012-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6757Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the islands of the United Arab Emirates was unacceptable and showed a lack of good intentions. We support the United Arab Emirates in its efforts to resolve this problem peaceably through negotiation, arbitration and mediation. We call upon Iran to preserve its good neighbourly relations, cooperate with the United Arab Emirates and display wisdom in addressing this issue. With regard to Syria, we supported the adoption of resolutions 2042 (2012) and 2043 (2012), concerning the deployment of a United Nations Mission to monitor developments. We have also supported the initiative to send Mr. Kofi Annan, Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and of the League of Arab States, whose efforts we fully support.”
2012-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6757Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We urge the Council to go beyond these routine debates and to take the measures necessary to end the blockade of Gaza, dismantle the settlements, bring an end to the occupation and recognize an independent Palestinian State, on Palestinian land, in line with the 4 June 1967 borders, with its capital in Jerusalem. We urge the Council to accept Palestine as a full Member of the United Nations and of its agencies - a matter on which the Council has been very dilatory. We hope that the Palestinian people and the world will have to wait no longer to attain justice from the Council. I would now like to refer to the Iranian occupation of the three islands that belong to the United Arab Emirates, namely, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa. That occupation is a factor fuelling Iranian threats against the Arab Gulf States.”
2012-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6757Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We call attention to Israel's plan to step up its destruction and to increase the size of settlements. The League of Arab States has endorsed the Initiative put forward by Saudi Arabia to bring an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict in all its aspects, including by putting an end to the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights, the Shaba'a farmlands and the remaining Lebanese territory. We seek to establish a Palestinian State. Although it has been broadly accepted by the international community, Israel has rejected the Initiative.”
2012-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6757Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Just yesterday, in the middle of the day, Israel expelled two Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem, while more building permits were granted to settlers. The aim is simply to Judaize Jerusalem and to enshrine the status quo for the Jewish inhabitants of the city. Israel is also rejecting the work of the Quartet, in particular with regard to the Quartet's statement of 11 April (see SG/2182), which, in and of itself, does not meet the aspirations of the Palestinian people. Saudi Arabia, which has responsibility for the holy places in Medina and Mecca, is very closely following those attacks against East Jerusalem, and in particular against Haram Al-Sharif. Saudi Arabia is very concerned. There have been many attempts to violate that site, undermine its foundations, burn it and demolish it.”
2012-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6757Resumption1 (2012) · source
“That feeling is due to the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab territory - the longest occupation that the world has seen since the United Nations was founded. The Palestinian people have placed great hope in the United Nations to save them from that painful experience and from their suffering. The Palestinian people are committed to peace and to the olive branch, but their hopes depend upon the Security Council. The Council must deal with the occupation in a serious and firm manner. It is deplorable that the occupying Power is continuing its hostile practices, which are characterized by the expulsion of civilians, detaining people, torturing prisoners and expanding and building settlements.”
2012-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6757Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Mr. Al-Mouallimi (Saudi Arabia) (spoke in Arabic): First of all, I would like to congratulate you, Madam President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council to guide the Council's work for this month. We would like to thank you for inviting us to participate in this open public debate on the Middle East. I would also like to thank Sir Mark Lyall Grant, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, for having presided over the work of the Council last month. My delegation supports the statements made on behalf of the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement. Today more thank ever, the situation in the Middle East is characterized by a feeling of profound disappointment.”
2012-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6757Resumption1 (2012) · source
“In that regard, we hope that Iran will swiftly respond to the appeals of the international community with respect to its nuclear programme and the need to subject it to international supervision in order to ensure that it does not go beyond the peaceful uses of energy. At the same time, we call for making the entire Middle East, without exception, an area free of nuclear and all other weapons of mass destruction. The new Middle East needs more prosperity, not more nuclear weapons; more reconstruction, not more settlements; more freedoms, not more killings; more justice, and not more injustice, persecution and despotism. Those are the hopes of the Middle East and the aspirations of its peoples. Those are the Council's responsibilities and duties.”
2012-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6706Resumption1 (2012) · source