YouSaid · the spoken record

Gillerman

lines on the record: 555
first: 2003-02-20
most recent: 2008-07-22
sittings or episodes: 44
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

“Mr. President, I wish to thank you very much for your condolences, which I know are heartfelt and sincere, as are, I know, the condolences expressed by my colleague from Liechtenstein. Mr. President, allow me to thank you for your leadership of the Council during this rather busy month of October and for having convened this extremely important meeting. The statement I had prepared for this meeting is before the Council. However, even as we speak, five Israelis lie dead and 33 others, badly wounded, are being rushed to the hospital after terrorists struck again, this time in the market of the city of Hadera in central Israel, in a suicide bombing by a 20-year-old Palestinian. I will therefore - with your permission, Mr. President - forsake my statement and not read it out at this time of great grief and stark reality.”
2005-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5293 (2005) · source
“We call upon this Council to look beyond the diversion and witness the larger picture: a tiny country, marred by terrorism, mobilizing its citizenry and political will to take a bold step for peace in the region. Let us not be diverted by false rhetoric. Let us not be blinded by distorted images. Let us not be derailed by old tactics. Let us rise to the occasion, observe the large and hopeful picture, and seize this moment to allow this historic process to be successfully completed. Let us march forward rather than backwards, in hope rather than despair, towards a better future for our children - Israeli and Palestinian alike.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“Critics of Israel were historically obsessed with ending the occupation of disputed lands, yet once Israel engaged a plan to hand over land in an act of good will, as it is doing today, its critics obfuscate the issue by diverting the attention of the Council to this untimely and unnecessary discussion. Let this Council see through that diversion and the very absurdity it represents. Let there be no mistake - Israel has great respect for the Council and the revered principles upon which it was built. It is precisely because of our deep respect for those principles that we find dismay in the pernicious attempt to hijack its mandate and actions. Today's discussion signifies yet another blemish in this Council's agenda. It is such diversions that influence the need for United Nations reform.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“Initiatives that seek to focus exclusively on and exaggerate Palestinian victimization, while avoiding Palestinian responsibility, not only ignore genuine Israeli concerns, but do a grave disservice to all those Palestinians seeking reform, transparency and accountability. For there to be any genuine possibility of a lasting resolution to the conflict, all parties, including the international community, have to abandon the simplistic and one-sided representations that have distorted the true reality, and recognize that no side has a monopoly on suffering and that the dreams of neither side can be fulfilled in full. The Security Council convenes today to address grievances that do little to improve peace efforts in the region.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“Indeed, as Israel has repeatedly stated, the initiative can pave the way to the implementation of the road map and lead the parties back to the road to a negotiated resolution of the conflict. However, for the disengagement initiative to play the role as a bridge to increased cooperation and a return to the road map process requires recognition - both from the Palestinian side and from the international community - that there are rights on both sides of that equation, including the Israeli side, and responsibilities on both sides, including the Palestinian side. The road map sponsored by the Quartet, of which the United Nations is a member, is predicated on the assumption that both sides have commitments and responsibilities for which they must be held accountable.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“Israel has further established methods to address difficulties that might arise as a result of the fence's construction, both on the practical level - such as the more than 70 agricultural gates in the fence - and on the legal level by providing affected landowners the possibility of lodging objections to the proposed route and of claiming compensation from a special standing fund established precisely for that purpose. That mechanism guarantees appropriate compensation for those affected and obviates the need for any alternative measure, such as the ill-proposed register. In the absence of any demonstrable leadership on the Palestinian side, it has fallen to Israel to implement its disengagement initiative. Even as a reluctant fallback plan, however, the disengagement initiative - let it be clear - is not a replacement for negotiations.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“Each section of the fence is scrupulously examined in light of strict humanitarian criteria as determined by the Israeli High Court of Justice, the only justice system in the region where an Arab or Palestinian can go to court against his own Government, seek justice and get it, rather than be thrown in prison or get beheaded. It should also be noted that the construction of the fence has enabled Israel to remove checkpoints, thus relaxing day-to-day freedom of movement in northern Samaria.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“As we speak, teams of Israeli and United Nations experts are examining the consequences of those measures on the freedom of movement of Palestinian civilians. Israel and the Quartet's Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement, James Wolfensohn, are working together to enhance contiguous movement between Palestinian areas. Indeed, the fence's routing has been altered a number of times, either as a result of the continuous judicial review to which it is subjected or as a result of humanitarian concerns that have come to light only upon the completion of a certain section.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“The reality is that the security fence works. It saves hundreds of lives. There has been a reduction of over 90 per cent in the number of successful terrorist attacks, a 70 per cent reduction in the number of citizens killed and an 85 per cent reduction in the number of wounded. All of that can be attributed directly to the effectiveness of the security fence. In Samaria, for instance, 448 individuals died as a result of terrorist attacks prior to the completion of the security fence in August 2003. Israel remains sensitive, however, to the impact of the necessary defensive measures it has been forced to take. Israel is coordinating with Palestinian Authority officials in order to facilitate humanitarian passage in all areas.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“The impression one gets is that this debate is somehow a smokescreen for more broken Palestinian promises. And, in their wake, Israel must do everything within its ability to combat terrorism. That is the foremost responsibility and right of any nation: to protect the lives of its citizens. The onus of preventing Palestinian terrorism in all its forms lies clearly with the Palestinian Authority. Israel has transferred control over cities to the Palestinian Authority and armed Palestinian security forces in exchange for promises that the Palestinians would combat terror, which is a commitment reiterated in the road map. As a result of the Palestinian leadership's failure to confront terrorism, Israel was left with no choice but to find defensive measures to protect itself, such as the security fence.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“As I stated before - and this number must resonate in the Chamber yet again - nearly 25,400 terror attacks were committed since then, of which 142 were homicide bomb attacks. The Palestinian delegation requested the convening of this meeting of the Security Council in order to discuss the conditions on the ground. Let there be no confusion about the situation in Israel: we are in the midst of a historic, courageous political decision in order to improve the lives of Israelis and Palestinians. It is almost cynical that the Palestinian Authority is raising these issues with the Security Council at a time when the deteriorating security situation is the result of Palestinian terrorists and the Palestinian Authority's unwillingness to fulfil its obligations.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“We should hope that the leaders of the Palestinian Authority will confront the threat of terrorism accordingly. If the Palestinian leadership does not eradicate terrorism, terrorism will ultimately eradicate it. The prevention of terror emanating from Palestinian areas is entirely the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority and its leadership, a responsibility that it has thus far has failed to fulfil. Moreover, even the previous period of quiet was only superficial. In that time, dozens of terrorist acts were carried out every month, and a far greater number prevented. In fact, the campaign of terror has continued unabated, at varying levels of intensity, since September 2000.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“Since then Israel has waited not months, but years; and the Palestinian Authority still shows no sign of implementing even the first commitment in the road map, which calls for "an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism and visible efforts on the ground to arrest, disrupt and restrain individuals and groups conducting and planning violent attacks on Israelis anywhere". The terrorist attack in the shopping mall in Netanya just 10 days ago gives voice to the sad truth behind the plethora of terrorist attacks: they endanger not just the lives of Israeli citizens but also innocent Palestinians, the new Palestinian leadership, the disengagement plan and the peace process as a whole. It should be very clear, however, that Israel will not waver in its intention to complete the disengagement and pursue peace.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“Addressing the Palestinians, he said: "We would like you to govern yourselves in your own country: a democratic Palestinian State with territorial integrity and economic viability, which could conduct normal relations of tranquillity, security and peace with Israel ....We hope that the Palestinian Authority will carry out its part. However, if in a few months the Palestinians still continue to disregard their part in implementing the road map, then Israel will initiate the unilateral security step of disengagement from the Palestinians".”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“As anyone following developments in our region is aware, this is a painful and heart- wrenching moment for the Israeli people. The implementation of this plan, in the absence of any corresponding acts of good faith from our Palestinian neighbours, has created troubled divisions within our society. But the Israeli Government and its leaders, at no small political and, sadly, personal risk, are determined to follow through on their commitment to implement that important and bold initiative. The disengagement initiative is not Israel's first plan of choice. We would have preferred a fully negotiated agreement with our Palestinian neighbours. Indeed, Israel's Prime Minister made that clear in December 2003, when outlining the disengagement initiative for the first time.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“The situation in the Middle East is also dire, given that on the other side of our northern border the only force that is in control of the territory is a terrorist organization helped, sponsored and guided by two States Members of the Organization. As we speak, the Government of Israel is preparing to implement a fateful and unprecedented initiative: the disengagement of all Israeli civilians and forces from the Gaza Strip and the dismantling of four settlements in the northern West Bank. Israel is taking bold, courageous actions to reinvigorate the peace process on behalf of all those involved in this drawn- out conflict. As I have said, that initiative is unprecedented in its scope, in the challenges it raises and in the hope it has the potential to give to the Palestinian and Israeli peoples alike.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade have showered the skies this month with Qassam rockets. That tiny community has suffered nearly 1,000 such rockets in recent years. Several other communities were also shelled on 14 July, with rockets landing near a nursery school, near a playground, and directly hitting people's homes. The situation on the ground in Shlomi is also dire. On Israel's Independence Day, only a few weeks ago, in the midst of celebrations, members of a terrorist militia in southern Lebanon fired a 107-millimetre mortar shell specifically at civilian targets. Those are only a few examples of the incessant terrorist activities resulting in the murder of innocent civilians. The situation on the ground for those who died, their families, neighbours and friends is gruesome, cruel and, indeed, dire.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“On the ground, in Netanya, on 12 July, a young Palestinian strapped with explosives detonated himself at the entrance of a shopping mall. Five people, including two teenaged girls, died in that suicide attack: Julia Voloshin, Anya Lifshitz, Moshe Maor Jan, Rachel Ben Abu and Nofar Horowitz - fathers, mothers and children. These halls must never forget their names. Ninety more people were wounded in that horrendous attack alone. The situation on the ground in the Israeli community of Beit Hagai is also dire. On 24 June, Palestinian terrorists driving a vehicle opened fire on several Israeli civilians, all of them just teenagers, killing one of them. The situation on the ground is dire in the Israeli village of Nativ Ha'asara. On 14 July, a 22-year-old woman was killed while sitting on the porch of her home, as a result of a Qassam rocket.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“However, I feel a certain degree of gratitude for the opportunity given to us today by this Palestinian initiative to discuss the situation in the Middle East, or as the initiators of this meeting have chosen to call it, "the dire situation on the ground". Let me share with the Council the situation on the ground, which is truly dire. The situation that has seen more than 25,400 terrorist attacks against Israelis in less than five years is indeed dire. To put things in perspective in this world we live in - which, as we have witnessed again today, is a very cruel and cynical one - that is an average of more than a terrorist attack every two hours, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for five consecutive years.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“Allow me at the outset, Mr. President, to congratulate you again on your leadership of the Security Council. I should also like to congratulate Mr. Alvaro de Soto on the assumption of his important and daunting tasks and to commend him for his clear, comprehensive and professional report. As we sit here today at the behest of the Palestinians, we should all ask ourselves, why indeed are we here? Are we here to deal once again in acrimony and spend precious time on diatribes and distorted facts, as we have just witnessed and heard? Or should we, at this watershed moment in the history of our war-torn region, seize the moment to see the larger picture and paint the wide canvas our people deserve and that the Council should, and I believe truly wants to, paint.”
2005-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5230 (2005) · source
“We encourage the Committee to cover fully the wide scope of its mandate, including confronting the dangers of incitement. Furthermore, Israel looks forward to extending our support to the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, and in that context is pleased to note that an Israeli counter- terrorism expert has been included in its work.”
2005-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5229Resumption1 (2005) · source
“The rightful placement of terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah on lists of outlawed international terrorist organizations is key to ostracizing their representatives and inhibiting their activities. Any other approach, especially political co-option in the naive hope that terrorists will eventually rectify their ways, not only sends the wrong message about international counter-terrorism efforts, but also endangers governing authorities and the lives of innocents around the world. Having fought terrorism since our inception, Israel is well aware of the dangers and transnational ramifications that are inherent in it. We therefore appreciate international efforts to contain and combat terrorism. Israel has been an active supporter of the Counter-Terrorism Committee.”
2005-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5229Resumption1 (2005) · source
“Nevertheless, terrorist groups are quick to exploit any gaps that might appear in international resolve and cooperation. One such gap is the increasing tendency to seek contact with leaders of terrorist organizations on the ground that they are political and/or democratically elected leaders. Let there be no mistake about it: terrorist organizations are cunningly adopting a new modus operandi of political involvement in a cynical attempt to exploit the wave of democratization that has begun to sweep through the Middle East. Developments in democratization should not be confused with the democratization of terrorists themselves. Indeed, contact with them, at any level, signals international acceptance of their continued militarization and encourages, rather than fights, terrorism.”
2005-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5229Resumption1 (2005) · source
“The goal of concluding such a convention should not, however, be seen as an end in and of itself, but rather as a means to an effective international counter-terrorism strategy. Accordingly, as much as we wish to see the comprehensive convention concluded at the earliest opportunity, it should not come at the cost of diluting the principles that stand to make it an effective tool in the fight against terrorism. Israel is pleased to note that multilateral forums - most recently the Group of Eight summit and the meeting of the group of five European interior ministers - continue to close the gaps in the international counter-terrorism web. As a result of these and similar efforts, international terrorist networks are suffering significant setbacks.”
2005-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5229Resumption1 (2005) · source
“On that subject, Israel is concerned that, although the "Millennium + 5" draft outcome document rejects terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, it also lists factors that may contribute to terrorism. That list compromises the efficacy of the draft outcome document's statements on terror. Israel also attaches the utmost importance to effective counter-terrorism legislation and multilateral legal instruments. We are actively sharing our experiences in this sphere. Israel is party to nine counter-terrorism conventions, and we are working to join others. We also support the goal of concluding a comprehensive convention on terrorism during the sixtieth session of the General Assembly.”
2005-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5229Resumption1 (2005) · source
“In particular, issues of radicalization, glorification of martyrdom and incitement require urgent and concerted attention, especially in the light of the increasingly common phenomena of suicide terrorism and of terrorists who have been born and raised in the very societies in which they commit their atrocities. Israel is pleased to note the growing, indeed almost universal, recognition that the fight against terrorism cannot be held hostage to any so-called root causes. There can be no attempt to justify or excuse the use of terrorism. Israel commends the Secretary- General for his forthright rejection of such attempts in his counter-terrorism strategy.”
2005-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5229Resumption1 (2005) · source
“We hope that similar progress will be made with States that are able but unwilling to confront terrorism. Despite clear calls from the Security Council detailing the responsibility of States to refrain from supporting and to act against terrorists, there are still States that View terrorism as a way of waging their own wars by proxy. The same resolve we direct against the terrorists must be directed against those States that allow terrorists to act unencumbered and unimpeded. There is an urgent need to address those factors that create the atmosphere in which terrorists can hide, recruit new members and operate.”
2005-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5229Resumption1 (2005) · source
“Further, those attacks again bring to the fore the urgent need for the international community to reinvigorate its fight against terrorism. Israel believes that the unprecedented increase in global cooperation and information-sharing that has occurred since the attacks of 11 September 2001 is a very important step in the fight against terrorism and a reason for great encouragement. On a daily basis, the global community makes advances in enhancing security and in combating terrorism. In that context, Israel Views the meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, the Al-Qaida Committee and the 1540 Committee as important steps in the global fight against terrorism. Israel commends the Committees for the valuable progress they have made in increasing the capacity of States that are willing but unable to confront terrorism.”
2005-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5229Resumption1 (2005) · source
“Our sympathies and prayers are with the families of the Victims of that attack, and we wish a speedy recovery to the survivors. Israel itself is mourning the death of six of its own citizens this week. They were murdered in two terrorist attacks, both of which took place within a week of the tragedies in London. Israel is, unfortunately, keenly aware of the devastating effects of terrorism, and we once again reaffirm our resolve to work together with others to confront terrorists and their sponsors, wherever they may be. I would also like to express our condolences to the people of Turkey, Egypt, Iraq and India, all of whom have experienced the evils of terror in recent weeks. Those terrorist attacks prove once again that terrorism knows no boundaries and is indeed a global problem.”
2005-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5229Resumption1 (2005) · source
“We would like to congratulate you, Sir, on the convening of this very important meeting. We would also like to commend you for the leadership you have demonstrated during your presidency of the Security Council for the month of July. The fight against terrorism is unquestionably one of the most urgent issues facing the world today. Your guidance in today's discussion will no doubt prove invaluable. In that context, I have noted with great interest the news that Syria has arrested some terrorists. I have also noted that country's very selective mode of arresting terrorists, on the one hand, and its wholehearted harbouring of them, on the other. Israel would like to take this opportunity to extend its deep and sincere condolences to the people of the United Kingdom in the wake of the terrorist attacks that recently struck it so brutally.”
2005-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5229Resumption1 (2005) · source
“Palestinian terrorist organizations and the regimes that support them are the true enemies of peace and of the Palestinian and the Israeli peoples. They should be the focus of the Council's attention, because they are the ones that are obstructing peace. Only by confronting them directly can we regain our footing on the road map once again.”
2004-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5051 (2004) · source
“Rather, it would have worked against the vital interests of both groups. By focusing solely on Israeli actions to stop terrorism and failing to properly express and expressly condemn the terrorism that is the cause of those actions, it would have emboldened the terrorists to continue to hurt both communities and to continue to obstruct the path to peace. The struggle towards peace must be advanced. One-sided draft resolutions such as this one do not contribute towards the goal of a peaceful Middle East. They only contribute to allowing terror to continue and to keeping peace forever out of our grasp. The Security Council has an obligation to the victims of terrorism and to the struggle for peace.”
2004-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5051 (2004) · source
“Israel has the right and the duty to defend itself and its citizens from the rain of missiles falling over its communities so long as the Palestinian leadership does nothing to stifle that and other forms of terrorism against the Israeli people. The fact is, it is the evil Palestinian leadership that has brought this horror and destruction upon its own people by holding it hostage to its evil grip of terror. We have heard a lot today about the occupied territories; we have not heard a word of admission that, were it not for their tragic leadership and their choice of terror rather than a settlement when one was offered, the Palestinian people would long ago have had its own State. This draft resolution would have done nothing to bring about an end of suffering for either Israelis or Palestinians.”
2004-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5051 (2004) · source
“A draft resolution that indicts the victims of terror, rather than their murderers, is wrong and shameful. Ignoring its obligations, including those under the very first phases of the road map, the Palestinian leadership has allowed terrorists to act with impunity from within its territory. They commit their atrocities from within Palestinian civilian areas and aim their aggression towards Israeli civilian populations, leading to tremendous harm to both groups. Accordingly, Israel will respect its obligation to defend its citizens while also respecting its obligations to international humanitarian law.”
2004-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5051 (2004) · source
“At the outset, I would like to thank the countries that courageously opted to oppose, or not to vote for, this draft resolution. We are pleased that it was not adopted, as it should never even have been considered. It escapes me how certain countries around this table that have described the draft resolution as even-handed or balanced could have done so, when it specifically demands certain things from Israel and fails to even hint at the demands from the Palestinians or the horror that they have caused. How anyone could even try to describe this as a balanced draft resolution totally escapes us. A draft resolution that seeks to condemn mechanisms for fighting terrorism, instead of the terrorism itself, distorts the seriousness of the issues at hand.”
2004-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5051 (2004) · source
“We would urge the Council to stand by the side of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, and remind the Palestinian side, as the Quartet recently did, that the path to peace and security lies in the end of terrorism and in reform. It lies in taking responsibility and not in shifting blame. It lies in Ramallah and Gaza, not in New York. All this week, Israeli families will celebrate the holiday of Succoth, the feast of tabernacles. On this occasion, let me take this opportunity to end by saying, may God spread his tabernacle of peace over all of us and over the people of Israel.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“As Foreign Minister Shalom stated in the General Assembly debate just a few days ago, "The Palestinians are not exempt from the imperatives of the global war on terror. On the contrary, it is in their clear interest to join it. To stand up against Hamas and Islamic Jihad is to stand up for Palestinian rights, not against them." (A/59/PV.7) Sadly, the current Palestinian leadership has shown that it is as incapable of being a partner in peace as it is of offering its people reform and democratic rule. They have preferred rhetoric at the United Nations to responsibility at home. But that is not a path the Council should condone by entertaining additional one-sided draft resolutions.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“Thus far, over 35 trips along the route have been coordinated, including convoys of medical supplies, maintenance crews, vehicles belonging to international organizations and local ambulances. At the same time, it is vitally important that humanitarian activities and cooperation not be compromised and abused by the illegal actions of Palestinian terrorist groups. The costs of the Palestinian leadership's morally bankrupt strategy of terrorism are paid in the lives of innocents, the stagnation in the peace process and the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians. By entertaining initiatives that effectively reward that strategy, the Council would only embolden extremists and undermine the letter and spirit of the road map.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“In the lead-up to this operation, preparations were made in order to respond effectively to the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian civilian populations, including the opportunity of providing liaison officers and the opening of a special route to provide easy access to the vehicles of international humanitarian organizations. Palestinian liaison officials, representatives of the local Palestinian council and representatives of international organizations were notified as to the opening of that special humanitarian route. In addition, representatives of district coordination offices are stationed at various points along the route in order to provide all necessary humanitarian assistance.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“The very idea that individuals with clear links to the Hamas terrorist network may be on the UNRWA payroll is totally unacceptable and should be properly investigated. Let me be very clear: Israel reaffirms its support for the humanitarian work being carried out by UNRWA and other international organizations on the ground in very difficult conditions. Israel continues to facilitate, to the best of its ability, the carrying out of the mandate of those organizations, despite the obstacles faced as a result of the continuing terrorism and violence carried out by the Palestinian side.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“It should be recalled that, by the admission of Hamas's own leaders, members of the political wing are involved in planning, directing and providing the support, infrastructure and financing for the acts of terror for which that organization is responsible. In recent statements, for example, Hamas's so-called political wing has declared that the political apparatus is sovereign over the military apparatus and that the political leadership has "freed the hand of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades to do whatever they want against the brothers of monkeys and pigs". It is precisely that support infrastructure that the road map requires be dismantled, as the Quartet, of which the United Nations is a member, reiterated just on 22 September, when it called for the dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“Peter Hansen, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), that members of the Hamas terrorist organization are "on the UNRWA payroll", and are thus being funded by United Nations Member States, is especially disturbing and alarming. As Council members are aware, the Hamas organization is officially recognized by numerous States as a terrorist organization without any artificial distinctions between its various wings. Its countless brutal acts of terrorism against innocent civilians, for which it has itself proudly taken credit, have been condemned repeatedly by United Nations Member States and by the Secretary-General, as well as in the Council itself.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“This would hardly be the first time that Palestinian terrorists have abused the immunity of United Nations facilities and ambulances in order to launch attacks, move weapons or transfer operatives, thereby endangering United Nations personnel and operations. That worrying pattern of activity is a matter of grave concern that threatens to seriously undermine the integrity of United Nations operations. It requires utmost vigilance from all sides, including United Nations officials on the ground, to do everything in their power to prevent such misuse and to investigate any alleged misconduct. In that regard, today's reported admission to a Canadian television station by Mr.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“In that context, and faced with a brutal Palestinian strategy that seeks to maximize civilian casualties on both sides, Israeli forces are making every effort to avoid harming non-combatants and their property, in accordance with their legal obligation. But there should be no doubt that the primary responsibility for tragic civilian casualties lies with those terrorists who have so heartlessly abused the protected status of Palestinian civilians and put them deliberately in harm's way, in direct violation of the most basic humanitarian norms. There has also been disturbing information that, once again in recent days, Palestinian terrorists are attempting to cynically exploit not only civilian areas but also United Nations vehicles, ambulances, facilities and personnel.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“And yet, while this disingenuous and disrespectful presentation comes as no surprise, it should remind Council members of the importance of distinguishing just claims from merely noisy ones. In the face of this complex and gruesome reality, Israel is compelled to act in accordance with its recognized right and duty of self-defence in an effort to halt the firing of these rockets and the murder of its citizens. The Israeli Defence Forces are taking action against those responsible for launching Qassam missiles from amongst the Gaza civilian population. While the present operation is broader than its predecessors, it is relatively limited, with the aim of refraining from deeply penetrating densely populated areas.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“They are part of the long pattern of Palestinian representations that refer to murderers as martyrs, armed terrorists as though they were innocent civilians, and the innocent victims of Palestinian terrorism of both sides as though they were non- existent. It is part of a mantra constantly repeated before this Council that is no more true for its repetition, that ignores both Palestinian responsibilities and Israeli rights, and that fails to recognize the excruciating difficulties faced by Israeli forces in trying to protect their citizens and minimize harm to Palestinian lives when the terrorists they confront show as little concern for Palestinian lives as they do for Israeli ones.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“Virtually all terrorist fire directed from Gaza against Israeli targets emanates from crowds or residential buildings, and hundreds of explosive charges and mines are planted within the civilian infrastructure. In one recent grave incident on 22 July 2004, a 15-year old Palestinian boy, Hassan Jamil Al- Zanin, was killed in cold blood by Fatah/Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade terrorists when he tried to stop them from launching a Qassam rocket attack near his family home. In yet another example of fabrication and misrepresentation by Palestinian spokesmen, the death of Hassan Al-Zanin was presented in a letter to the Secretary-General as though he were killed by Israeli forces. These kinds of blatantly false allegations should come now as no surprise. We have heard many of them again today.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“They represent yet another case in which the Palestinian leadership chooses terror and the suffering of its own people over exhausting the avenues for peace. This Council should not allow that strategy to be rewarded by addressing the response to terrorism instead of terrorism itself. It must be rejected, not appeased. These continued rocket attacks from Gaza constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law not only because they target innocent Israeli civilians; Palestinian residents' lives are also put at risk and held hostage to the continued and despicable tactic adopted by Palestinian terrorists, by which innocent Palestinians are used as human shields and civilian areas are used as staging grounds for terrorist atrocities.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“As Council members are aware, Israel intends to disengage from the Gaza Strip as part of Prime Minister Sharon's disengagement initiative, which has been welcomed by the Quartet, most recently in its 22 September statement, and by the international community as a whole as an important opportunity to restart the road map process. The disengagement plan promises greater stability and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike and a platform from which mutual implementation of the road map can proceed. Against that background, the firing of Qassam rockets and the continuation of Palestinian terrorism constitute an attempt both to thwart the disengagement plan and to perpetrate terrorism and violence as a strategic tool.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source
“Try as some might to confuse consequence and cause, most Palestinian representatives and most Palestinian people know that, if not for the terrorism, there would be no Israeli defensive action and there would have been a two-State solution long ago. It is that terrorism and the Palestinian leadership's complicity in it that are the greatest single obstacle to peace and the enemy of both the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples. It is that terrorism, motivated by opposition not to Israel's conduct but to its existence, that fuels hatred and disempowers those yearning for peace.”
2004-10-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5049 (2004) · source