YouSaid · the spoken record

Mansour

lines on the record: 2,038
first: 2006-03-30
most recent: 2023-12-22
sittings or episodes: 126
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

“At the outset, I want to thank Mr. Mladenov for his briefing. We would also like to thank the many Council members who have on principle defended the truth and demonstrated that they have memories extending beyond the past 24 hours. Time and time again we have come to the Security Council to appeal to its members to act with responsibility, in line with their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the Council's own numerous resolutions, to address the dire situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. Today is no different, as we continue to face a protracted and deepening protection crisis, a human rights crisis and ajustice crisis and their devastating impact on our people.”
2018-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8272 (2018) · source
“We appeal to Council members to uphold their Charter mandate and the Council's credibility and authority, which is being severely undermined. Moreover, we call on all States that believe in the rule of international law to uphold the law in a situation where its breach has been tolerated for too long, prolonging the Israeli occupation and its crimes against our people, prolonging their suffering and the denial of their rights, and preventing the realization of peace. As the Council addresses today the critical issue of the protection of civilians, we call on it to act accordingly and to ensure that Palestine is not the exception.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“It is also the responsibility of the international community to provide protection to the people under occupation for as long as it persists. Seeking to uphold this responsibility, Kuwait, in its capacity as the Arab representative in the Council, has in recent days begun consultations on a draft resolution on the protection of Palestinian civilians, following the grave incidents and loss of Palestinian life in Gaza just a week ago at the hands of the Israeli occupying forces. We urge Council members to seize this opportunity to demonstrate that the principles enshrined in Security Council resolutions on the protection of civilians, including children, have no exceptions, and to show their readiness to consistently act in defence of these principles in the face of such grave violations.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“Impunity is the greatest threat to civilians, while accountability is the greatest shield protecting them, deterring and preventing the recurrence of crimes. Are the Palestinian people entitled to protection under the provisions of the United Nations Charter, international humanitarian law and international human rights law? The answer must be yes. Is anyone under the illusion that Israel has any respect for its obligations under these instruments? Has it not demonstrated time and time again its contempt for the rule oflaw, including the right to life? There can be no doubt that it is the responsibility of the international community to bring this situation of prolonged, recurrent, widespread and systematic violations to an end.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“There is no right to security to justify the unlawful use of force, notably the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters. International law draws a clear line between legal action and war crimes and crimes against humanity, and we call upon all States not to accept any justification for the commission of such crimes. In that connection, the State of Palestine today submitted a referral to the International Criminal Court regarding war crimes, especially the ongoing war crime of settlements. The international community, including the Council, has made lofty commitments to protect civilians, and the obligations on all are clear. There cannot be one standard for the entire world and another for Israel.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“Only such blatant impunity can explain how Israel dared to open fire from hundreds of metres away on peaceful protesters with live ammunition in a deliberate and wilful manner, killing more than 100 Palestinian civilians, including children, and wounding thousands of civilians in broad daylight. International law is clear as to the protections to which civilians are entitled. An occupying Power cannot claim the right to security at the expense of the right to the security, protection and well-being of the occupied people, nor can it do so at the expense of a people's right to self-determination. Equally, there is no right to security that justifies permanent occupation or the illegal acquisition of land by force and its colonization. There is no right to security that justifies a blockade imposed on 2 million people for 11 years.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“At the outset, I thank the Polish presidency for convening this important and timely debate, which has particular significance for the State of Palestine against the backdrop of the violent repression by Israel, the occupying Power, of peaceful civilian protests in the Gaza Strip over the past few weeks. For decades, the Palestinian people have appealed to the international community for protection in accordance with the rules and norms enshrined in international law, in particular humanitarian law. For decades now, our people have suffered a protection crisis, compounded by the length and depth of the Israeli military occupation and the impunity enjoyed by Israel, which has emboldened its commission of grave violations of the United Nations Charter, international law and United Nations resolutions.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“Seventy years after the tragedy, injustice and shock of the Nakba, the Palestinian people, along with the international community and the members of the Security Council, continue to believe that international law is the way to justice, given that it is the surest path towards peace. States should translate words into action. It is time for serious and immediate action to be taken to ensure the primacy of international law, resume efforts to put an end to the Israeli occupation and achieve a just and lasting peace so that the Palestinian people can live in dignity and peace and exercise their inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination and freedom in an independent Palestinian State and the right of return. Our people have waited a long time. We have suffered for a long time.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“We call on all countries to work collectively or individually on the issue, in line with their legal commitments and in support of international law. That should include condemning the illegitimate and brutal attitude of Israel to the Palestinian people under occupation. Israeli settlements in our territories, including in East Jerusalem, should not be recognized. Any attempts by countries to support that illegal situation should be denounced. Measures should be taken to ensure accountability andjustice. We must also take urgent action to save the lives of innocent civilians and prevent the situation from deteriorating in order to have a chance, however small, to achieve a just peace. That is why international protection must be provided to the Palestinian people in line with international humanitarian law.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“We also call for the support of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which, in spite of the financial crisis imposed on it, continues to implement its mandate and provide assistance to refugees. It also continues to play an important role in easing the suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip and meeting their most urgent needs. We call on the Security Council to act without delay to find an immediate solution to this sensitive issue, which threatens international peace and security. The Council must take immediate action to stop the massacre of our people, especially in Gaza. It cannot remain silent. It must demand that its resolutions be respected and it should guarantee their implementation.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“Urgent action is therefore required to rectify this very difficult humanitarian situation. We have repeatedly called on the Council to lift the illegitimate Israeli blockade of Gaza and provide the humanitarian assistance we need to ease our people's suffering. Regrettably, that request has not been granted so far. We are making that request again today. Here we would like to recall resolution 1860 (2009) and the Council's demands on this issue. We ask that serious measures be taken to exert pressure on the occupying Power to end the blockade and open crossing points to enable the free movement of people and goods, in line with international humanitarian law.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“It has a green light permitting it to commit increasingly serious crimes against innocent people, kill larger numbers of people, imprison Palestinians, confiscate greater stretches of land, destroy more houses and displace more people. That has provoked the current developments in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. That impunity has enabled Israel to continue its illegitimate and inhumane blockade of the Gaza Strip for more than 10 years. The blockade has witnessed three devastating wars, during which Israel has targeted infrastructure on the Gaza Strip, exacerbating the situation for approximately 2 million Palestinians. Israel has decided to impose collective punishment, which constitutes a war crime. Israel deprives Palestinians of protection.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“The most recent decision taken with regard to Jerusalem has inspired the right-wing Israeli Government to implement its illegitimate policies and practices, including the murder of innocent civilians in broad daylight, without fear of consequences, since Israel has always enjoyed impunity. That has fuelled its aspirations to gain forcible control over Palestinian territory, including through the illegitimate and illegal annexation of East Jerusalem. We must acknowledge that the absence of accountability and the protection of Israel from sanctions has enabled Israel to go ever further in its settlement building and racist policies towards the Palestinian people.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“The United States took that decision in complete disregard of everyone, including the Palestinian people. As a super-Power, the United States should have put pressure on Israel to end its violations against the Palestinian people, compel it to respect international law and create an environment conducive to breaking the political deadlock and achieving peace, security, prosperity and dignity for everyone. Regrettably, it decided to do the opposite. It decided to bolster Israel's intransigence and impunity and protect it from international condemnation, accountability and any measure that might rectify a situation that is unfair to Palestinians and to their right to freedom and independence.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“The United States should review its position and its flagrant violation of international law and the relevant Security Council resolutions. Furthermore, the United States Administration did not just ignore the specificity and sensitivity around the status of the city and its central role in peace; it also decided to transfer the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem while the Palestinian people were commemorating the seventieth anniversary of the Nakba, their day of catastrophe. It is another provocative decision by the United States Administration that completely ignores the feelings and legitimate rights of Palestinians and the political concerns and religious sentiments of Christians and Muslims all over the world. It is a provocation for millions of Palestinians, Muslims and Christians.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“That is an issue of international law and the international community. The Trump Administration refuses to listen to what the world is saying. It refuses to listen to what is stated in United Nations resolutions, in particular those of the Security Council, or to what is laid down in international law and international standards. It refuses to listen. The United States is a super-Power that should be defending international law first and foremost. It is a super-Power that should be defending the resolutions of the Security Council and of the United Nations before anyone else, because of its position as a permanent member of the Council. As a super-Power, it should be the first to abide by international law, not flout it or close its eyes to the situation on the ground. The whole world can see the provocation.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“Jerusalem's status has been well known to the entire Council since the adoption of General Assembly resolution 181 (II), which determined Jerusalem's special status, and of all the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular 478 (1980) and 2334 (2016), as well as the agreements concluded between us and the occupying Power. According to those documents, the status of Jerusalem is to be determined in final status negotiations. No one, under the pretext of sovereignty or for any other reason, has the right to act in flagrant violation of international law and Security Council resolutions. If we were talking about transferring the Embassy from Tel Aviv to Haifa or Ashdod, that would be fine, and the United States would be free do so. But transferring the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is not up to the United States.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“I should also mention the illegitimate and provocative decision by the United States Administration concerning Jerusalem, which flies in the face of international consensus and Violates the relevant Security Council resolutions, particularly resolutions 478 (1980) and 2334 (2016). That Administration has chosen to support Israel, which has increased and exacerbated tensions and sensitivities and led to this trail ofblood. While no one is questioning the sovereign right of a State to choose the location of its Embassy, if that right runs counter to international law and Security Council resolutions, it is no longer a sovereign right. No country has the right to imperil our territory and place an Embassy in a territory under occupation.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“The document sent by the Secretary-General a year and a half ago, during the Spanish presidency of the Council, on the various experiences and forms of international protection for civilians, should not remain simply words on paper. The Council should consider it in depth and should determine how to ensure international protection for the Palestinian people now that the occupying Power has failed to shoulder the responsibility that it bears under international law. That is why it is now the Council's responsibility to ensure international protection for the Palestinian people until the end of the intolerable occupation of our country and until Palestinian independence has been achieved.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“We call for the implementation of those standards and principles in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the besieged and occupied Gaza Strip. No matter what version of events Israeli puts forward, the Gaza Strip cannot be excluded from the implementation of international standards for the protection of civilians. Ensuring international protection is now urgent, especially since Israel, the occupying Power, has violated international law. It has clearly failed to shoulder its responsibilities under international law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, to ensure the security and prosperity of Palestinian civilians under occupation. That responsibility therefore now falls to the international community, in accordance with the Geneva Convention and with the resolutions and commitments of the Security Council itself.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“We categorically reject such descriptions of peaceful Palestinian demonstrations. We also reject the use of such claims to exonerate Israel, the occupying Power, of its responsibility in using live ammunition against Palestinian civilians, and of its responsibility for deliberately causing their deaths, mutilations and injuries. Those actions add to the despair of the Palestinian people and lessen their hopes for justice and peace. Our call for international protection of the Palestinian people goes hand in hand with international humanitarian law and the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, which call for the protection of civilians in times of armed conflict, including the protection of children, women and humanitarian workers, especially journalists.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“We have the right to demonstrate with all of our family members against the occupation and its arrogance. We have the right to exercise our rights. Our men, our older people, our women and our children have that right. It is natural, civilized and accepted in ever country that is a member of the Council. Why is it not accepted in ours? Why are we being accused in a racist, fallacious way for simply exercising the same rights as anyone else, in spite of living under occupation and in a much more difficult situation? Like the rest of humankind, we wish to teach our children about love of country and about collective participation in civilized human actions. Why are such accusations being directed at us? Those activities are not scorned in other countries. They do not say that civilians are being used as human shields.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“The insinuations that Palestinians are responsible for their own deaths because they are protesting the illegitimate occupation are provocative and racist. In other countries the participation of young people, women and families in demonstrations is proudly held up as proof of a vibrant democracy, and it is protected under the right to freedom of speech and peaceful demonstration. Half a million people demonstrated in Washington, DC, against the use of guns in schools. Families and schools participated. That is permitted in other countries, but when Palestinians do the same thing in Gaza and occupied Palestinian territory, they are accused of using children as human shields. We reject that racist narrative, which turns us into people excluded from humanity.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“They can tell the Council about the kind of weapons that were used, inflicting lasting, lifelong physical disabilities. Their limbs are amputated. They are crippled. Those are barbarous acts that show the Israeli army's lack of humanity where civilians are concerned. That is the real definition of terrorism. A similar situation in any other country would have caused an uproar. We will not be the exception. We are the Palestinian people. Israel targets our children in order to inflict the cruellest of punishments on us and thereby extinguish the fire of life within us, because Israel understands that our children are invaluable. We live for our children. They represent our best future, the future that we wish for. Civilians have the right to peacefully assemble and demonstrate. That is an enshrined right for everyone.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“That brings the number of victims since the beginning ofthe Great March of Return on 30 March to 110 martyrs, including no fewer than 12,000 civilians injured, with at least 250 of them children. Many of those Victims' injuries are severe because of the Israeli occupying Power's barbarous use of live ammunition. Israel deliberately uses lethal ammunition on Palestinian civilians, or the kind that delivers the greatest possible physical injury, leaving victims permanently disabled. According to reports from international organizations, many of the victims have suffered severe bone and tissue injuries. I call on the Council to invite those organizations - such as Medecins Sans Frontieres, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Human Rights Watch and B'Tselem - here to listen to them.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“They are in trenches a kilometre away from the peaceful demonstrations and they have more weaponry than they need. Today, yet again and with a heavy heart, our beloved Gaza Strip is burying more children and young people who had simply been peacefully demonstrating to protest the miserable living conditions unfairly imposed on them by the Israeli occupation, to reject the humiliation, oppression and servitude they are subjected to and to call for their rights, including the right to self-determination and the right of return. Israel, the occupying Power, killed 61 civilians in just 24 hours, including eight children. Israel injured more than 2,771 people, many of them severely, in that same 24 hours.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“How long is it going to followthis double standard, especially when it comes to those who want to teach us a lesson? Why do they have a double standard when they want to control the Council? It is so terrible that we have to keep asking it again and again. Israel has historically tried to deprive us of our humanity and our natural right to life, and to justify its crimes by using its own security as a pretext, as if the occupying Power has a right to enjoy security while it denies the same right to the people being crushed by its occupation. They have the right to security but we do not. Once again, we are the exception. They have the right to fire live ammunition at us in order to kill more than 61 unarmed people and injure more than 3,000 in 24 hours, wielding heavy weaponry.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“Despite all of that, none of it was applied in the case of Palestine. Council members can see what is happening right now on the ground. Why did all of those Palestinians have to die? Why are they not enjoying life this morning with their families? Did they deserve to die? Did those children deserve to die? Did they deserve to be taken away from their parents? The international community has passed laws and encouraged the protection of the rights of every human being. Why are Palestinians the exception? Why should we be the exception? Why do those massacres happen while the Security Council does nothing? Why are we the exception? Why is the Council paralysed? Throughout the past six weeks, while we have been targeted, the Council has been paralysed. Why are we the exception? When is the Council going to act?”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“If a massacre happened in a Council member's country, and in the space of 24 hours 61 people, including eight children, died and more than 3,000 were injured, what would they do? Would they accept paralysis in the Security Council? Would they accept seeing it do nothing in the face of crimes committed by a cowardly occupying Power that hides in hills a kilometre from Gaza targeting it with air strikes, rockets and committing other heinous acts? The occupiers are armed and target unarmed people in Gaza. Would the members of the Council accept that on their own territory? Would they accept the Security Council remaining silent in the face of a massacre that continued for more than 24 hours? The world has early-warning mechanisms, means to mediate and resolve conflicts, even accountability mechanisms.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“We knew that the occupied Palestinian people - our young people, men, women and elderly - would bear the burden of such a massacre, carried out deliberately and indiscriminately. What was the response to all of those calls? Can it be that the Council did not hear them or take all those warnings seriously? Can it be that just one member of the Council can prevent it from responding to its most elementary responsibility by blocking three attempts to release press statements? Those statements asked for just one thing, a transparent and impartial investigation to determine the facts on the ground. Why is there such disregard for the lives of innocent Palestinians? How many Palestinians have to die before the Council takes action?”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“We have warned the Council not to turn a blind eye to the disaster in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and the continuing deterioration in the conditions there thanks to the racist Israeli practices, which have increased and escalated with the illegitimate and provocative decision of the United States regarding Jerusalem. We have warned the Council about the ongoing impunity that Israel enjoys. We have asked for the exceptional immunity that enables Israel to act as if it were above the law to be removed. We have urged that Israel be held responsible for its actions and for justice for its innocent Victims. In the past, and specifically over the past two months, we have not ceased to beg the Council to prevent another massacre at the hands of Israel, the occupying Power.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“We have come to the Security Council many times to ask for immediate action to stop Israeli aggression against our unarmed people, who are crushed under the odious Israeli occupation and have been suffering from forced displacement for more than seventy years. We have sent hundreds of letters describing the current brutal Israeli occupation of our people's territory. We have sent numerous appeals asking for implementation of the provisions of international law, international humanitarian law, human rights law and the relevant United Nations resolutions. We have sounded the alarm about the crushing occupation of an entire people and the various forms of abuse and oppression to which they are subjected.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“Are the other parties predisposed to an independent, impartial and transparent investigation to be conducted under the auspices of the Secretary- General, so that matters do not continue in an environment of accusations and mutual suspicion? Let us conduct such an investigation. Israel has chosen to intensify its brutal attacks against unarmed Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. Israel has decided to target them in cold blood, in flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, human rights law and the relevant resolutions on the protection of civilians. That amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“We ask of those who maintain diverging narratives why they have often blocked any transparent, independent and internationally led investigation. We have said in the Council that we would accept the outcome of such an investigation beforehand. The Secretary-General, as well as Mr. Mladenov and 14 members of the Security Council, have agreed to such an investigation on many occasions. I reiterate that we will accept the outcome, whatever it may be, of such an investigation. The question is whether the other parties are willing to accept such an investigation themselves. Why do some block the will of the majority of the Council? If what is happening on the ground is not clear, an internationally led investigation should be carried out for us to find out. As we said, we will preliminarily accept its outcome.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“We are meeting today at a tragic and painful moment for the Palestinian people, with great sorrow and bitterness. We convey our sincerest condolences to the families of the martyrs. May they rest in peace. We also wish a speedy recovery to all those who have been wounded as a result of the brutal Israeli attack on the Palestinian people who expressed their resistance in the besieged Gaza Strip on the first evening of the sacred month of Ramadan. We condemn in the strongest terms the odious massacre committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip. We call for an immediate halt to the military aggression against our people and for a transparent, independent and internationally led investigation. The occupation is the main source of violence in our region. Attempts by some to deny that fact are undermined by the reality on the ground.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“Mr. Mansour (Palestine) (spoke in Arabic): First of all, I thank Poland, in its capacity as President of the Security Council, for holding this emergency meeting. We also express our gratitude for the sympathy and condolences expressed by all members of the Security Council during the minute of silence honouring our martyrs. We thank Council members for having felt the urgent need to discuss the grave, deteriorating situation in occupied Palestinian territory, in particular in the Gaza Strip, owing to the heinous and deliberate crimes committed by Israel against unarmed Palestinian civilians. In addition, we thank the fraternal State of Kuwait for its current efforts as the only Arab member of the Security Council. We also thank Mr. Nickolay Mladenov for his briefing.”
2018-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8256 (2018) · source
“At this moment of the heightened vulnerability we are witnessing - particularly these days - in Gaza and in the light of the unprecedented financial crisis faced by UNRWA, we appeal for enhanced support to ensure the Agency's vital humanitarian, development and protection assistance to our refugees and its crucial contribution to regional stability. In closing, we reiterate our call on the Security Council to act now, in line with its Charter duties, to de-escalate this dangerous situation, to deter the occupying Power's crimes, to prevent further loss of innocent lives and to salvage the prospects for a just peace before it is too late and the consequences are too grave - something not unimaginable in the current international environment.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“All States must demand a complete halt to and disassociate themselves from such violations in order to bring an end to the occupation and enable the realization of justice and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including to freedom and independence. Moreover, we urge the international community to maintain its solidarity with and support to the Palestinian people. Responsible humanitarian action, including support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), has been a lifeline over the decades.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“No action taken by Israel or any other State can negate the applicability of international law to this situation, including in regard to the prohibition of acquisition of territory by force. Such actions have zero legal effect and cannot negate Palestinian rights or legitimate national aspirations. We stand firmly in our conviction, and will continue using all peaceful, diplomatic and legal means to protect our people, uphold their rights and protect our land. We reiterate our call on the international community to also remain resolute in rejecting Israel's illegal policies and practices.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“East Jerusalem remains an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 and is the capital of the State of Palestine, regardless of the passage of time and of Israel's measures aimed at forcibly and illegally altering the city's legal status, character and demographics. It is therefore extremely regrettable that, instead of rejecting Israel's illegal actions, a few States are emboldening its impunity. Recent decisions, including by Guatemala, mirroring the United States decision and flouting relevant resolutions - including resolutions 478 (1980) and 2334 (2016), which reaffirms Jerusalem's status as occupied and calls on all States to distinguish between Israel and the territory occupied since 1967 - evoke complicity with Israel's violations and should be rescinded immediately.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“To this, we must say that peace cannot be realized in the absence of respect for international law, the Charter of the United Nations and its resolutions; nor can it be realized absent the fulfilment of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the right to self-determination, a right that no one on this Earth would willingly forsake. Plans that disregard those fundamentals will never bring peace. That is why the United States decision on Jerusalem and the impending transfer of its embassy, in violation of Security Council resolutions, have so negatively impacted the chances for resuming peace talks. As with other key components, there can be no just and sustainable solution without Jerusalem.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“But no matter how many times we reaffirm our commitment to peace, no matter the efforts exerted over years of negotiations and the historic compromises made to that end, Israel continues to respond with aggression and contempt. At every juncture, the Israeli Government has obstructed peace efforts and ignored the international community's will, choosing instead to escalate violence, incitement and hateful rhetoric against our people, alongside its settlement and annexation policies, destroying the two-State solution on the 1967 borders and the potential for peace.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“This peace plan, centred on the established international terms of reference and parameters for a peaceful solution, in line with relevant United Nations resolutions, the Madrid principles and the Arab Peace Initiative, is a serious attempt to bring the situation back from the brink. We are grateful for the support given to this plan, including by Security Council members and other States, as well as by the recent League of Arab States summit - the Jerusalem Summit, held in Saudi Arabia - and by the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. We appeal today for efforts to be made to back this plan and mobilize for its implementation.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“All ofthe foregoing is being committed deliberately, in grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and in violation of the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations and all human rights instruments to which Israel is a signatory and claims to respect, which amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity. And yet, despite all of this, the Palestinian people and leadership remain committed to the pursuit of a just and peaceful solution. We also continue to seek, despite all the obstacles, the genuine resolution and reconciliation so essential for fulfilling our national aspirations. That is why President Mahmoud Abbas came before the Security Council on 20 February, with due respect for its authority (see S/PV.8183). We have again made an appeal for our rights and extended our hand in peace.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“Before the eyes of the world, young innocents are brutally murdered; the lives of millions of families are destroyed; our land is stolen and fragmented by Israeli settlements and a medieval wall; the heart of our country, Jerusalem, has been seized and isolated, and the sanctity and historical status of its holy sites violated; our people in Gaza are inhumanely besieged and blockaded; Israeli settlers ruthlessly terrorize Palestinian civilians; and thousands of Palestinians, including 350 children, 62 women and six parliamentarians, continue to be imprisoned, detained and tortured for rejecting this illegal occupation and its gross violation of their rights.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“Just like the thousands before them, they have been killed for being Palestinians - for being non-Jews - in an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing, colonization and dehumanization of the Palestinian people. In this context, we must refer to a recent declaration by the so- called Justice Minister of Israel, who stated that "there is a place to maintain a Jewish majority even at the price of violation of rights". On the eve of the seventieth anniversary of the Nakba, it is a tragic fact that our Nakba continues, with destructive and malicious crimes being perpetrated against our people with absolute impunity.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“If Israel truly sought peace, we would not be witness to the brutal murders of young Palestinian boys, such as Mohammed Ayyoub, age 15, who was savagely shot in the head and killed by an Israeli soldier while peacefully protesting with other civilians at the Gaza border; or the killing of young photojournalist Yaser Murtaja, age 30, shot while covering the protests, despite wearing clearly marked press gear, ending his life and his dream to travel out of Gaza one day, a dream repeatedly denied by the Israeli blockade; or the killing of a young deaf Palestinian, Tahrir Mahmoud Wahba, age 18, who was shot by an Israeli soldier during the 13 April protests and died this week of his wounds; or the killing of so many other Palestinians in recent weeks and the critical conditions of at least 100 persons suffering life-threatening injuries caused by the deadly weaponry and munitions used against them by the occupying forces.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“It is audacious for the Israelis to seek to be a member of a club that they despise and disrespect, and whose resolutions they refuse to implement. If Israel had even remotely ever sought peace - as opposed to using peace talks as a cover for its continued land grab and de facto annexation schemes - then we would not be in the dire situation we are in today.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“We all, unfortunately, know the reason why such an investigation will not take place and why the statement to the press was not endorsed. The truth, however, is that Israel does not want peace. Listen to official Israeli statements, including the statement made by the Israeli representative in this Chamber, who will no doubt again attack our delegation for standing up for our rights and renew Israel's attempt to shame Security Council members for daring to call for respect of the Charter and United Nations resolutions, including resolution 2334 (2016). In this regard, it is totally illogical and absurd to reward Israel's illegal behaviour with support for its brazen candidacy to the Security Council, a body it has never respected and constantly mocks, and whose credibility it undermines.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“We welcome the calls of the Secretary-General and other leaders for an independent, transparent investigation of the recent killings of Palestinian civilians by Israeli occupying forces and urge its swift launching via an international mechanism that will ensure a legitimate investigation and not another whitewash. But an investigation is not an end in itself; rather, it must be part of broader efforts to ensure accountability, end this entire travesty of justice and make peace. In this regard, we thank the 14 members of the Security Council that tried in the first and second weeks, through the efforts of our brothers in the delegation of Kuwait, to endorse the Secretary- General's call for an independent and transparent investigation.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source