Statement by Mr.Vladimir Safronkov, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, at the Security Council on the sitiation in the Gaza Strip
I would like to thank Assistant SecretaryGeneral Zerihoun for his briefing.
We in the Russian Federation are deeply concerned about the tragic events in the Gaza Strip.
We are alarmed about the reports of an increase in the number of victims and casualties resulting from the Israeli army’s efforts to restrain Palestinian protest actions, which began on 30 March as part of the so-called March of Return in a campaign lasting several days. We call on the Palestinian and Israeli sides to show restraint and to refrain from actions that could result in the deaths of innocent civilians.
What is on the agenda is the urgent need to mobilize diplomatic mediation efforts aimed at de-escalating the situation around the Gaza Strip. We should all understand that it is impossible to resolve the situation by putting out the fires that periodically flare up in the Palestinian territories. The relapses are inevitable and what is needed is a strategy for a settlement.
The tragic events going on now make the task of achieving inter-Palestinian reconciliation as soon as possible even more urgent. In cooperation with our regional partners, especially Egypt, we are determined to continue our efforts to unite Palestinians around the political platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which we see as essential both for the economic revival of the Gaza Strip and for a practical way to realize the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent State, coexisting in peace and security with Israel within internationally recognized borders.
The path to that goal is through convening direct negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis on all final-status issues, including Jerusalem. Any settlement should be based on the generally recognized international legal framework, including the relevant Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. We affirm our readiness to provide a Russian platform for a meeting between Palestinian and Israeli leaders.
The tragic history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has shown once again that the longer the political process is postponed, the more often unilateral steps are taken that make relaunching it even harder. The Israeli settlement activities in the Palestinian territories, which are contrary to international law, along with provocative rhetoric and violence, are not conducive in any way to creating the conditions for starting direct talks.
It is crucial that we continue to ensure that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) can do its work effectively. We welcome the outcome of the conference held in Rome on 15 March in support of UNRWA, whose budget Russia contributes to regularly. Right now what is especially needed is a well-coordinated effort, every day, on the part of the entire international community.
It is important to take action together and at the regional level. In that regard, we note the forthcoming summit of the League of Arab States in Riyadh in April. We hope that its agenda will be genuinely unifying and constructive, designed to overcome the obstacles to political and socioeconomic restoration in the Middle East and North Africa and to develop confidence- and security-building measures for the entire region.
For its part, Russia will continue its efforts to find a way out of the impasse in the long-standing ArabIsraeli conflict and to help to stabilize the situation in the region as a whole. In that regard, the proposal of Russia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Lavrov to conduct a comprehensive Security Council review of the situation in the Middle East, with the aim of identifying areas for joint efforts to stabilize the situation in the region and settle its many crises, old and new, is very relevant.
