Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Statement by Mr.Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, at the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

 We thank Mr. Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, for his report. Russia supports building up the international efforts to resolve crisis situations, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.

That vast region, which stretches from the borders of Lebanon or Syria and Israel to the Persian Gulf and Western Sahara, is unfortunately still teetering on the edge of another escalation, in a fragile situation that could collapse as a result of a minor political miscalculation or careless step.

The consequences of such a scenario could be disastrous for the whole world. In such circumstances, preventive diplomacy is particularly vital. It is too late to take steps to forestall conflicts that are already at an acute stage of armed confrontation. The focus has to be on finding peaceful solutions. But in the case of Palestine it is still possible to put the situation back on the political track, preventing a new round of violence in the very heart of the Middle East.

The state of affairs in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement is extremely worrying. Recent events in and around Gaza have confirmed that violence is filling the vacuum that has formed in the absence of any progress in resuming the political process. The report of the Quartet of international mediators on a settlement in the Middle East warned of this threat as long ago as July 2016 and also talked about how to prevent such a development.

Regrettably, we have been obliged to conclude that none of its recommendations in that regard have been fulfilled. The problems of illegal Israeli settlements, the Israeli authorities’ destruction of Palestinian property and provocative rhetoric on both sides have only worsened. We are worried about the increasing tendency to take unilateral approaches that do not contribute to the implementation of the agreements previously reached within the framework of international organizations, chief among them the United Nations. We are firmly convinced of the inadmissibility of any actions that prejudge the outcome of the peace talks.

Attempts to reinforce the new realities on the ground through national legislation do nothing to advance the cause of peace. The only possible path to a settlement is a direct dialogue between the parties to the conflict that can lead to achieving a two-State formula based on internationally recognized foundations, including the relevant Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Russia is ready to give every assistance to a resumption and to do it in cooperation with the other international players, including through the Quartet. We will continue to work through our bilateral relations with Israel and Palestine. President Putin of Russia held constructive talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas during their stay in Moscow a few days ago. So far these have been separate meetings, but our offer of holding a Palestinian-Israeli summit in Russia remains on the table. I want to emphasize that our proposal has the agreement of the Palestinian side.

Our principled vision was again presented to Israel during our Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to West Jerusalem just the other day. We value the role of the other countries of the region with regard to Palestine and Israel, especially Egypt and Jordan. We are helping our Egyptian partners in their efforts to resolve the division in the Palestinian ranks through our contacts with a wide range of Palestinian factions.

We support the international aid to Palestine, including through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). I listened carefully to what my colleague Mrs. Haley said about that. I would like to believe that after such an emotional performance there will be a qualitative change in the situation in that regard. UNRWA’s activities go beyond its purely humanitarian mission and are an important stabilizing factor for Palestine and the entire region. Serious consequences are likely if its work falters owing to a lack of financial resources.

Progress in resuming the Palestinian-Israeli political process will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the overall situation in the Middle East and North Africa. It is crucial that we all work to unite our efforts in that regard and in other areas, including Syria, Yemen and Libya. It will also be important not to cut back our support to the authorities in Iraq for the future stabilization of the situation there.

Helping Syrian refugees to return to their homeland will contribute both to normalizing the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic and to relieving the socioeconomic situation in the countries that are hosting refugees, especially Syria’s neighbours Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. As we see it, the Security Council debate held at Russia’s initiative on 25 June (see S/PV.8293) affirmed the urgent need for coming up with a positive and unifying common agenda on the Middle East for the Security Council and the entire international community.

We have to translate that vision into practical action while preserving the collective-security instruments we already have, such as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for Iran’s nuclear programme, which has a crucial role to play in the global non-proliferation regime and whose preservation will help to prevent an uncontrolled rise in tensions in the region.

Russia is ready to participate in these efforts with all interested partners on a basis of an open and impartial dialogue, as exemplified in the recent talks between President Putin and President Trump in Helsinki.