Statement by Chargé d'Affaires of the Russian Federation Dmitry Polyanskiy at UNSC open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question
Mr.President,
We thank Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ms. Lynn Hastings for briefing us on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.
Once again, we have to state that the lack of solution to Palestinian-Israeli confrontation provokes regular outbreaks of violence on the occupied Palestinian territories and erodes the very basis of regional and international security. Stagnating peace process, coupled with provocative unilateral steps can “blow up” the situation in the conflict zone at any moment.
We are particularly concerned over the incoming reports that Israeli settlers who strive to expand and secure their occupation of the West Bank, do not give up attempts to create a number of outposts, which are illegal even from the perspective of Israeli legislation, which many states feel criticize. Given total impunity for crimes against the Palestinian people, violent actions keep piling up – over the past month at least 4 Palestinian civilians have been killed, and more than 50 wounded. In the area of Masafer Yatta, more than 1,200 Palestinians remain exposed to a threat of forced eviction and confiscation of property.
In parallel to this, arbitrary arrests of Palestinians and disproportionate use of force by Israeli military continue. Quite often, those affect women and children. The killing of Al Jazeera’s anchor Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin on 11 May this year was very indicative. According to a conclusion of the OHCHR dated 24 June 2022, which was issued once the Office had looked into this tragic incident, the shots that killed the journalist and wounded her colleagues had been made by Israeli security forces.
Mr.President,
We once again accentuate the importance of building efforts aimed at consolidating the international consensus regarding the Palestinian-Israeli settlement on the basis of a two-state solution, the effective international legal framework, including UNGA and UNSC resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
We consistently advocate for a reset of direct Palestinian-Israeli talks which should result in creation of an independent Palestinian state with a capital in Eastern Jerusalem, given due account for Israel’s concerns relating to its national security.
We are convinced that multilateral efforts need a boost, including the efforts of the Quartet of international intermediaries for the Middle East. Therefore, we reiterate our commitment to engaging meaningfully with the partners in the Quartet with a view to enhancing efficiency of this UNSC-endorsed format. At the same time, we note the importance of proper coordination between international mediators and regional partners. Being guided by these considerations, Russia put forward an initiative to convene an extended ministerial meeting of the Quartet with participation of key members of the League of Arab States. Unfortunately, this issue remains unresolved due to the lack of interest of the United States in resumption of the activity of the Quartet.
Mr.President,
A lasting and long-tern peace process is impossible without ensuring inter-Palestinian unity on the basis of the PLO platform and convening Palestine-wide elections. We support the relevant initiatives of Egypt and the plans of Algeria to host another round of negotiations between representatives of Fatah and Hamas. Our proposal to employ the potential of the Moscow platform remains on the table.
We attach great importance to providing comprehensive humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as refugees in neighboring Arab states. Therefore, we stand by UNRWA as the key specialized mechanism to support the Palestinians in need.
In conclusion, we would like to emphasize once again that Russia will carry on with its efforts to coordinate joint actions aimed at reviving the Middle Eastern settlement process and finding a just solution to the Palestinian problem. As we know from practice, attempts to monopolize this process and impose an economic truce on the Palestinians instead of meeting their aspirations to have an independent states never led to any concrete results, never do, and never can.
Thank you.
