Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC Briefing on the Situation in the Middle East
Madam President,
We would like to congratulate Slovenia on completing its presidency of the Council in September, which is not an easy month for any presidency; we also congratulate Switzerland on assuming the presidency of the Council in October.
We thank the Secretary-General for his assessment of the situation in the Middle East, which has drastically deteriorated in the face of an unprecedented spiralling escalation of violence in Lebanon and the expansion of confrontation to the neighbouring countries in the region. We have also taken into consideration the positions of Israel and Iran as set out in the letters circulated yesterday.
Unfortunately, right before our eyes, the Middle East region is practically plunging into the abyss of a new major war, whereas the Security Council is helplessly watching it. Israel’s brutal military operation in Gaza continues, despite calls from the vast majority of the international community to put an end to it. The spiral of violence has predictably exacerbated the situation along the border between Lebanon and Israel, as well as in Yemen and the Red Sea. However, instead of relying on diplomacy, the authorities in West Jerusalem clearly placed a bet on using force to address their concerns. Their American accomplices are playing completely into their hands, paralyzing the work of the Security Council.
Thus, Lebanon has become the new victim of Israel’s military machine. Following heavy shelling of Lebanese cities, its southern neighbour launched a ground operation in that country. In addition, after a series of political killings, including the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau chairman Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, and a number of other anti-Israeli movement leaders, Iran entered the confrontation, Iran, who for two whole months had been showing exceptional (given the circumstances) restraint.
Our Western colleagues’ statements give the impression that the only problem before the Council today is how to respond to Iran’s missile strike. It is hard to imagine what role one can expect to play in the diplomatic process with such an assessment of the situation. It is presented as if everything happened “in a vacuum”. As if nothing is occurring or has occurred in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria and Yemen. But it did happen and led to a new and extremely dangerous wave of escalation in the Middle East conflict.
Russia resolutely condemns the attack on Lebanon and calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately stop using force and withdraw their troops from Lebanese territory. There is no justification for further civilian casualties, which already number in the thousands. We express our solidarity with the government and the people of friendly Lebanon, which has been subjected to armed attack. We extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed.
We demand full and comprehensive implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, which includes both Israel’s commitments to cease all offensive military operations, withdraw its armed forces from southern Lebanon and end its occupation of Lebanese territories, as well as Hezbollah’s commitments to withdraw units from the area north of the Litani River.
The Israeli side must rigorously ensure the safety of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, which faces unforeseen hazards due to the Israeli invasion. Let us remind you that endangering the life and health of blue helmets may constitute a war crime.
We also decisively condemn the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah. It is detestable that more than 80 bombs, each weighing one ton, were dropped on a residential neighbourhood in the Lebanese capital to kill him. As a result, six high-rise buildings were destroyed. Under these consequences, how can this be considered a selective action? This political elimination is fraught with disastrous consequences for Lebanon and the Middle East as a whole. West Jerusalem could not help but understand that, nevertheless, it intentionally escalated the situation. Therefore, the Israeli side bears full responsibility for the following escalation and its consequences, including for the population of Israel.
The UN Security Council, in accordance with its mandate to maintain international peace and security, has to make Israel immediately cease the hostilities. It is also our duty to make every effort to create the conditions for a political and diplomatic settlement. In this context, we take note of Tehran’s signal that it does not wish to see further spiraling of confrontation.
Madam President,
Recently, The UN Security Council has been frequently (and seemingly rightly) criticized for failing to put an end to violence in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone.
As part of its mandate to maintain international peace and security, the UNSC should compel Israel to immediately cease hostilities. And we all have the duty to make every effort to create the conditions for a political and diplomatic settlement. In this context, we note the signals by Tehran that it does not wish to further spiral up the confrontation.
Madam President,
At the same time, those who follow our work are well aware of the fact that 14 out of the 15 members of the Security Council would have long ago taken the necessary measures to force the parties to peace, thus saving the lives of thousands of innocent women, children and the elderly. And Israel would not be able to act so audaciously and with such disregard for international law if it were not for the unconditional and all-around protection of the US. For the good of its Middle East ally, Washington has already cast its veto in the Security Council 5 times, and since the beginning of July has been intentionally pulling the wool over our eyes, touting its notorious “Biden Plan” and its “quiet diplomacy” to broker a deal between Hamas and Israel. Frankly speaking, all this gives the impression that Washington is conducting these mediated negotiations with nobody but itself.
It is quite symbolic, therefore, that it was from New York that the Israeli prime minister gave the order to eliminate the Hezbollah leader, thus starting a very dangerous round of regional escalation, and that command came right after he delivered an emphatically militaristic speech from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly. That, dear colleagues, is a kind of “well-tuned duet” we are actually dealing with. And the problem, of course, is not only in moral and political support, but in multibillion-dollar supplies of weapons, which Washington continues to deliver as if nothing had happened, as if 42,000 Palestinians had not been annihilated. Needless to say, Israel does not need any mediation and is likely to proceed with its inhumane campaign.
As a result, the flame of this all-consuming conflict is spreading ever wider, engulfing more and more neighbors of Israel in the region. The great and most dangerous illusion here is that Israel would be able to come unscathed out of this burgeoning fire.
This fire is engulfing the lives of the Israeli hostages. And West Jerusalem is pretending that this is all part of their plan, while showing complete disregard for the public opinion in Israel itself.
Madam President,
Another dangerous illusion is that Israel, having a considerable military supremacy, plans to deal with the crisis it has provoked on its own. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Israeli leadership is looking to trigger a direct conflict between its main regional adversary – Iran and the United States – and will spare no effort to do that. It is hard to say whether Washington understands this, but so far, this show has been going on following the "Israeli scripts". And if it reaches its finale, the conflict would escalate to an unimaginable level, threatening not only the Middle East, but the entire world. We are convinced that it is in our common interest to prevent such a scenario. I hope that our American colleagues will finally have an “epiphany” and fully realize the responsibility they shoulder as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Madam President,
The only way out of the current situation in the Middle East, in our view, lies in the use of the extensive toolkit that our Council has at the disposal. This toolkit allows us to effectively end conflicts and ensure the implementation of existing UN Security Council resolutions. Any other initiatives would serve as a merely mitigating stopgap and would not be effective. We see no alternative to compelling the parties to the conflict to establish an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which is to be accompanied by the exchange of hostages and prisoners and ensuring full and unfettered humanitarian access to the enclave. That will help lay the foundation for relaunching a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question on an internationally recognized basis, which is itself based on the two-State solution, which we all have consistently advocated. The second vector of our efforts is also clear: an immediate ceasefire in southern Lebanon and a general rejection by all direct or indirect parties to the conflict to resort to force, provocation and hate speech.
Madam President,
Today's piece of news that the UN Secretary General has been declared persona non grata in Israel is unheard of and utterly loutish. It is a slap in the face not only to the UN, but also to all of us. We call on Council members and UN members to respond to this outrageous act.
Once again, the Council has the necessary toolkit to address these challenges. The only question is whether we have the political will. We have the will. Do you? We urge everyone to give an answer to this question as soon as possible!
Thank you for your attention.
