Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question
Mr. President,
We thank Special Coordinator for the Middle East Tor Wennesland for his briefing on Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories as part of the report on implementation of UNSC resolution 2334.
We listened carefully to the assessments of Special Coordinator about the persisting tensions in the West Bank, as Israel is taking further unilateral steps to create irreversible facts on the ground. Once again, it becomes evident that the remaining explosive situation is an immediate result of aggressive and illegitimate actions taken by Israelis in the OPT, including violent raids, arbitrary detentions, settlers’ extremism, unpresented expansion of the settlements with simultaneous forced eviction of Palestinian families from their homes and confiscation of their property, as well as legalization of outposts and violation of the status quo of Jerusalem’s Holy Sites.
Mr. President,
According to OCHA, some 600 attacks committed by settlers against Palestinians have been recorded in the OPT since the beginning of this year, as Israeli authorities are planning to increase the number of Israelis living in the northern part of the West Bank alone from the current 170,000 people to 1 million people by 2050 and allocate about 200 million US dollars to finance these illegal activities. Apart from that, Israeli authorities have taken the decision to simplify the paperwork required to receive clearance for the construction of more than 4,500 housing units in the West Bank, which constitutes a violation of international law, as well as respective decisions of the Security Council. In parallel, the Israeli government has passed and financed a plan for preservation of Israeli archeological sites in Area C in order to “strengthen roots in Judea and Samaria”.
Against this backdrop, Israeli radicals make provocative visits to Al Aqsa mosque compound almost on a daily basis, while over 1200 Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons under administrative arrest. Particularly concerning is the growing violence against Palestinian minors (over 40 children have been killed since the beginning of this year), as well as demolition of educational institutions, including those built at donors’ expense.
Mr. President,
The ongoing degradation of the situation in the area of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, along with the remaining vacuum in the negotiation process and the lack of any prospects for the Middle East peace process cannot but raise concern. As the universally recognized legal basis for the conflict settlement has been de facto destroyed, the US continues to promote the Arab-Israeli normalization bypassing the logic of the Arab Peace Initiative that was put forward by Saudi Arabia in 2002 and envisages step-by-step resolution of the Palestinian issue and only after that the restoration of relations with Israel. These steps taken by Washington undermine the prospects of reviving direct Palestinian-Israeli talks on all issues pertaining to the final status, building on the universally recognized basis for the Middle East settlement with the two-state formula at its cornerstone – something that enjoys our consistent support.
Mr. President,
Under the current circumstances it is crucial to continue our efforts to raise awareness of the international community about the events unfolding on the ground in the area of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and prevent erosion of the legal basis for its settlement. Russia is committed to the idea of having a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with the capital in Eastern Jerusalem. Our position is consistent and does not undergo any opportunistic changes. In this context we support all related practical initiatives, including a visit of Secretary-General Guterres to the region, as well as steps taken by Palestinians themselves to defend their inherent right to their own state and its eventual full-fledged membership in the UN.
Thank you.
