UNSC Session on the Situation in Palestine
A session on the situation in Palestine was held in the UN Security Council under the presidency of Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. Before starting his speech, Lavrov was subjected to a demonstration by two unidentified women who entered the UNSC. Lavrov responded to the demonstrators’ demands of “Release the prisoners” by saying, “What is your problem? Come one of you and explain it clearly.” When the demonstrators did not respond, they were removed from the hall by security guards.
Lavrov stated in his speech that the Middle East is facing unprecedented security risks. He stressed the need for honest dialogue to stop the bloodshed and alleviate the suffering of civilians. Stating that Russia has historically good relations with regional countries, Lavrov said that his country supports Palestine’s membership in the UN and that 150 countries currently recognize Palestine.
Lavrov stated that the UNSC met four times at the ministerial level in the last 10 months to address the situation in Palestine and passed four decisions, but that the bloodshed in the occupied Palestinian territories showed that these decisions remained on paper. Lavrov stated that the results of the military operation carried out by Israel with the support of the US were terrible, and that nearly 40,000 civilians had died in Gaza in 10 months and that this situation was alarming.
Palestine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour, described the situation in Gaza as “the most documented genocide” in his speech. Stating that the occupying Israel created a humanitarian disaster by using famine, thirst and disease as weapons, Mansour stated that Netanyahu did not care about the Palestinian people and the prisoners. He also argued that he disregarded international law and human dignity. Addressing the UN Security Council, Mansour asked who would stop Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s genocide against the Palestinian people and called for change.
