On Tuesday, a meeting of the UN Security Council was held, devoted to the situation in the Middle East and the “Palestinian question”. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke at the meeting, as Russia chairs the UN Security Council this month. The Russian minister believes that Russia should play a key role in the peace process in the region. US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield showed in her speech that the peace process is possible without Russia’s participation.
The UN is concerned about the escalation of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Since the start of 2023, 84 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces since the start of 2023, almost four times more than during the same period in 2022, according to the latest UNHCR report ( United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). The report says at least 18 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel itself in 2023 – three times as many as in the same period in the past.
Thor Winnesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process, speaking at the meeting, condemned all forms of violence and all acts of terrorism directed against civilians. He called on the parties for restraint and dialogue. He condemned the launching of rockets from Gaza, Lebanon and Syria towards Israel; but reiterated that Israeli settlements are illegal and hinder a two-state solution. Most members of the Security Council support a two-state solution.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister Lavrov called on the UN secretary general to relaunch the activities of the Middle East Quartet “without regard to the United States” and convene its meeting. The quartet, created in 2002 to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in its original composition – the United States, Russia, the UN and the EU – has not met since 2021. Russia has accused the United States and the European Union to try to find a solution to the conflict by bypassing Russia.
“Instead of helping restore the political horizon, the United States and the European Union continue their destructive attempts to replace the real world with economic half measures and promote Arab-Israeli normalization, circumventing a just solution. to the Palestinian problem and bypassing the peace initiative,” Sergei Lavrov said. “The Quartet of international mediators in the Middle East has been a victim of such actions, now Washington claims to be the sole sponsor of the Middle East settlement process, not bothered by the fact that he has long since lost the neutrality and impartiality that are essential for an honest broker.”
US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield welcomed the start of the dialogue between the warring parties, which took place on February 26 in Aqaba, Jordan. Israeli-Palestinian talks were held there to help ease tensions in Judea and Samaria. In March, the second such meeting was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The meetings were coordinated with the assistance of the United States, Egypt and Jordan.
“Colleagues, honest dialogue continues to be the surest path to stability,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield. — The United States commends the efforts of the parties to the conflict, alongside the United States, Egypt and Jordan, to defuse tensions and build confidence on the basis of the Aqaba and Sharm talks el-Sheikh. These meetings and the commitments made by the parties were important first steps. We now urge participants to keep their promises and look for opportunities to further build trust. »
The Palestinian Authority has “observer state” status at the UN. In his speech at the Security Council meeting, the Palestinian representative again called on the Security Council to send a recommendation to the General Assembly for the admission of Palestine to the UN.
“Is there no better way to show support for a two-state solution than to admit to the UN a state unjustly deprived of that status since 1948? Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN, said. “Why can Israel, which violated the terms of its membership, namely resolutions 181 and 194, and continues to violate the Charter of the United Nations, be a member of the United Nations, and we, who respect the Charter of the United Nations United, should be deprived of it right?”
The Israeli representative reacted strongly to the criticisms of his Palestinian counterpart. Israel’s permanent representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said today is a sad day in Israel – Yom Hazikaron, the day of remembrance of fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. Erdan indignantly reported that his requests to postpone this meeting to another day had no effect.
“While Israelis mourn, the Security Council listens to patently false accusations against the State of Israel, in which Israel is presented as the cause of all the problems in the region,” he said. “It has nothing to do with reality. The only reason why this conflict has not yet been resolved is that the Palestinians refuse to accept the right to exist of the State of Israel. The right of the Jewish state, the Jewish state!
Then the Israeli diplomat lit a memorial candle in the meeting room, got up and left the meeting room with the entire Israeli delegation in protest. Later on Tuesday, at a press conference, Minister Lavrov said that the date of this meeting of the Security Council had been planned for a long time and that Russia, as President of the Security Council, had not received demands from Israel to postpone it. on another date.
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