Security Council meeting 6171-Resu.1

The President

I wish to remind all speakers, as I indicated at the morning session, to limit their statements to no more than five minutes in order to enable the Council to carry out its work expeditiously. Delegations with lengthy statements are kindly requested to circulate the texts in writing and to deliver a condensed version when speaking in the Chamber.

I now give the floor to the representative of Egypt.

Mr. Abdelaziz (Egypt)

I have the pleasure to address the Security Council on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and to start by expressing the Movement's appreciation for the briefing presented today by Mr. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, which remains one of the most important tools for assessing the situation on the ground and for addressing efforts aimed at advancing the peaceful settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The situation in the Middle East, which has deteriorated as a result of the ongoing unlawful Israeli occupation of the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese territories since 1967, continues to be a matter of serious concern not only to the region, but to the entire international community.

The Non-Aligned Movement regrets the lack of progress made, despite increased efforts at the international and regional levels, in achieving a just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine and a comprehensive peace in the Middle East on the basis of the two-State solution, the Madrid terms of reference, the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1373 (2001), 1515 (2003) and 1850 (2008). That lack of progress is due to Israel's continued violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights laws, and its rejection of all calls to cease its flagrant violations and to pursue negotiations in good faith on all tracks of the peace process.

Israel, the occupying Power, obstructs efforts to resume peace negotiations by its violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people, including their humiliation on a daily basis, in addition to its constant actions aimed at imposing unilateral solutions by illegally creating new facts on the ground aimed at altering the demographic composition, status and character of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

Israel does not refrain from taking measures that prejudice the outcome of negotiations on final-status issues, namely Jerusalem, settlements, the refugees, borders, security and water. Such illegal measures deepen mistrust, provoke further tension, prevent real progress and raise real doubts as to Israel's credibility as a partner in the peace process.

In the West Bank, Israel continues its illegal colonization of the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly in and around East Jerusalem, intensifying its confiscation of Palestinian land, expansion of settlements and transfer of settlers, construction of the wall and other destructive measures, including the demolition of more Palestinian homes, in an attempt to, de facto, annex more Palestinian land. All of that is being done in grave breach of international law and United Nations resolutions, as well as Israel's commitments under the Road Map, which clearly calls for a freeze of all Israeli settlement activities, including natural growth, and the dismantlement of all outposts established since March 2001.

Israel has failed to commit to a freeze on all settlement activities and continues to defy the international consensus in that regard. The international community, including the Security Council, must use all practical means and tools available under the Charter and international law to take the necessary measures to compel or to bring Israel into compliance. The Non-Aligned Movement expresses deep concern regarding the extensive damage caused by the Israeli settlements, the wall and the spread of checkpoints, which are severing the Palestinian territories into separate cantons, isolating East Jerusalem, undermining the contiguity, integrity, viability and unity of the Palestinian territory, and jeopardizing the prospects for achieving the two-State solution.

Further, the unresolved crisis in Gaza continues to have negative repercussions on all efforts to advance the peace process and wreaks unacceptable havoc on the fabric of society and civilian life in Gaza. Israel continues to impose a blockade on the Palestinian civilian population, to deprive them of their humanitarian needs and to prevent Gaza's reconstruction, in violation of international humanitarian law and United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolution 1860 (2009).

The Non-Aligned Movement demands that Israel lift immediately its illegal blockade by allowing for the immediate and sustained opening of all border crossings to alleviate the humanitarian crisis and to realize the urgent early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza. The Non-Aligned Movement also believes that there is no legal, political or moral justification for the Israeli imprisonment of the Palestinian population in Gaza and calls for the end of such unlawful collective punishment.

Turning to Lebanon, the Non-Aligned Movement remains deeply concerned by Israel's ongoing air and land violations of Lebanon's sovereignty, in breach of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), and calls on Israel to withdraw fully from the remaining Lebanese occupied land in the Sheba'a farms, the Kfar Shouba Hills and the northern part of al-Ghajar village.

Concerning the occupied Syrian Golan, the Non-Aligned Movement reaffirms that all measures and actions taken, or to be taken, by Israel, the occupying Power, to alter the legal, physical and demographic status of the occupied Syrian Golan and its institutional structure, as well as the Israeli measures to impose jurisdiction and administration there, are null and void and have no legal effect. The Non-Aligned Movement demands that Israel abide by Security Council resolution 497 (1981) and withdraw fully from the occupied Syrian Golan to the borders of 4 June 1967, in implementation also of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).

International determination to work towards achieving peace in the Middle East and ensuring that commitments made are commitments monitored and kept is stronger today than ever before. The Arab side has reiterated time after time the readiness and willingness for peace, as stipulated in the Arab Peace Initiative, based on the concept of full land for full peace. It is now the responsibility of Israel to seize the opportunity to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace by stopping its illegal settlement activities, bringing an end to its 42-year occupation and clearly committing to the two-State solution, to be achieved peacefully through negotiations on all core issues on the basis of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions. In that regard, the Non-Aligned Movement reaffirms its firm commitment to continue to support and to contribute to all efforts aimed at achieving peace in the Middle East.

Mr. Abdelaziz (Egypt)

I shall now speak in my national capacity. Egypt is participating in the efforts to relaunch the peace process, which, regrettably, are countered by continuing Israeli rejection of the requirements for peace, primarily the full cessation of all settlement activities, in accordance with the commitments under the Road Map. Israel's escalation of its settlement policy, particularly in and around East Jerusalem, does not serve the goals of peace, but seeks to change the realities on the ground and to create a new reality to prejudge the final-status negotiations, hoping that the international community will stand silent in the face of attempts to seize Palestinian territory and to annex it de facto. However, the international community as a whole stands against Israel's settlement policies and is aware of its real endeavours and rejects them.

In this context, Egypt warns of the consequences of settlement and so-called natural growth activities, which not only hinder efforts to relaunch the peace process, but are also aimed at undermining the contiguity of the Palestinian territories and at obliterating the chances of achieving an international solution based on the existence of two States along the lines of the 1967 borders. Those activities call into question the credibility of the Israeli Government's commitment to the peace process, in particular because they directly contradict the main principle upon which the process was established -- the principle of land for peace.

Egypt warns against Israel's intensifying endeavours to alter the features of occupied East Jerusalem and to separate it from its Arab and Palestinian surroundings through the confiscation and demolition of Palestinian homes and the construction of new settlement units, including the planned construction of 20 new housing units in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. Israel has also attempted to violate the sanctity of Islamic holy shrines in the city by issuing statements that Jerusalem, including all of its neighbourhoods, is the united capital of Israel. All of those actions clearly contradict United Nations resolutions repudiating all of Israel's attempts to annex East Jerusalem and declaring them null and void.

At the same time, international endeavours to attain a just and agreed solution to the long-term refugee problem must be intensified. Israel has tried to skirt that issue, in particular through recent increased talk within the Israeli Government of the concept of a Jewish State. Such talk has a negative impact on the entire Arab population of the occupied Palestinian territories.

Today more than ever, the international community must work to end Israel's violations and to compel it to comply with its obligations to protect Palestinian civilians and to work to promote peace and security in the Middle East.

Egypt encourages the efforts of the United States Government and welcomes the sincere desire of its President to work towards a comprehensive peace in the Middle East by ending settlement activity and enshrining an objective vision of a two-State solution. Egypt also supports the efforts of the international Quartet, which has sent a clear message of solidarity with the two-State solution and supports the convening of a meeting in Moscow later this year to follow up on the implementation of the Annapolis process. Egypt will spare no effort to achieve Palestinian reconciliation through the Cairo dialogue leading to the reunification of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza, under the legitimate leadership of the Palestinian Authority represented by President Abbas.

Egypt is also working on arrangements to allow the sustainable opening of the Gaza crossing points based on the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access, an end to the collective punishment by Israel of the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza, and the honest and full implementation of Security Council resolution 1860 (2009).

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Switzerland.

Mr. Maurer (Switzerland)

I would like to thank you, Sir, for this opportunity to state my country's views on the situation in the Middle East. I will confine myself to a few aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I welcome and thank Mr. Fernandez-Taranco for his very relevant briefing this morning.

Switzerland is deeply concerned about the current humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The recent war and its severe consequences have made the living conditions in that tiny and densely populated territory increasingly precarious. Those consequences have confronted the international community with a real emergency situation. The near impossibility of providing people with their basic needs, the lack of electricity, the limited supply of drinking water and the serious breakdown of the sewage treatment system are all causes for alarm.

Switzerland recalls that, in conformity with the obligations of international humanitarian law, Israel, as the occupying Power, must ensure access for humanitarian organizations to the civilian population and the supply of basic necessities. Sixty years after the adoption of the Geneva Conventions, respect for international humanitarian law remains our best response to the needs of the victims.

While respecting Israel's security imperatives, Switzerland believes that a concerted effort must be made to establish a mechanism to ensure humanitarian access and reconstruction. Such a mechanism -- the development of which is called for in resolution 1860 (2009) -- should be based on the framework for the provision of minimum humanitarian assistance to Gaza, proposed by the United Nations, and be coordinated by a technical committee providing for substantial and sustainable humanitarian access. Its frame of reference should be the four principles established by humanitarian practice and endorsed by the international community in the Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.

Under the auspices of the United Nations, that neutral, independent and international body should ensure the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip and establish a mechanism to monitor the importation of goods. Switzerland is willing to contribute to the establishment of such a body.

In the follow-up to a conflict, fact-finding missions to investigate allegations of violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law are a necessity for the victims. We believe that such missions ultimately help to bring about a lasting settlement to the conflict in question and contribute to preventing future violations. To achieve these two objectives, they must operate on the basis of a balanced mandate that takes into account the concerns of all the parties to a conflict as well as all kinds of violation.

That is the intention of the Goldstone mission, which was mandated by the Human Rights Council. We await with interest its report on the alleged violations committed by all parties to the conflict. It will then be necessary to determine the appropriate follow-up to the report.

We welcome the renewed commitment of the international community, in particular of the American administration, to actively promoting a comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Peace Initiative of the Arab League and the determination of the State of Israel to achieve a lasting peace with its neighbours are encouraging signs. It is therefore essential that the international community be actively involved in helping put an end to that agonizing conflict.

The parameters of a settlement are already well known. A total freeze on the expansion of all settlements is a decisive factor for guaranteeing the peace process. The destruction in East Jerusalem of Palestinian houses situated near the old city and the planned eviction of Palestinian families must not happen. At the same time and in order to launch a genuine political process, it is essential to renounce violence. The halt to the rocket attacks against the Israeli civilian population must be maintained.

Switzerland is convinced that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved by military means. The Clinton parameters, the Taba discussions and the Geneva initiative clearly indicate the path towards a solution. The creation of a viable Palestinian State living side by side with the State of Israel, existing within secure and internationally recognized borders, is therefore the only path that can lead to a lasting settlement of the conflict.

To conclude, I wish to stress the urgency and importance of creating a mechanism for humanitarian access and reconstruction in Gaza. We are counting on the support of the Security Council in this process and on the active participation of the Member States concerned and the relevant entities of the United Nations system.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Brazil.

Ms. Cordeiro Dunlop (Brazil)

I congratulate you on your timely decision to hold an open debate on the situation in the Middle East. The press has followed suit, as today's issue of a local newspaper shows on its front page. The format you have chosen vastly enhances the relevance and impact of the monthly briefings to the Security Council, as the wider membership is given an opportunity to convey its views on a subject of such importance. I also thank Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco for his very comprehensive briefing.

More than seven months have passed since the ceasefire was agreed in the Gaza Strip, but the humanitarian situation there continues to be a source of grave concern. Access to basic goods remains clearly insufficient, and much-needed reconstruction has not been started due to the lack of building materials. The relative tranquillity that we currently observe in the Strip should not lead us to overlook the continued plight of its inhabitants. Behind the statistics of the Gaza war earlier this year, there are real men, women and children. They no longer suffer daily bombardments, but are still forced to live in entirely unacceptable conditions.

Brazil therefore reiterates the urgency of an international effort geared both at reconstructing Gaza and at meeting all the humanitarian needs of its population. Israel must fully abide by the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access and keep the border crossings open. At the same time, militant groups in Gaza must keep up the restraint they have shown recently and refrain from all acts of violence against the Israeli civilian population, especially in the southern areas.

With regard to the West Bank, we can only express satisfaction with recent Israeli efforts to ease movement and improve access to Israel. Such measures are positive and must continue. However, more is needed. It is crucial that Israel freeze all settlement activities, including those undertaken to accommodate natural growth, and dismantle the existing ones, mainly those built after 2000. This aspect is particularly relevant in East Jerusalem, where attempts to redraw the demographic map only further complicate an already very difficult situation. The construction of the wall -- found to be illegal by an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice -- must also come to a halt.

We need to foster social and economic development throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, while providing ways to defuse tension and lessen dissatisfaction with the limited possibilities of everyday life. In this sense, Brazil is making a contribution. We are currently building a sports centre in Ramallah, together with our partners in the India-Brazil-South Africa forum, and will bring two of the most prestigious Brazilian soccer teams to play for peace. Our experience has shown that sport is a useful instrument for creating hope and opportunities in impoverished areas.

In the diplomatic arena, there seem to be promising developments. The early and active involvement of the United States in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its continued support for the two-State solution are very welcome. Prime Minister Netanyahu's openness to the idea of a Palestinian State is also encouraging, although it must evolve in order to recognize the need to endow Palestine with the attributes of full statehood. If these promising signs are to bear the hoped-for fruit, sustained political will and true statesmanship will continue to be required.

This holds true for Palestinians as well. Brazil commends Egypt's efforts to promote intra-Palestinian reconciliation, but if they are to succeed all parties must work in earnest to find common ground under the leadership of the Palestinian Authority. On the ability to overcome internal differences rests the possibility of building a truly independent and prosperous Palestinian State. History will not forgive those who fail to compromise in the search for unity, since without unity there can be no peace.

Brazil supports the 26 June declaration by the Quartet on the resumption of negotiations to end the conflict and reach a two-State solution based on the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, the Madrid terms of reference, the Road Map and all previous agreements. Such a solution is needed today, not tomorrow. As Minister Celso Amorim said in the Cairo conference on Gaza in February, it is time for peace, not for a peace process.

Such views were also conveyed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel, Mr. Avigdor Lieberman, last week in Brazil. His visit was an expression of the productive bilateral relationship that exists between our two countries. It also provides evidence of my Government's willingness to contribute as much as possible to the achievement of a comprehensive peace. To the same end, the Brazilian Special Envoy to the Middle East, Ambassador Ouro-Preto, recently concluded another tour of the region during which, in a wide range of meetings, he expressed yet again Brazil's support for peace and the promotion of mutual understanding.

In the same spirit, the Brazilian Government, together with the United Nations Department of Public Information, has organized the International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East under the theme "Promoting Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue -- a view from South America", being held today and tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro. This event is bringing together politicians, journalists, intellectuals and members of civil society groups from Israel, Palestine, Brazil and other South American countries. The seminar is a gesture that embodies the spirit of openness and dialogue that needs to be taken up in the political and diplomatic arenas.

There are approximately 7 million Brazilians of Lebanese descent. It is therefore no surprise that we follow developments in that fellow country very closely. We congratulate the Lebanese political parties on their conduct of the recent elections and encourage them to continue the dialogue to form a broad-based and stable Government. We are particularly encouraged by the tireless efforts of President Sleiman to build trust among the main political forces in the country and thereby consolidate stability.

The arms cache recently discovered in southern Lebanon constitutes a clear violation of resolution 1701 (2006). It is crucial that all parties, without exception, abide by the terms of the resolution. It is also essential that all parties fully cooperate with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in the investigation of the incident.

My delegation believes that conditions more favourable than those of the recent past are being established to foster significant progress towards a solution to the conflict in the Middle East. They present an opportunity we must not miss. Brazil is willing and ready to do all in its power to help the parties.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Indonesia.

Mr. Natalegawa (Indonesia)

Let me first express the appreciation of my delegation to you, Sir, for convening this open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine. We also wish to thank the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Mr. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, for his briefing on the latest developments in the region. In making this statement, Indonesia associates itself with the statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Egypt on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

The Council's debate today provides yet another vivid reminder of the continuing hardships prevalent in the occupied Palestinian territory and, not least, of the paucity of progress in the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.

Like others, Indonesia remains profoundly concerned by the depth of the humanitarian crisis that continues to permeate the Gaza Strip following the Israeli attacks of December 2008 and January 2009. While the worst of the military action may have stopped, the flow of food, medicine and reconstruction material allowed into Gaza remains grossly inadequate. The international community cannot allow that situation to continue. It must continue to speak as one in demanding that Israel open the border crossings to Gaza in order to allow reconstruction efforts and access to much-needed humanitarian supplies to ease the humanitarian crisis.

The litany of Israeli illegal practices is well chronicled. Few, however, are as great an affront to the prospects of peace and as great a hurdle to the peace process as its illegal settlement practices. Israel continues to build and expand illegal settlements, in the process demolishing Palestinian homes and other structures, confiscating lands and imposing checkpoints that arbitrarily restrict the movement of Palestinians. Despite the repeated protests of the international community, Israel persists in its efforts to change the character and legal status of East Jerusalem.

Indonesia once again condemns those settlement policies, which gravely undermine the contiguity, integrity, viability and unity of the occupied Palestinian territory and jeopardize the prospects for achieving the two-State solution for peace on the basis of the pre-1967 borders through the establishment of a sovereign, independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.

While Israel persists in its illegal settlement activities, Indonesia is encouraged by the ever-strengthening international consensus rejecting those activities and demanding an immediate halt to and the dismantling of those settlements.

Indeed, while Israel remains deaf to the international exhortation to live up to its commitment to a two-State solution to the conflict, Indonesia draws encouragement from a number of recent significant developments. First, there is a renewed sense of urgency in the intra-Palestinian reconciliation talks, facilitated by the Government of Egypt. We wish to underscore the importance of making progress in those efforts, which are aimed at promoting Palestinian unity.

Secondly, there has been a practical demonstration of the commitment of the international community to the cause of peace in Palestine through pledges of material assistance, as evidenced at the International Conference on the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on 2 March 2009.

Thirdly, there has been a stepping up of diplomatic activity with the objective of restarting negotiations. In that regard, we acknowledge in particular the vigorous efforts being made by the United States and the continued engagement of the Quartet.

Indonesia, for its part, remains consistent in calling for a settlement based on all relevant Security Council resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference and the Arab Peace Initiative. Our support of statehood for Palestine is steadfast -- statehood, we wish to emphasize, with all its attributes.

A truly comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East requires not only a solution to the question of Palestine, but also progress on the Israel-Lebanon and Israel-Syria tracks. In that connection, we continue to demand that Israel comply with the relevant Security Council resolutions and withdraw fully from the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967. Similarly, we continue to be concerned by Israel's ongoing air and land violations of Lebanon's sovereignty, in breach of resolution 1701 (2006), and we call on Israel to withdraw completely from the remaining Lebanese occupied land.

The President

I now call on the representative of Sweden.