UNITED NATIONS: A senior Pakistani ambassador emphasized that a two-state solution is the only way to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and asked for “concrete steps” to be taken by the UN to stop the Israeli massacre of civilians in Gaza.
Speaking to the 15-member body on Tuesday, Ambassador Munir Akram stated, “It is now time for the Security Council, for the entire membership of the United Nations, to consider measures by which to reverse this wanton rejection of peace,” alluding to Israel’s rejection of the two-state solution.
“We hope the Council will be able, finally, to adopt a resolution demanding a complete cessation of hostilities, full access to humanitarian assistance for the besieged population of Gaza, and international protection for the Palestinian people,” he said.
At the conference on Tuesday, over sixty speakers—many of them ministers—discussed the necessity of a humanitarian ceasefire, the expediency of increasing supplies, the significance of working toward a two-State resolution, and the necessity of preventing additional regional escalation.
“If the Israeli leadership persists in refusing peace, the Security Council, the General Assembly, and indeed all UN Member States, must take steps to hold it accountable,” Ambassador Akram added, lamenting Israel’s rejection of international opinion.
“The Pakistani envoy stated, without elaborating, that there are many examples of actions that can be taken to encourage adherence to resolutions made by the Security Council and the General Assembly.
“In order to ensure the inevitability of the two-State solution, it is also time to admit Palestine as a full member of the United Nations,” he said. Palestine currently enjoys observer status at the UN.
“Unfortunately, despite world opinion, despite the advice of its closest allies, and of many of its own people, the extremist Israeli leadership remains adamant in continuing this brutal war and rejecting the prospect of a Palestinian State and the two-State solution,” Akram, the ambassador to Israel, stated.
“This will consign the Middle East to perpetual conflict.”
Describing the horrible scenario left behind by repeated Israeli bombardments of Gaza, Ambassador Akram said, “This violent and indiscriminate death of innocents, and the agony imposed on a whole nation, tantamount to genocide, as claimed in the
“Every tenet of international humanitarian law has been violated by the Israeli occupation,” he told global delegates.
“It is sad that, despite the General Assembly’s calls in two resolutions, and despite the near-unanimous votes in this Security Council, the international community has failed to stop this genocide taking place in front of our eyes,” the Pakistani envoy said, noting that violence and war have spread to adjacent areas of Palestine, including the Israel-Lebanon border, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
“Unless the Israeli war machine is stopped, there is every likelihood of further escalation in which many nations may be engulfed,” the prime minister stated.
“A heavy responsibility rests on the Security Council for failing to prevent the continuation of Israel’s war, and its atrocities against the Palestinian people in Gaza, and the accompanying brutalities in the West Bank.”
In his closing remarks, Ambassador Akram said, “Beyond the eloquent words heard in the Council’s debate today, we look for concrete steps to halt the slaughter of innocents and bring peace to Palestine, to Israel and the Middle East.”
The majority of Global South countries condemned Israel’s deadly war on Gaza and its aggression against people in the territory, calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. However, diplomats remarked that India followed the West’s lead, blaming Hamas for the current war and emphasizing the rescue of Israeli detainees.
“We are aware that the terror attacks in Israel on October 7, last year, served as the immediate trigger for the conflict.” In his speech, Ambassador R. Ravindra, India’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, stated that there is no justification for terrorism or hostage-taking.
“There can be no justification for terrorism and hostage-taking,” the Indian envoy stated. “Our thoughts are with those who have been kidnapped, and we reiterate the demand for their immediate and unconditional release,” he continued, but made no mention of Israel’s abduction and imprisonment of thousands of Palestinian civilians.
Furthermore, India did not call for a humanitarian truce. Instead, the Indian envoy encouraged all parties to “deescalate” the situation and work on establishing the atmosphere for an early restart of direct peace talks.
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, India has abandoned its traditional position on Palestine in favor of strategic ties with Israel, according to diplomats.
“It is critical to prevent further escalation of violence and hostilities,” Ravindra went on to say.
