UNSC Archives - CrossFireArarbia

7 States to UNSC: We ‘Deeply Deplore’ Israel’s Decision on UNRWA

CrossFireArabia
January 29, 2025

Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain told the UN Security Council (UNSC) they “deeply deplore” the Israeli parliament’s decision to “abolish” UNRWA’s operations in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“We condemn Israel’s withdrawal from the 1967 agreement between Israel and UNRWA and any attempt to obstruct its capacity to operate and carry out its UNGA mandate,” the group said in a joint statement to the UNSC.

The bloc also demanded the “suspension of the entry into force” of the Israeli laws banning UNRWA, which they said did not comply with international law and the UN Charter.

“We support UNRWA as part of our humanitarian commitment and our firm defence and respect of international law, including international humanitarian law,” they said.

UNRWA plays a critical role in providing healthcare and education in the occupied Palestinian territories. Since the outbreak of the genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, the agency has supplied 60% of the food entering the besieged strip.

Israel had told the UNSC on Tuesday that within 48 hours it would cut all contact with UNRWA, ban Israeli officials dealing with the agency, and require the closure of the organisation’s offices in areas under Israeli control.

“UNRWA must cease its operations and evacuate all premises it operates in Jerusalem, including the properties located in Maalot Dafna and Kafr Aqab,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the council.

“The law prohibits UNRWA from operating within Israel’s sovereign borders and bans any communication between Israeli officials and the agency,” Danon said.

“Israel will terminate all collaboration, communication and contact with UNRWA or anyone acting on its behalf,” he said.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UNRWA, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that the ban, takes effect on January 30, would “heighten instability and deepen despair in the occupied Palestinian territory at a critical moment.”

“Since October 2023, we have delivered two-thirds of all food assistance, provided shelter to over a million displaced persons and vaccinated a quarter of a million children against polio,” Lazzarini told the Security Council.

“Since the ceasefire began, UNRWA has brought in 60 percent of the food entering Gaza, reaching more than half a million people. We conduct some 17,000 medical consultations every day,” he said according to the Quds News Network.

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Barghouti: US Veto Show Complicity in Gaza Genocide

CrossFireArabia
November 21, 2024

The US administration’s use of the veto to frustrate the Security Council’s draft resolution to a Gaza ceasefire confirms it is a partner to the crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Israel said Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative Movement.

America’s lone vote against the resolution in the face of all Security Council members, including its traditional allies, confirms the political isolation of the United States with Israel Barghouti told Jordan24.

The US vetoed yesterday a resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s bombardment of the Palestinian territory continues.

Let’s remember Dr. Refaat Alareer last words on… pic.twitter.com/Z6cyf9TqN5
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 21, 2024

He noted that this isolation was also evident in the last vote in the United Nations General Assembly, where it voted alone with Israel along with four weightless islands against 175 countries in the world.

Barghouti denounced the insistence of the Joe Biden administration – even in its last days – on its hostile approach to the Palestinian people, international law and international humanitarian law.

The US vetoed yesterday a resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

This is the fourth time that US President Joe Biden’s administration has vetoed a resolution calling for an end… pic.twitter.com/Ja6H4mXFVl
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 21, 2024

Barghouti pointed out that the American positions confirm the United States’ partnership in all Israeli crimes, not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank.

Barghouti pointed out that the US partnership with Israel is not limited to providing protection through the UN Security Council, but also through operating the largest air bridge to deliver American weapons and ammunition to the occupation, in addition to American aid and economic support for the occupation, stressing that “Israel cannot complete a week in its war on Gaza and Lebanon without American support.”

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US Vetoes Gaza Ceasefire at Security Council

CrossFireArabia
November 20, 2024

The United States, Wednesday, vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution that demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Despite having secured 14 votes in favour, the draft resolution put forward by the 10 elected members of the Security Council (E10), failed to pass owing to the negative vote by a permanent member, the US.

The text also reiterated the Council’s demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

For a resolution to be adopted, it must secure at least nine votes in favour, and no negative votes – or vetoes – by any of the five permanent members.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility to uphold international peace and security.

Had the draft resolution been adopted, it would have also demanded immediate access by civilians in the Gaza Strip to basic services.

It would have rejected “any effort to starve Palestinians” – the threat of famine grows in the north as the Israeli siege there continues – while also demanding the facilitation of full, rapid, safe and unhindered entry of aid at scale to and throughout the Strip and its delivery to all those in need.

The text also demanded that the parties “fully, unconditionally, and without delay” implement all the provisions of Security Council resolution 2735 (2024).

This includes the release of hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners, the return of the remains of hostages who have been killed, the return of Palestinian civilians to their homes and neighbourhoods in all areas of Gaza – including in the north – and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The draft further underscored the role of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) as the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza.

It called on all parties to enable UNRWA to carry out its mandate as adopted by the General Assembly, with full respect for the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.

It also urged respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of UN and humanitarian facilities, while welcoming the Secretary-General’s and UNRWA’s commitment to fully implement the recommendations of an independent review of the agency led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.

UN News

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‘We Are Living a Nightmare of Grief, Bloodshed’

CrossFireArabia
November 19, 2024

The UN Middle East peace process coordinator warned Monday that the region stands at a “grim crossroads” following more than a year of devastating war and bloodshed.

“After over a year of horrific war and bloodshed, the region is at a grim crossroads,” Tor Wennesland told the UN Security Council. “We are living a nightmare. The trauma and grief that has been unleashed is immeasurable.”

“After over a year of horrific war and bloodshed, the region is at a grim crossroads … we are living a nightmare. The trauma and grief that has been unleashed is immeasurable”
– Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator @UNSCO_MEPP, 18 Nov 24 pic.twitter.com/BJfPOiWP1d
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) November 18, 2024

Describing a dire picture of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, particularly in the northern areas, Wennesland said “humanitarian situation in Gaza, as winter begins, is catastrophic, particularly developments in the north of Gaza with a large-scale and near-total displacement of the population and widespread destruction and clearing of land, amidst what looks like a disturbing disregard for international humanitarian law.”

He stated that conditions in Gaza are among the “worst” seen during the entire conflict, with no signs of improvement.

Expressing grave concern over the escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, he also described it as being trapped in a “destructive spiral of violence and hopelessness.”

The UN envoy further criticized Israel’s continued expansion of settlements, accusing the government of accelerating settlement activity and warning against calls by some ministers for the annexation of the West Bank and the re-establishment of settlements in Gaza.

“These dynamics exact a political toll, further undermining the Palestinian Authority, which continues to face an ongoing fiscal and institutional crisis,” he said.

Wennesland warned that the institutional framework supporting the Palestinian people is “on the brink of dissolution,” which could lead to even greater instability in the region.

“If the parties cannot find a path out of perpetual warfare, then the international community must define the path forward,” he urged.

He stressed that Gaza must remain an integral part of a future Palestinian state, firmly rejecting any calls for long-term Israeli military presence or settlements in the territory.

“There should be no long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza, while at the same time Israel’s legitimate security concerns, particularly in the wake of the acts of terror committed on 7 October, must be addressed. Calls for the reestablishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza must be firmly rejected and clearly opposed,” Wennesland emphasized.

Wennesland called on the international community to act urgently, warning that failing to do so could exacerbate the already dire situation.

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Lebanon Takes Israel to UNSC

CrossFireArabia
November 19, 2024

Lebanon on Monday announced plans to file a complaint against Israel at the UN Security Council over Tel Aviv’s repeated attacks on the country’s armed forces in its southern region.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had instructed its permanent mission to the UN in New York to submit a formal complaint to the council condemning Israel’s continuing assaults on the Lebanese military.

Two soldiers died and three others were injured, including one in critical condition, following an Israeli strike on a military outpost in the town of Mari in the Hasbaiyya district, southern Lebanon, the statement noted.

With this latest incident, the total number of Lebanese army soldiers killed by Israeli attacks since Oct. 8, 2023, rose to 36.

The ministry emphasized that the attacks undermine international efforts to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for a full cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel and the creation of an arms-free zone between the Blue Line (the boundary separating Lebanon and Israel) and the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

The resolution allows for the presence of the Lebanese army and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the area.

The ministry stressed that ensuring the safety of the Lebanese army and supporting it in carrying out its full duties is crucial to strengthening security along Lebanon’s borders.

Israel launched an air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are targets of the Hezbollah group in late September, in an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare over Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

More than 3,500 people have been killed, nearly 15,000 injured and more than 1 million displaced by Israeli attacks since last October, according to Lebanese health authorities according to Anadolu.

Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1 this year.