Meeting on the heels of yet another thwarted attempt to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza, the Security Council heard a last time from Tor Wennesland, outgoing Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, who voiced deep frustration over the failure of combined efforts to broker a ceasefire, and urged Council members and Member States to guard against the "unravelling of decades" of hard-fought multilateralism.
He noted in particular the frameworks put in place in 1967 and 1973, when the 15-nation organ adopted the resolutions aimed at laying the foundations for a just and lasting peace.
"As winter approaches, the horror in Gaza continues to grind on with no end in sight," Mr. Wennesland said, in a statement delivered by Muhannad Hadi, Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. The treacherous dynamics described a week ago by Mr. Wennesland continue to unfold in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and the broader region. "Regrettably, the situation remains grave across the region," he said, outlining continuing Israeli military operations across the Blue Line with Lebanon and "a barrage of rockets" fired by Hizbullah towards Israel this weekend. As well, he welcomed ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a cessation of hostilities, recalling that, in over 13 months of conflict since Hamas's attacks inside Israel in October 2023, some 44,000 Palestinians and 1,700 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed.
Against this backdrop, he urged the parties to accept a ceasefire anchored in the full implementation of Council resolution 1701 (2006). He also reiterated key principles that would lay the groundwork for a viable, sustainable political future for Israelis and Palestinians, renewing the United Nations' call for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and the de-escalation of regional tensions. Further, he repeated his demand for immediate steps to improve humanitarian aid delivery, "which is failing to meet even the most basic needs of Gaza's population" and called for political and security frameworks that would advance a resolution to the conflict, ending the occupation, and achieving a two-State solution.
As 101 Israelis remain in horrific conditions in Gaza, in recent weeks, "mass casualty incidents" are occurring with alarming frequency amid the Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) devastating intensification of operations in North Gaza, he said. Among other incidents, he cited the killing of 36 Palestinians - including women and children - on 10 November when a multi-story building was hit in Jabalya Al Balad and the killing of 65 Palestinians when two Israeli airstrikes hit buildings hosting internally displaced persons in Beit Lahiya. "These are but a small fraction of the deadly incidents that have occurred in recent weeks," he stressed, also recounting displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure "on top of the daily carnage".
Rapid, Unimpeded Humanitarian Access Must Resume
"Repeated evacuation orders issued by the IDF have triggered over 100,000 people to be displaced from North Gaza southward," since the recommencement of ground operations by Israeli forces on 6 October, he went on, stating that the resulting influx into Gaza City and surroundings has swelled the population to some 375,000 people, with only an estimated 75,000 remaining in North Gaza. Citing the daily struggle and risk of accessing humanitarian aid, amid violent looting of supplies by armed Palestinians, he called for the restoration of law and order and urged Israel to fulfil its obligations to facilitate the rapid, unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief into and throughout Gaza, noting that it is "deplorably inadequate to meet the overwhelming needs of the population".
He also condemned the widespread killing and injury of civilians in Gaza and the endless displacement of the population, and voiced concern over a long-term reduction in Palestinian territory, due to the apparent creation of buffer zones in North Gaza. As well, he voiced concern over the increasingly dangerous dynamics unfolding in the occupied West Bank, with violence at alarming levels, citing the killing of 32 Palestinians during the reporting period, and the Israeli Government's unrelenting advancement of settlements and its policy of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures, amid open calls by Israeli ministers for the annexation of the occupied West Bank. "I reiterate that annexation constitutes a violation of international law and must be firmly rejected," he added.
He went on to relay a few "final reflections" on behalf of Special Coordinator Wennesland, who stressed, "Amidst the unimaginable horror of the past more than one year, I fear that even after the guns fall silent, we will have lost hope for a better future" and decades of hard-fought gains for institutions.
State of Palestine's Speaker Says Genocide Transforming Middle East for Generations
"This war, this genocide, is transforming the Middle East for generations to come, with the gravest implications for our region and the world," said the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, warning that "this fire will devour everything on its path if it is not urgently stopped". In this context, he emphasized that every Member State "has a decisive choice to make, whether to defend the rule of international law and the common institutions of humankind or to defend the massacres perpetrated by this Israeli government". To those politicians who have difficulties making the right and evident choice, he said, "Our children should not be sacrificed for the sake of your political calculations and ambitions."
"The ICC [International Criminal Court], the ICJ [International Court of Justice], this Council and the General Assembly, the Secretary-General and the United Nations are not anti-Semitic, and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's efforts to frame efforts to uphold international law as anti-Semitic must be firmly rebuked," he stressed. Addressing "the mighty Security Council," he said, "You must act now to restore primacy to international law, to the humanitarian and human rights laws that Israel is shredding to the detriment of all." The Israeli war machine must be stopped in Palestine and Lebanon, he said, calling on the international community to undertake "decisive actions" to uphold UN resolutions and International Court of Justice rulings. "Surrender is not an option," he added.
Israel's Speaker Criticizes International Criminal Court's Issuance of Arrest Warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Countering that, Israel's delegate asked, "When will you address Hamas in your speeches?" Calling for accountability for the recent "barbaric" kidnapping and murder of rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates, he called on the Council to "face the reality of who the true aggressors are", pointing out that while his Government is moving towards a ceasefire in Lebanon, in the past 24 hours, Hizbullah has launched 500 rockets towards Israel in its continued attempts to commit mass murder. Taking aim at the International Criminal Court's issuance in recent days of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, he rejected the suggestion that democratically elected leaders "acting in defence of Israel following the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust" should be placed alongside an "arch-terrorist", Hamas leader Mohammed Deif.
Asserting that his country is not a party to the Rome Statute, he stated that the Court ought to be named the "International Circus Court" for its "diplomatic terrorism". To his Palestinian counterpart, he said, "You come [to the Council] with venom and blame", stating that his speeches justified Hamas and lacked tangible solutions to improve Palestinian lives. Last week's attempted ceasefire resolution was a near-historic mistake due to its abandonment of the hostages, he said, adding that his Government would never stop fighting for their release.
In a further exchange of words, the speaker for the State of Palestine asserted that Israel is not listening even to countries that support it, citing the support voiced for the International Criminal Court by its European Union members. To Israel's delegate, he responded: "You listen to the noise in your head, but you don't listen to the distinguished members of the Security Council," some of whom are in solidarity with Israel - citing their calls for an end to the war crimes, and the killing and starvation of the Palestinian people.
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