S/PV.6363 (Resumption 1)
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United Nations S/PV.6363 (Resumption 1) Security Council Provisional Sixty-fifth year 6363rd meeting Wednesday, 21 July 2010, 3 p.m. New York President: Mrs. Ogwu ..................................... (Nigeria) Members: Austria ........................................ Ms. Kaudel Bosnia and Herzegovina ........................... Ms. Marinčić Brazil ......................................... Mr. Moretti China ......................................... Mr. Zhang Changwei France ......................................... Mr. Kassianides Gabon ......................................... Mrs. Ntyam-Ehya Japan .......................................... Mr. Arima Lebanon ....................................... Mr. Khachab Mexico ........................................ Ms. Posada Otero Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Safronkov Turkey ........................................ Mr. Dizdar Uganda ........................................ Mrs. Kafeero United Kingdom of Great Britain and Nortern Ireland ..... Ms. Scott United States of America ........................... Mr. Grant Agenda The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-506. 10-45934 (E) *1045934* S/PV.6363 (Resumption 1) The meeting resumed at 3.10 p.m. This meeting is being held in the sixth year since the International Court of Justice adopted its advisory The President: I would like to inform the opinion confirming the illegitimacy of the separation Council that I have received letters from the wall, and long decades since Israel first occupied Arab representatives of Ecuador and Iceland, in which they territory. That is indeed the crux and the fundamental request to be invited to participate in the consideration reason for the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is by its nature a of the item on the Council’s agenda. In accordance provocative, unjust offence whereby Israel has violated with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of all relevant rules and international resolutions and the Council, to invite those representatives to committed every kind of war crime against the participate in the consideration without the right to Palestinian people: killing women and children; vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the violating the sanctity of places of worship; inflicting Charter and rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules collective punishment; closing border crossings; of procedure. detaining tens of thousands of civilians and There being no objection, it is so decided. democratically elected Palestinian officials; and pursuing a racist, expansionist occupation accompanied At the invitation of the President, the by cancerous, declared and undeclared settlements in representatives of the aforementioned countries the occupied Arab territories, especially Jerusalem, in a took the seats reserved for them at the side of the manner that targets the very existence of that city and Council Chamber. its Islamic and Christian character. The President: I wish to remind all speakers to Such settlements have devoured around 42 per limit their statements to no more than five minutes in cent of the lands of the West Bank, according to reports order to enable the Council to carry out its work by the Israeli organization B’Tselem, in clear violation expeditiously. of international law. We should recall that Israel I now give the floor to the representative of the continued to pursue these policies until a few days ago. Syrian Arab Republic. After the meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel announced the Mr. Ja’afari (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in construction of 32 new settlement units in East Arabic): It is my honour to address the Security Jerusalem. Council at this important meeting under the presidency of friendly Nigeria. I would like to thank Mr. Lynn Syria, along with other Arab countries, has Pascoe, the Under-Secretary-General, for his important worked, through the adoption of the 2002 Arab Peace briefing to us this morning. Initiative, to achieve peace and all that peace entails: the restoration of all Arab rights, including Israel’s My delegation thanks you, Madam President, for total withdrawal from all occupied territories to the convening this open debate, which comes at a very line of 4 June 1967, and the settlement of Palestinian critical and dangerous time for the Middle East, when refugees as set forth in General Assembly resolution opportunities for peace and stability are receding and 194 (III) of 1948. opportunities for threats, war and aggression are on the rise. All of this is a result of Israel’s feverish race The Israelis’ rejection of this is clear; they against time in its efforts to erode all that remains of disdain all such decisions. Committing crimes against the hopes of resuming the peace process. Israel the Palestinian people is not enough; their crimes have continues to work for the Judaization of Jerusalem, to extended to peace activists of other nationalities who build a racist separation wall on occupied Palestinian tried to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza on the territory, to intensify settlement activity there, to freedom flotilla. Israel’s terrorist aggression killed nine occupy the Syrian Golan and to blockade Gaza. It has civilians whose only crime was to try to help the attacked the freedom flotilla ships and murdered the people under blockade and whose suffering could not international peace activists they carried, in flagrant be alleviated by all the resolutions and decisions defiance of the international community and in adopted by the international community. violation of international law and the basic values and That was Israel’s true response to the proposals principles of humanity and civilization. for peace in the Middle East, a response that we have 2 10-45934 S/PV.6363 (Resumption 1) sought to remind the world of throughout the decades practices and violation of so many laws and resolutions — since Israel first occupied our lands. Israel defies not Israel still refuses to accept these appeals or to only international law, but its own bilateral relations implement any resolutions. On the contrary, after with important countries within and outside the region, occupying the Syrian Golan, Israel declared its in a manner that threatens the region’s stability and annexation, in clear violation of the principles of embarrasses its closest allies. international law and its obligations under the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Since that occupation, Israel has Around two months ago, this Council adopted a employed every possible means to attempt to expel the presidential statement (S/PRST/2010/9) in which it citizens of the area, impose colonizing settlements on called for a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent them and import foreign settlers, preferring them over investigation conforming to international standards; for the indigenous people of the Golan, whom they have the immediate release of the convoy ships; and for the incarcerated in detention. delivery of their humanitarian assistance to besieged Gaza. Today more than ever, the Security Council must Recent Israeli military exercises in the Golan move beyond the mere condemnation of such acts; it Heights have destroyed 5,000 dunums of fertile land. should translate its resolutions into practical steps On 12 July, Israeli forces used force to enter the home commensurate with Israel’s terrible actions, so that of a Syrian citizen in the village of Mejdel Shams. they do not meet the fate of other, previous resolutions When villagers attempted to face them, some on Israel that remain dead letters. 25 persons, including women and children, were hurt as a result of the tear gas munitions used by the Israeli I would like to note here that Mr. John Ging, the forces, and some were hit by rubber bullets. Mr. Lynn Director of Operations in Gaza of the United Nations Pascoe referred to this incident today. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), stated today that all Israeli My country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, in claims to have reduced the effects of the blockade and identical letters dated 4 January 2010 addressed to the allowed the entry of some basic goods into Gaza are President of the Security Council and to the Secretary- totally incorrect. We also recall that the General General (S/2010/4, annex), referred to Israeli violations Assembly has approved the recommendations of the in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, where Israel is Goldstone report (A/HRC/12/48), which included planning to Judaize and control even more Syrian conclusive evidence concerning Israel’s violations of territory in the Golan, in steps that send a provocative the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and message to Syria and other States that are seeking international humanitarian law during its aggression peace in accordance with the relevant United Nations against Gaza. Such violations are tantamount to war resolutions. And, yet, in flagrant defiance of the will of crimes and perhaps even to crimes against humanity. the