United Nations S/ PV.8449 Security Council Provisional Seventy-fourth year 8449th meeting Tuesday, 22 January 2019, 10 a.m. New York President: Mr. Singer Weisinger/Mr. Trullols ................... (Dominican Republic) Members: Belgium ....................................... Mr. Pecsteen de Buytswerve China ......................................... Mr. Ma Zhaoxu Côte d’Ivoire ................................... Mr. Ipo Equatorial Guinea ............................... Mr. Ndong Mba France ........................................ Mr. Delattre Germany ...................................... Mr. Heusgen Indonesia. Mrs. Marsudi Kuwait ........................................ Mr. Alotaibi Peru .......................................... Mr. Meza-Cuadra Poland ........................................ Ms. Wronecka Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Nebenzia South Africa ................................... Mr. Matjila United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Ms. Pierce United States of America .......................... Mr. Cohen Agenda The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question . This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in 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-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 19-01678 (E) *1901678* S/PV.8449 The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question 22/01/2019 The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m. with the provisional rules of procedure and previous practice in this regard. Expression of sympathy in connection with and There being no objection, it is so decided. condemnation of the attack on the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s in Mali provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East The President (spoke in Spanish): On behalf of Peace Process and Personal Representative of the the members of the Security Council, I should like Secretary-General, to participate in this meeting. to condemn in the strongest terms the outrageous, deadly and totally unacceptable attack perpetrated on Mr. Mladenov is joining the meeting via video- 20 January 2019 against the camp of the United Nations teleconference from Geneva. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s Mali (MINUSMA) in Aguelhok, Mali, which resulted provisional rules of procedure, I also invite the in 10 peacekeepers from Chad being killed and several following individuals to participate in this meeting: others injured. The members of the Security Council His Excellency Mr. Gustavo Martín Prada, Deputy convey their deepest condolences to the families of the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the victims and to the people and the Government of Chad, United Nations; His Excellency Mr. Maged Abdelfattah as well as to MINUSMA. Those brave peacekeepers Abdelaziz, Permanent Observer of the League of Arab were operating under a mandate given by the Security States to the United Nations; and Her Excellency Council in order to provide a more secure future for Mrs. Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo, Vice-Chair of the the people of the Mali. We commemorate their ultimate Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of sacrifice in the cause of peace. the Palestinian People. I ask those present to now rise and observe a minute I propose that the Council invite the Permanent of silence for those killed. Observer of the Observer State of the Holy See to the United Nations to participate in the meeting, in The members of the Security Council observed a accordance with the provisional rules of procedure and minute of silence. the previous practice in this regard. Adoption of the agenda There being no objection, it is so decided. The agenda was adopted. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I give the floor The situation in the Middle East, including the to Mr. Mladenov. Palestinian question Mr. Mladenov: I thank Mrs. Marsudi, Minister for The President (spoke in Spanish): In accordance Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, for joining us today. with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of As 2019 begins, we should have no illusions about procedure, I invite the representatives of Argentina, the dangerous dynamics in the Israeli-Palestinian Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Cuba, the Democratic conflict, which continues to unfold before our eyes. People’s Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Egypt, the Islamic In the past few months, understandably, our focus has Republic of Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, been on the tragic situation in Gaza. Today I would Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Malaysia, like to return to the broader questions of peace and a Morocco, Namibia, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi sustainable resolution to the Palestinian question. Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Over time, the possibility of establishing a viable, contiguous Palestinian State has been systematically and Viet Nam to participate in this meeting. eroded by facts on the ground. During the reporting I propose that the Council invite the Permanent period, Israeli authorities advanced, approved or Observer of the Observer State of Palestine to the United tendered over 3,100 housing units planned in Area Nations to participate in this meeting, in accordance C settlements, including plans for approximately 2/66 19-01678 22/01/2019 The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question S/PV.8449 2,500 units that were advanced and tenders for about on 7 January. Those developments are a very serious 650 others. Nearly half of them are to be built deep blow to the reconciliation process. I call on Palestinian in the West Bank, many in isolated settlements in leaders to engage constructively with Egypt and act the Nablus area and near Hebron. One of the plans decisively to resolve the political impasse by ensuring effectively legalizes the outpost of Ibei Hanahal as a the full implementation of the 2017 Cairo agreement. neighbourhood of the Ma’ale Amos settlement in the One thing is certain: Palestinian sovereignty and Hebron governorate. statehood will remain an impossibility without genuine unity. There can be no State in Gaza, and there can be Meanwhile, we have seen additional attempts to no State without Gaza. pass legislation that would directly apply Israeli law to the territory of the occupied West Bank, raising fears Meanwhile, economic growth in the West Bank of future annexation. In December, the Government is insufficient to keep the Palestinian economy afloat endorsed a bill to advance the legalization of 66 illegal in the face of Gaza’s dramatic economic contraction, outposts throughout the West Bank within two years. the occupation and diminishing external support. The In the interim period, authorities must provide the numbers speak for themselves — the West Bank gross outposts with funding, electricity and other services domestic product (GDP) grew by 1.2 per cent in the and freeze the implementation demolition orders. third quarter of last year, while it contracted by 6.5 per cent in Gaza. As a result, the total GDP of Palestine While in early January Israeli security forces contracted by 0.5 per cent in this period. evacuated dozens of settlers from mobile homes illegally installed at the site of the former Amona In other developments affecting Palestinian outpost, at the same time a Government team has democratic foundations, on 12 December 2018, been tasked with legalizing outposts and housing the Palestinian Constitutional Court declared the units built illegally in settlements, including under Palestinian Legislative Council dissolved and requested Israeli law. Demolitions and seizures of Palestinian- President Abbas to call for legislative elections within owned structures also continued across the West Bank, six months. I am concerned by the continuing vacuum including East Jerusalem. Twenty-five structures were of a functioning elected Palestinian legislative body seized or demolished, citing the absence of Israeli- until credible elections can take place. issued building permits, which are nearly impossible There has also been a dangerous security dynamic for Palestinians to obtain. As a result, 32 people were unfolding in the West Bank over recent months, as a displaced. With only 13 per cent of East Jerusalem series of deadly terrorist attacks have taken place and designated for Palestinian construction and an the risk of destabilization has increased. The period estimated 13,000 outstanding demolition orders issued witnessed an increasing number of Israeli military in Area C communities, demolition and displacement operations in Areas A and B of the West Bank. In is a constant threat. I reiterate the United Nations long- Ramallah, for example, and elsewhere, the almost daily standing position that settlements are illegal under confrontations with Israeli security forces