United Nations S/PV.7977 Security Council Provisional Seventy-second year 7977th meeting Tuesday, 20 June 2017, 10 a.m. New York President: Mr. Llorentty Solíz .............................. (Bolivia (Plurinational State of)) Members: China ......................................... Mr. Liu Jieyi Egypt ......................................... Mr. Aboulatta Ethiopia ....................................... Mr. Alemu France ........................................ Mr. Delattre Italy .......................................... Mr. Cardi Japan ......................................... Mr. Kawamura Kazakhstan .................................... Mr. Umarov Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Safronkov Senegal ....................................... Mr. Seck Sweden ....................................... Mr. Skau Ukraine ....................................... Mr. Yelchen ko United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Mr. Wilson United States of America .......................... Mrs. Haley Uruguay ....................................... Mr. Rosselli 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). 17-17659 (E) *1717659* S/PV.7977 The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question 20/06/2017 The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m. conditions for a return to negotiations so as to resolve all final-status issues based on the relevant United Nations Adoption of the agenda resolutions, mutual agreements and international law. The agenda was adopted. Resolution 2334 (2016), in paragraph 2, calls on Israel to take steps to The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question “cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem”. The President (spoke in Spanish): In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of No such steps were taken during the reporting period. procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate In fact, since 24 March there has been a substantial in this meeting. Mr. Nickolay Mladenov, Special increase in settlement-related announcements as Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and compared with the previous reporting period, with Personal Representative of the Secretary-General; plans for nearly 4,000 housing units moving forward His excellency Mr. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Secretary- and 2,000 tenders issued. The United Nations considers General of the League of Arab States; Mr. Michael all settlement activities to be illegal under international Doran, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute; and law. Resolution 2334 (2016) states that the international His Excellency Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, member of The community will not recognize any changes to the Elders. 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed to by the parties themselves Mr. Mladenov is joining today’s meeting via video through negotiations. teleconference from Jerusalem. Plans for approximately 3,200 units were advanced The Security Council will now begin its consideration through the various stages of the planning process in of the item on its agenda. 22 settlements in Area C of the occupied West Bank. I now give Mr. Mladenov the floor. Those plans include 2,000 housing units in the major population centres of Ma’ale Adumim and Ariel, and Mr. Mladenov: Today I devote my regular briefing over 800 units in Kerem Reim, Oranit and Beit El. One to the Security Council to reporting, on behalf of the hundred units were advanced for the new settlement Secretary-General, on the implementation of resolution 2334 (2016) during the period from 25 March to of Amihai, established in the eastern Shiloh Valley 19 June. I will focus on developments on the ground for the former residents of the Amona outpost, where in accordance with the provisions of the resolution, the Israeli authorities also declared 241 acres as State including on regional and international efforts to land in the same zone. Both acts would further sever advance peace. the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian State, thereby solidifying a line of settlements dividing the Let me once again note that nothing in the report northern and central West Bank. As construction on can be divorced from the broader context in which it is the new settlement began today, the Prime Minister occurring — the half century of occupation, the stalled stated that peace process, the lack of dialogue between the parties, as well as the continued illegal settlement activities, “There will never be a Government that is more terror, violence and increased radicalization. pro-settlement than our Government”. Allow me to note that this month’s briefing Separately, tenders were issued for close to coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the Arab- 2,000 housing units in four settlements close to the Israeli war, which resulted in Israel’s occupation of 1967 line — Alfei Menashe, Beitar Illit, Beit Arie the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Syrian and Kamer Shomron. Infrastructure tenders for the Golan. Achieving a negotiated two-State outcome is the future construction of more than 200 settlement units only way to lay the foundations for enduring peace that in Kochav Yaakov, located between Ramallah and is based on Israeli security needs and the Palestinian Jerusalem, were also re-issued. In East Jerusalem 770 right to sovereignty and statehood. Now is not the time housing units in the Gilo southern slopes reached the to give up on that goal. Now is the time to create the final approval stage, and building permits for more 2/29 17-17659 20/06/2017 The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question S/PV.7977 than 360 housing units were granted in Ramat Shlomo, Settler-related violence continued during the Pisgat Ze’ev and Ramot. reporting period, as well. According to OCHA, 31 incidents were documented, resulting in one Meanwhile, according to the Office for the Palestinian killed, 10 injured and damage to Palestinian Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the property. Much of the violence has centred around the reporting period witnessed a sharp decline in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar near Nablus — a number of demolished Palestinian-owned structures recurrent source of violent actions against neighbouring in Area C. Twenty-nine structures were demolished villages in the past. Against the backdrop of Israeli or seized — down from 149 in the previous reporting security officials reportedly warning of the increased period. East Jerusalem saw a less pronounced decrease risk of another terror attack by Jewish extremists, like in demolished structures, from 49 to 32. However, the the one against the Dawabsheh family two years ago, monthly average of demolitions in East Jerusalem since a Rabbi from Yitzhar was indicted for incitement to the beginning of 2017 remains at the same level as in violence against Palestinians, while a number of others 2016, when demolitions reached a 15-year record. were arrested. Allow me to turn to the problem of violence, which In paragraph 7 of resolution 2334 (2016), the remains a hallmark of the conflict. Resolution 2334 Council called on both parties (2016) calls on all sides to refrain from such acts and undertake efforts to combat them. During the reporting “to refrain from provocative actions, incitement period, the security situation on the ground remained and inflammatory rhetoric” relatively calm. No rockets were fired from Gaza and, in paragraph 6, towards Israel, and the Israeli Defence Forces did not “to clearly condemn all acts of terrorism”. conduct any air strikes in Gaza. Regrettably, such calls continued to go unanswered However, according to OCHA, 17 Palestinians during the reporting period. Palestinian officials were killed by Israeli security forces in various and media outlets affiliated with Fatah continued to incidents, including reported terror attacks, clashes commemorate the lives of perpetrators of past terror and military operations. One Israeli soldier was killed attacks against Israeli civilians. One community centre in a car-ramming attack on 6 April outside the Ofra was recently named after a Palestinian woman who was settlement, to the north-east of Ramallah, and, on involved in an attack in which 38 Israelis, including 13 16 June a policewoman was killed in a shooting and children, were killed in Tel Aviv in 1978. UN-Women stabbing attack by Palestinian assailants in the vicinity and Norway withdrew support from the organization. of the Old City of Jerusalem. On 14 April, a British exchange student was killed by a Palestinian assailant Hamas leaders have also continued their deplorable in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem. practice of celebrating recent attacks against Israeli civilians as heroic, including the 1 April stabbing in The Israeli security forces killed a Jordanian Jerusalem’s Old City in which two civilians were injured,