A/78/PV.74 General Assembly

The General Assembly will now hold a debate, pursuant to resolution 76/262 of 26 April 2022, on the situation as to which the veto was cast by a permanent member at the 9609th meeting of the Security Council on 18 April 2024 under the agenda item entitled “Admission of new members”. In connection with this debate, the Assembly has before it a special report of the Security Council circulated in document A/78/856. I shall now read out the following brief remarks on behalf of the President of the General Assembly. Statement by the President

“Regrettably, once again the General Assembly is meeting under the so-called veto initiative as the divisions in the Security Council persist and hinder the Council’s ability to effectively discharge its responsibilities. I welcome the timely submission of the special report of the Security Council (A/78/856) on the veto cast in the Council on 18 April, reinforcing collaboration between the Security Council and the General Assembly within their respective mandates and in their shared duty to promote global peace and security. “In that regard, I encourage the Assembly to use today’s discussion as an opportunity to deliberate on how the two main organs of the United Nations, the General Assembly and the Security Council, can work together to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question. “The President of the General Assembly will continue the practice of providing a short summary of the plenary debate to the President of the Security Council.”

The United States has worked vigorously and with determination to support Palestinian statehood in the context of a comprehensive peace agreement that would permanently resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since the attacks of 7 October 2023, President Biden has been clear that sustainable peace in the region can be achieved only through a two-State solution, with Israel’s security guaranteed. There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and future as a democratic Jewish State. There is no other path that guarantees that Palestinians can live in peace and with dignity in a State of their own. And there is no other path that leads to regional integration between Israel and all its Arab neighbours, including Saudi Arabia. We also have long been clear that premature actions here in New York, even with the best of intentions, will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people. As a member of the Security Council, the United States has a special responsibility to ensure that our actions further the cause of international peace and security and are consistent with the requirements of the Charter of the United Nations. As reflected in the report of the Committee on the Admission of New Members (S/2024/313), there was not unanimity among Committee members as to whether the applicant met the criteria for membership as set forth in Article 4 of the United Nations Charter. For example, there are unresolved questions as to whether the applicant meets the criteria to be considered a State. We have long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to help establish the attributes of readiness for statehood, and note that Hamas, a terrorist organization, is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the State envisioned in draft resolution S/2024/312. For those reasons, the United States voted against the Security Council resolution. Again, the United States continues to strongly support a two-State solution. Our vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgment that it will come only from direct negotiations between the parties. The central focus of United States policy prior to the 7 October Hamas terrorist attacks was to promote normalization between Israel and its Arab neighbours and, as a critical element of a normalization package, to generate tangible benefits in a political horizon for the Palestinian people. That was based on the United States judgment that normalization is the most viable pathway to make progress on the ground on what had been an intractable situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians. In the aftermath of 7 October, conversations on potential normalization and a political horizon for the Palestinians that would lead to statehood and membership of the United Nations have continued. Hamas and its Iranian backers would probably prefer that this effort not succeed, but we are determined to see it through. Indeed, we believe that this approach can tangibly advance Palestinian goals in a meaningful and enduring way. We also believe, in light of Iran’s unprecedented and outrageous attack against Israel on 12 April, that Israel’s neighbours would stand to benefit greatly from normalization. The United States is committed to intensifying its engagement with the Palestinians and the rest of the region, not only to address the current crisis in Gaza but to advance a political settlement that will create a path to Palestinian statehood and membership of the United Nations. The United States will continue to oppose unilateral measures that undermine the prospect of a two-State solution. That includes any actions that violate the principles that Secretary Blinken reaffirmed in discussions with regional partners earlier this week — that Gaza cannot be a platform for terrorism, that there should be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, and that the size of Gaza’s territory should not be reduced. As we have said before, we believe that a two-State solution, coupled with those elements, is the best way to achieve a durable peace in the region along with security for Israelis and Palestinians. It remains the United States view that the most expeditious path towards statehood and eventual United Nations membership for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, with the support of the United States and other partners. I would conclude by raising our concern over the fact that the General Assembly is holding two meetings on the casting of the same veto. Resolution 76/262 specifically provided for there to be one General Assembly meeting on the casting of a veto — either a meeting within 10 working days of the casting of the veto or a meeting of an emergency special session on that veto. A group of countries has already formally requested that the President of the General Assembly convene a meeting of the tenth emergency special session on the veto at issue. Accordingly, the veto initiative meeting today should not have been held. We think that the convening of this meeting today is both inconsistent with resolution 76/262 and is an improper use of the General Assembly’s time and resources.

I now give the floor to the observer of the Observer State of Palestine.

I stand before the Assembly today as the massacres against the Palestinian people continue unabated. The atrocities and discovery of mass graves in the vicinity of hospitals that were besieged and attacked by Israel is a new, dark chapter in that never-ending tragedy. As we meet here today, Israel is still trying to push the Palestinian people out of geography and out of history, its occupation descending to deeper levels of depravity. It has, through air, land and sea bombardments and mass killings, forcibly displaced two-thirds of the Palestinian people in Gaza, all the way to Rafah at the Palestinian-Egyptian border, and now threatens at any moment to invade Rafah. That gruesome scenario must be prevented at all costs. An immediate ceasefire, long called for by the Assembly and demanded by the Security Council, is indispensable. It cannot be delayed any further. The mass indiscriminate killing, the wounding and maiming, the siege, the starvation, the collective punishment and mass arbitrary arrests and torture must be brought to an immediate end. The methodical devastation and dismantling of the very requirements of life in Gaza, on a scale unprecedented in modern history, are an integral part of the attempts to erase a nation by destruction, displacement and death. There are only two paths ahead: one that leads to shared life and one that leads to common death. The more we wait, the harder it will be to embark on the path that leads to a just and lasting peace and shared security. You cannot say that you support the two-State solution and stand idly by while Israel is openly trying to destroy the Palestinian State, as openly confessed to by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Netanyahu is acting every day upon his decades-long commitment to obstructing peace, and he is relying on the fact that, beyond protest, the international community will prove unable to take meaningful action to hold him accountable and to enforce international law and the two-State solution. The admission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations is an unequivocal signal that Palestinian self-determination and statehood are not subject to the whims and will of the extremists in Israel. Our admission to the United Nations is long overdue. It has been 75 years in the making. How can those who supported the admission of Israel 75 years ago, while it was violating the Charter and fundamental United Nations resolutions and in isolation from a just solution of the conflict, explain that Palestinian admission 75 years later should be conditional on the achievement of such a solution. The world’s double standards are not enough to describe how absurd that logic is. Let me be clear. We will never accept that the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, statehood and admission to the United Nations could in any way be subject to an Israeli veto. Those are the natural and legal rights our people are entitled to, and we will take our rightful place among the community of nations sooner or later. We will not be deterred in our pursuit for freedom. I want to thank Algeria, as the Arab representative on the Security Council, for putting forward draft resolution S/2024/312, on the admission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations. I want also to thank the Group of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries for their principled support for our request for admission, and the 12 members of the Security Council that have supported that request, reflecting the broad and global support for Palestine’s admission, for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and for the independence of our State. We will now bring the matter up for consideration by the General Assembly on 10 May at the resumed tenth emergency special session, and trust that this body, representing the international community, will unequivocally support the admission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations and call on the Security Council to favourably reconsider our application for admission. Allow me from this rostrum to call on every State to use the means available to them to end the carnage in Gaza and to advance freedom and peace. Now is the time for action and for accountability. Netanyahu has attacked the International Criminal Court just as he had attacked before it the International Court of Justice, the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, the Secretary-General and virtually every State on Earth, calling them the immoral majority, among other offensive slurs, simply for upholding international law and denouncing Israeli crimes and illegal actions. Will they protect the international law- based order or let Israel trample it? The time to end complicity is right now. The International Court of Justice reminded States of their international obligations relating to the transfer of arms to parties to an armed conflict in order to avoid the risk that such arms might be used in the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. All States also have an obligation to take measures against Israel’s colonial policies in Palestine. The time for recognition of the State of Palestine is right now. We are grateful to Barbados and Jamaica for their decisions, immediately after the Council’s vote on admission, to recognize the State of Palestine, joining 140 States that had already undertaken that important step. To those that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine, we say that there are no grounds for further delay. Those who want to destroy the Palestinian State, and with it any chance for peace, are not waiting. Those who support self-determination and a peaceful settlement should not defer to them or let them dictate our collective failure. Those who are wondering if they are on the right side of history should ask themselves one question: Is what I am doing advocating freedom and peace, or enabling continued oppression and conflict? They should ask themselves that question and act now to stop the massacres and ensure that life prevails, to end the occupation and conflict, and to ensure that freedom and peace prevail.

Yesterday the Jewish people marked the end of Passover. Passover is the holiday in which we celebrate our first step to nationhood, the exodus from slavery in Egypt and the beginning of our ancestors’ journey to the land of Israel. The Jewish people set out for the promised land 3,500 years ago. On Passover, Jewish people around the globe gather together at the seder, our special holiday meal, to tell the story of our liberation. We remind ourselves of the suffering we endured and the generations-long hardships we survived on the road to salvation. We remember that pain by eating what we call matzo, the bread of affliction, and maror, the bitter herbs, and we dip our food in salt water. Why? We do so to commemorate our tears. Yet this year we did not need bitter herbs and salt water to remember the pain, because this year every Jewish family had an empty hole in their hearts. This year, every Jew focused on the atrocities of 7 October 2023 and the suffering of the Israeli hostages held in Hamas’ terror tunnels. We could not really celebrate our ancestors’ liberation while our brothers and sisters were still waiting to be freed from the Hamas monsters. Yet as my people marked this Passover with grief, the United Nations is again seeking to reward the perpetrators of the horrors. The United Nations could not care less about Israel  — to hell with our safety, to hell with our future and to hell with our hostages. The General Assembly is fuelled by nothing other than political interests — not by the Charter of the United Nations, not by morality. Nothing exemplifies the United Nations rotten values more than the advancement of Palestinian statehood. Nothing can reward and incentivize the terrorists who committed the 7 October massacre more than this discussion here today. To this day, the United Nations has not even condemned Hamas, not even once. To this day, not a single United Nations initiative has been taken for the sake of the Israeli hostages. Yet instead, this body has focused only on unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian terror State — an entity fuelled by Jewish genocide, by terror, by Nazi- like incitement. By advancing a Palestinian State, the United Nations is telling the child-murdering Hamas rapists that terror pays off. The United Nations has done nothing for the victims, but it has mobilized for the murderers. It makes me want to vomit — yes, vomit. Members know that the Palestinian Authority does not meet the criteria for statehood. No Palestinian leader, not a single one has even condemned Hamas or its massacre. Members prefer another rogue State, and to hell with the Jewish State. The Palestinian Authority is paying salaries — think of it, paying salaries — to the very terrorists who invaded Israel and murdered 1,200 innocent Israelis. That is who the United Nations wants to grant statehood to? Granting full United Nations membership to the Palestinians will only have two destructive results. First, it will further incentivize terror, as I have explained, and secondly, it is a clear message to the Palestinians that they never, ever have to sit at the negotiating table, let alone to make any compromises. Everyone who understands something about negotiations can understand what I just said. The Palestinians have in the past rejected every peace plan ever made, and they continue to support terror and boycott any negotiations. And now they know that their rejectionism pays off. We need only look at this discussion. These United Nations meetings will be remembered in the future as one of the primary obstacles to resolving the conflict. Members should remember my words. The United Nations today is the main impediment to peace — its Members, or most of them, that support a forced unilateral establishment of a Palestinian terror State are an obstacle to peace. The United Nations is a dream come true for every Palestinian terrorist who seeks to destroy Israel through diplomatic terror, because without Members’ support, the Palestinians would have had to internalize that negotiations and mutual compromise are the only way forward. That is how you make peace. Those who support a unilateral, forced Palestinian terror State should be ashamed of themselves. During the Holocaust, there were the Nazis, there were collaborators and there were those who turned a blind eye to genocide. All of them were guilty. And today there are modern-day Hitlers, such as Yahya Sinwar and Ayatollah Khamenei; there are Nazi terrorists like Hamas, Hizbullah and the Revolutionary Guard in Iran; and there are collaborators and those who turn a blind eye, just like the United Nations and its agencies today, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN-Women and, sadly, so many here in the General Assembly. This body reeks of anti-Semitism. It is everywhere. The United Nations cares nothing for Israeli blood — nothing, zero. It is a collaborator with the Nazis of our day, working to ensure Hamas’ survival and even reward it for murder and rape. I have no words. I will say it again — the Palestinians have rejected every peace plan because, to them, the existence of a Jewish State is unacceptable. This is not about land. If you need more proof, I invite Members to take a drive to Columbia University or to New York University to listen to the murderous cries of the pro-Palestinians mobs, look at their violence and hear their calls for the genocide of Jews and Israelis, from the river to the sea. Those mobs across the United States and Europe have exposed the truth. They have removed the mask of the Palestinian Authority’s lies. The anti-Semites failed to annihilate us during the Holocaust. They failed in 1948, in 1967 and in 1973, but today they are attempting again, this time not only through terror and war, as we saw on 7 October, but also through United Nations weaponization and the exploitation of United Nations bodies. That is how they want to achieve their goal. And here is what they scream: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. For those here that automatically vote against Israel with no understanding, I shall explain. They want a Palestine that stretches from the Jordan River, Israel’s eastern border, to the Mediterranean Sea, Israel’s western border. A free Palestine means that Israel does not exist. That is what they mean. And they have another chant: “We do not want two States, we just want ‘48”. I shall remind Members what they mean. They want to return to the situation before Israel’s war of independence in 1948, after they rejected the partition plan that was accepted here in 1947. They want to erase Israel. The chants of the pro-Palestinian rioters on campuses are calls for Israel’s destruction. We always knew that Hamas hides in schools. We just did not realize that it is not only schools in Gaza; it is also Harvard, Colombia and many elite universities. That is what we hear at academic institutions across the world, and they directly represent the Palestinians’ goal. The only solution for them is a single Palestinian State that is Judenrein — Jew-free — from the river to the sea, achieved through repeated 7 October attacks against Israel and also against Jews. And Members here are collaborating with them and encouraging their racism and anti-Semitism. Germany was the world capital of science and culture, yet it was there that Nazism was born and spread. History is now repeating itself. Elite universities, supposed bastions of liberalism and academia, have now become the breeding ground for the most heinous racism and bigotry. Those who carry on the Nazis’ race theory today are resorting to violence, shattering windows, attacking Jewish students and calling for their removal from campuses. The images that have come out of Columbia University are reminiscent of Kristallnacht. Just yesterday, over 100 violent, pro-Palestine Nazi agitators were arrested at Columbia University. Swift and severe action must be taken against faculty members who back such mayhem. University presidents and professors today must be held accountable for permitting it. Students who call for the murder of their peers or use physical violence must be arrested and expelled. But that brainwashing did not happen overnight. It is the result of years of incitement and delegitimization here at the United Nations. And do we know who it is that has set the stage for that blatant anti-Semitism? The United Nations, the General Assembly and the anti-Israel vitriol spread here by the Organization are what sparked what we are seeing today on college campuses. By falsely condemning Israel and marking the Jewish State as the foundation of all evil, they are emboldening anti-Semites and terrorists alike. It is because of them that those mobs think that attacking Jews is acceptable and that calling for the death of Israelis is tolerable. Universities are permitting that Nazi-like behaviour because, for decades, the United Nations anti-Israel stance has been justified by this very body, the General Assembly. Look at the damage it has caused. Look at the generations it has indoctrinated. This is the final moment for the United Nations to show that it remembers the reason it was established in the wake of the Holocaust  — to prevent atrocities against Jews. The United Nations needs to wake up. I call on the Secretary-General and on leaders around the globe to stop hiding behind empty words. There is no freedom to incite murder and violence, and there is no liberty to attack Jewish students. Whoever does not stand against the abhorrent anti-Semitism is a collaborator. But just as it says in the Bible regarding the Egyptians’ treatment of the Israelites, “But the more the Israelites were oppressed, the more they increased and spread” (The Holy Bible, Exodus 1:12). Everyone should remember those words from the Bible. The United Nations chooses to continue singling out the Jewish people, but we will only grow more resilient and thrive. Today marks the ninth General Assembly meeting held on Gaza since Hamas’ massacre. Not one of those has meetings focused on condemning Hamas or releasing the hostages — not even one. I am disgusted by this institution. But if an alien landed on Earth, it could be certain that outside of Gaza the rest of the world is a utopia. A war is currently raging in the Sudan, where tens of thousands have been killed and millions are on the brink of starvation. How many General Assembly meetings have been held on the Sudan? Does anyone know? There has been none. What about the war in Myanmar? Some 50,000 have been killed and the war rages into its fourth year. How many times has the General Assembly met and how many resolutions have been adopted? How about Yemen, where the Houthis have dragged the country into disaster? Hundreds of thousands are dead and tens of millions are literally starving, all while the Houthis also fire drones and missiles at merchant vessels in the Red Sea. Where is the Assembly’s voice on the Houthis and Yemen? Is that not worth an emergency special session? Let us continue to Pakistan. Pakistan is in the process of forcefully displacing 1.3 million Afghans back under the Taliban’s radical control. Has the Assembly convened to condemn that? And what about Iran? The Ayatollah regime executes thousands of women, protesters and members of the LGBTQ community, while Iran is hurtling towards nuclear weapons and mere weeks ago the regime launched 350 drones and missiles at Israel. Is that not enough for the General Assembly to discuss that murderous regime? But the Assembly is not interested in criticizing rogue States. It is interested only in smearing the Jewish State. Do Members not see how much of a joke the United Nations has become — a sick joke that cares nothing for the lives of civilians around the world, that cares nothing for wars being fought, that cares nothing for death, destruction and suffering? The only thing that the United Nations cares about is bashing the Jewish State. Members do not really care about the Palestinians. They do not care about the Palestinians in Lebanon who are living under a real apartheid regime, or Palestinians in Syria displaced or murdered by the Al-Assad regime. The United Nations was silent for all the years that Hamas oppressed Gazans and turned Gaza into the war machine that it is. They only care about the Palestinians when they can blame Israel. Today the United Nations is a haven for terrorists, for tyrants, for dictators — a laundromat to whitewash their crimes while shifting the focus to the vibrant democracy of Israel. And the root of all the United Nations evil is in this very Hall  — the General Assembly, with its political makeup. This is the body where human rights abusers have the same voice as law-abiding democracies. It is in the Hall, through distorted politics, that every body and role in the United Nations system is decided. This is the beating heart of the United Nations impotence. Multilateralism’s original sin is here, in the General Assembly. Its only politics and interests are behind those who sit on the Security Council. The Assembly chose to have Iran chair a human rights forum. It elects judges from Lebanon and Somalia to the International Court of Justice. It puts human rights abusers like Cuba on the Human Rights Council. That is what the United Nations is. And it will continue playing that charade as if this institution still holds any value whatsoever. The organization burns over $70 billion a year. And what conflicts has the United Nations resolved? What human rights violations has it ended? Almost none. The United Nations is only escalating wars and human rights violations. It can continue that game of make believe, but the United Nations clock is ticking, because soon the world will wake up and see the disaster that the United Nations has become. Members should remember my words. In the future, students will study the fall of the United Nations. They will learn of the Organization’s moral bankruptcy and blindness. They will be taught that its indifference and hypocrisy are what brought the United Nations crashing down. But that is also what will prompt the establishment of a new world institution — a force for good, one with a strong moral compass and democratic values, a body that will refuse to give dictators a free pass and terrorists a lifeline. Mark my words. The United Nations days are numbered. On Passover, the Jewish people commemorate our exodus from Egypt. Egypt was a world super-Power, yet we were victorious. That has been the story of the Jewish people from that day forward. We all recite this every Passover: “And God’s promise is what kept our fathers and what keeps us surviving. For, not only one arose and tried to destroy us, rather in every generation they try to destroy us, and Hashem saves us from their hands.” Many have tried to destroy us, from the most powerful of empires to the evillest of decrees, but all have failed. We are the eternal people and Israel is here to stay.

I now give the floor to the Minister of Housing, Land and Urban Development of Maldives.

I thank the President for convening this meeting of the General Assembly to debate on the veto cast in the Security Council on 18 April (see S/PV.9609). We are here today because one vote in the Security Council has blocked Palestine from becoming a full State Member of the United Nations. It is shameful that one vote can ignore the deafening call for justice for Palestine — a call echoed by over 140 States Members of the General Assembly, including 12 members of the Security Council; a call echoed by millions of peaceful protesters in universities, streets and cities across the world. Yet, one country — just one out of the 193 Members of the United Nations, defied that outcry for justice — a cry for recognition and a call for self-determination. With that one vote, the Security Council has yet again failed. With that veto, the Security Council has failed to stop Israel’s ongoing genocide. As we speak, Israel is carrying out its mass killings in Palestine. Its brutal, barbaric and horrific actions are being etched into history as they are witnessed in real time. Palestinian bodies are being unearthed from mass graves. Palestinian families are being dug out of the rubble by children’s hands. On no account can we fake ignorance. The Security Council cannot claim to be unaware of the situation on the ground in Palestine right now. Israel’s repeated strikes on Rafah, after brutally driving more than a million Palestinian civilians to seek refuge in the city, is characteristic of genocide. Israel’s unbearable escalation of violence and terror is being normalized through the Council’s inaction. The Council needs no reminding of its failure in taking action to prevent the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 and the genocide in Srebrenica, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1995. It is therefore time for the Assembly to say no to the veto, for the veto has been used to encourage Israel to continue with apartheid, to continue with illegal occupation, to continue with illegal settlement. It has indeed become a tool to perpetrate genocide. The only way a lasting solution can be achieved in the Middle East is for Israel to recognize and respect the sovereignty of Palestine. Israel should withdraw from the occupied Palestinian lands and Israel should allow the return of Palestinian refugees driven out of their homes since 1948. One key obstacle in achieving that is the veto. We must abolish it completely.

The General Assembly is meeting on this occasion to discuss the veto that was imposed at the meeting of the Security Council of 18 April (see S/PV.9609) under the agenda item “Admission of new members”, regarding Palestine’s request to be admitted as a full Member of the United Nations. Colombia has firmly and decisively insisted on the need for the admission of Palestine as a full State Member of the United Nations. That request enjoys the support of the majority of the States Members of the Organization, including the 12 members of the Security Council that voted in favour of draft resolution S/2024/312. It is regrettable to see once again the legitimate aspiration of the Palestinian people and the majority will of the international community fail to materialize. My country has also repeatedly advocated for a peaceful, definitive and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian question, based on a solution of two States living side-by-side within secure and internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Assembly and the Security Council, and with respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. In that order of ideas, the international community, whose majorities have demanded the two- State solution, has the collective responsibility to insist on that outcome. Echoing the statement made by the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, admitting Palestine as a full Member of the United Nations is an investment in the path to peace. For Colombia, the convening of this plenary meeting demonstrates once again that the veto is an imperial, anti-democratic and unjust prerogative that constrains the legitimacy and limits the effectiveness of the Security Council when it comes to fulfilling its mandate to maintain international peace and security. Colombia’s position on the veto has been clear and consistent since the 1945 San Francisco Conference, where we voted against granting the right of veto, considering it an instrument contrary to the principle of sovereign equality at the heart of the Charter of the United Nations, and we anticipated the negative effects that such a prerogative would have in the future. For my country, the abolition of the veto is a necessary objective towards which we must work. In the meantime, we insist on the need to strengthen and expand the mechanisms that limit the use of the veto and increase accountability when it is invoked, especially in cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity — atrocities against which we have a collective responsibility to act. We refer specifically to the Franco-Mexican initiative, the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group’s code of conduct, the “United for peace” resolution 377 (V), the veto initiative and Article 27, paragraph 3, of the Charter. The case of the State of Palestine, however, invites us to conclude that those mechanisms for limiting the use of the veto must also be strengthened and deepened in the face of the accession of new Member States to the Organization. The will of the majority can no longer be vetoed.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of Arab States. The Arab Group expresses its deep regret and disappointment over the United States use of the veto against the historic draft resolution S/2024/312, submitted in April to the Security Council by Algeria on behalf of the Arab Group (see S/PV.9609). The draft resolution recommends granting the State of Palestine full membership of the United Nations. The Palestinian bid for full membership is an irrefutable right. The State of Palestine has demonstrated its commitment to the United Nations Charter and its ability to shoulder the responsibilities of that membership. Palestine has proved unequivocally its fulfilment of the membership requirements. Israel obtained its membership of the United Nations 75 years ago. Meanwhile, the Palestinian people are still deprived of their right to self-determination and the State of Palestine is still denied its legitimate right to full membership. That double standard undermines the United Nations credibility and contradicts its founding principles of justice and equality. Palestine’s request reflects the collective will of the international community. The overwhelming majority on the Security Council voted in favour of the draft resolution recommending that Palestine be granted full membership. Furthermore, to date 140 countries — that is, over two-thirds of United Nations Member States — have recognized the State of Palestine and other countries have announced their intention to do so. Those countries that support this step will be remembered in the history books for standing up for what is right and just. As the disaster of the Palestinian people continues to deteriorate due to the ongoing Israeli aggression against them, we must send a strong and clear message that ending the occupation, the independence of Palestine and resolving the conflict in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy is the only way forward. The importance of granting Palestine its right to full membership cannot be underestimated. Affording Palestine that right will enhance the chances of achieving a just and lasting peace based on the two-State solution. It will also underscore the United Nations commitment to the Palestinian people and their inalienable right to self-determination, including their right to an independent sovereign State within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Accordingly, we call on all peace-loving countries that believe in sovereign equality to support Palestine’s full membership and recognize it as a State. That would send a strong message to those who try to eliminate the Palestinian right, legitimize the occupation and renounce the two-State solution. We will champion freedom, justice and peace. The Palestinian question is the most difficult test of the United Nations credibility and its ability to enforce international law. That can be clearly seen when we talk about the international community’s position towards the brutal Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians so far, most of them women and children, injured tens of thousands and displaced millions. For over 200 days, the people of Gaza have suffered from indescribable bombardment, killing, siege, destruction and systematic starvation. Their situation is untenable as they lack the most basic necessities and services following the collapse of their infrastructure. On top of all that, Israel persists in its blatant disregard for international law and Security Council resolutions by threatening to invade Rafah, which has become a densely populated area due to forced displacement. That situation requires the international community to take a firm stance to prevent Israel from attempting such a step, the ramifications of which could be disastrous and uncontrollable. The Arab Group commends the efforts of the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt to reach a humanitarian truce to alleviate the tragic situation in the Gaza Strip, release prisoners and detainees from both sides, allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, and ultimately achieve a complete cessation of the war on the Gaza Strip and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. The Security Council, in turn, must ensure an immediate and permanent ceasefire. It must compel Israel, the occupying Power, to abide by its obligations under international law and Security Council resolutions, most recently resolutions 2712 (2023), 2720 (2023) and 2728 (2024). The ongoing Israeli military operations and aggression against the Gaza Strip must immediately and completely stop. The principle of protecting civilians and humanitarian workers must also be respected and the targeting of health and educational facilities and other civilian objects must end. We also stress the need for the safe and unobstructed entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip that responds to the enormous needs on the ground, at scale and using all available crossings. In that regard, the Arab Group expresses its support for the United Nations efforts, including the efforts of Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. We also want to emphasize the indispensable and unique role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). With its extensive infrastructure, long experience and close relationship with the Palestinian community, UNRWA is the only Agency that can provide life-saving services to Palestinian refugees. We also commend the final report of the Independent Review Group on UNRWA, led by Catherine Colonna, which confirmed that the Agency has the necessary rules, mechanisms and procedures to fulfil its commitment to the principle of neutrality. The report concludes that UNRWA is one of the most advanced United Nations agencies in that respect. We also welcome the report’s important recommendations aimed at strengthening the Agency’s neutrality and humanitarian policies. The Arab Group calls on the international community, especially the countries that have suspended their contributions, to provide support to the Agency. We also stress the need to respect the mandate granted by the General Assembly to that Agency to enable it to perform its tasks without hindrance. In the meantime, we emphasize the importance of addressing the humanitarian situation in a sustainable manner, including by ending all repressive and illegal practices in the occupied Palestinian territory and the Israeli occupation of all Arab lands. Finally, the war on Gaza has revealed the need for real and comprehensive reform of the Security Council so as to improve its ability to shoulder its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security and resolving disputes that affect the security and stability of the region and the world.

I am honoured to speak on behalf of the 121 States members of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries (NAM). The NAM Ministerial Committee on Palestine met on the sidelines of the nineteenth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement on 17 January in Kampala, and affirmed the long- standing, common and principled positions of NAM on the question of Palestine, which has persisted over the past 60 years. NAM reiterates that respect for the Charter of the United Nations, international law and United Nations resolutions constitutes the foundation for a just solution of the Palestinian question, the cornerstone for regional and global peace and security. We therefore call upon the international community to exert all necessary efforts to promote the realization of a just solution based on the internationally endorsed parameters enshrined in the relevant United Nations resolutions. In that regard, the States members of the Movement once again reaffirm that the decades-old historic injustice of the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory and other Arab territories continues to pose a serious threat to regional and international peace and security. As the Palestinian people continue to be deprived of their inalienable rights, including to self-determination and independence, the prolonged international paralysis on the issue is inexcusable. The international consensus on a just solution is firm and clear, and there is an abundance of multilateral political and diplomatic tools to promote the achievement of a just and peaceful resolution. We must use them responsibly, and we in NAM are ready to do so and urge the Security Council to act forthwith to shoulder its responsibilities in that regard. The Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, in accordance with Articles 12 and 24 of the Charter. The Security Council must uphold the provisions of the Charter to maintain international peace and security and must act to implement its own resolutions. The question of Palestine cannot be the exception to international law and to the authority of the Council. The members of the Movement call on the Security Council to overcome its paralysis on the Palestinian question, and never again should any of the permanent members of the Security Council veto a draft resolution that calls for the admission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations. NAM condemns in the strongest terms the acts of aggression and collective punishment by Israel, the occupying Power, against the Palestinian people in Gaza as a grave breach of international, humanitarian and human rights law. NAM abhors the killing and injury of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including many children and women, in the Israeli military aggression that began in October 2023 against the besieged Gaza Strip, as well as in attacks by the occupying forces, extremist settlers and settler militias in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem; the massive destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, universities, mosques, churches, the shelters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and other civilian infrastructure, including water, sanitation and electricity networks, in the Gaza Strip; the seizure and demolition of homes and properties and threats to expel hundreds of Palestinian families from their homes in occupied East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank; violent incursions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif in occupied East Jerusalem and attacks on Palestinian Muslim and Christian worshippers in the city; and the daily military raids and arbitrary detention and imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians, including children, women and journalists. NAM demands an immediate and complete cessation of all such illegal Israeli policies and practices against the Palestinian people and other nations in the region. The Non-Aligned Movement demands an immediate and durable ceasefire and welcomes the recently adopted Security Council resolution 2728 (2024), which demanded an immediate ceasefire for the remainder of Ramadan, to be respected by all parties and leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire. It calls for the full implementation of Security Council resolutions 2712 (2023) and 2720 (2023) and calls upon all States to cooperate with the United Nations mechanism established under resolution 2720 (2023) to accelerate the provision of humanitarian relief consignments to the Gaza Strip. It also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and calls for ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs. We reiterate our call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. NAM members express their grave concern about the treatment of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, especially child prisoners and detainees, including torture, solitary confinement, prolonged administrative detention, inadequate access to proper medical care, education, family visits, and military trials. In that regard, NAM calls for proper international access to Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including children. NAM calls for the redoubling of international efforts at the governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental levels to ensure the implementation of all relevant United Nations resolutions and respect for all obligations under international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, stressing that a peaceful solution to the question of Palestine is central to establishing wider peace and stability in the Middle East. NAM recalls Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), which provides a viable path to peace, setting forth the essential requirements and parameters for the realization of a just outcome on the basis of the two- State solution, based on the 4 June 1967 lines, and ensuring the fulfilment by the Palestinian people of their inalienable rights, including to self-determination and the independence of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a just solution for the plight of the Palestine refugees, in accordance with resolution 194 (III). NAM therefore reiterates its call for full respect for Security Council resolution 2334 (2016) and for the effective implementation of its provisions and obligations, particularly by the occupying Power, and including in terms of States’ obligations regarding distinction, which is a matter central to ensuring accountability. The Movement also underscores the need for the intensification of international and regional diplomatic efforts, including by the Council, aimed at bringing an end to the Israeli occupation and achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive solution. NAM strongly calls for full respect for and the implementation of the provisions of Security Council resolution 2334 (2016) and all other relevant resolutions regarding the complete cessation of all Israeli settlement activities and the status of the occupied East Jerusalem. In that regard, NAM expresses grave concern about the deteriorating situation on the ground, which has been marked by an escalation of Israeli settlement activities, in grave breach of international law, and rising violence, provocation and incitement, particularly settler violence and terror, that have led to the tragic loss of life of more civilians, including children, the detention of thousands of Palestinian civilians, and countless other human rights abuses and violations of international law. Action must be taken immediately to help de-escalate this volatile situation. That must include a halt to all unilateral and unlawful measures by Israel, the occupying Power, in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. Actions that violate the Security Council’s resolutions, including violations of the historic and legal status quo of Jerusalem and its holy sites, are provocative and dangerous and destroy the prospects for peace. We reiterate the call for full respect for the historic and legal status quo, for the historical Hashemite custodianship over the Christian and Muslim holy sites in the city, for the protection of the sanctity of the holy sites, and for all relevant provisions of international law and Security Council resolutions. NAM commends the efforts of His Majesty King Mohammed VI as Chair of the Al-Quds Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. NAM calls for the admission of the State of Palestine as a full State Member of the United Nations, with all rights and privileges. The Security Council must act in that regard. We call on all countries that have not recognized the State of Palestine to do so forthwith as an expression of their sincere commitment to peace and their respect for international law and legality, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. NAM member States reiterate their call for the continued provision of the needed humanitarian and socioeconomic assistance to the Palestinian people, including Palestine refugees. The Movement reaffirms the continued indispensability of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), along with other United Nations agencies and international organizations, in alleviating their plight, and urges the international community to provide the Agency with sufficient and predictable funding. Ensuring the continuity of UNRWA and its significant contribution to regional stability, in accordance with its General Assembly mandate, must be of concern to the Assembly. In that connection, the Movement reiterates grave concern regarding the lack of accountability for all violations committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, many of which may amount to war crimes. Israel must comply with international law and be held to account for its blatant contempt of the Council, the International Court of Justice and its international legal obligations. The absence of justice leads only to greater impunity and the recurrence of crimes and destabilizes the situation on the ground, diminishing the prospects for peace. NAM member States therefore continue to call for international action to ensure a cessation of and accountability for the violations being systematically committed by Israel against the Palestinian people and other nations in the region. NAM strongly condemns Israel’s attack against Iranian diplomatic premises and representatives in Damascus on 1 April, which resulted in more than a dozen casualties. In that regard, while reiterating that the security and safety of the members and premises of diplomatic and consular missions should be ensured by all States, NAM emphasizes that attacks against diplomatic premises and representatives are a flagrant violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. To conclude, the Movement seizes this opportunity to reiterate its call for collective international efforts to uphold international law so as to bring an end to that historic and grave injustice. NAM member States reaffirm their commitment to promoting a just, lasting, comprehensive and peaceful solution to the question of Palestine in all its aspects, including the plight of the Palestine refugees, and reaffirm their support for the Palestinian people in their struggle to achieve justice and fulfil their inalienable rights and legitimate national aspirations, including to self-determination, freedom and independence in their sovereign and independent State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We stand ready to cooperate with and support the Security Council for the fulfilment of its responsibilities in that regard.

The land of Palestine was never free of its people, the Palestinians. They have been there for thousands of years. That is an established fact. Discussing the rights of the Palestinians to their own land is tantamount to discussing the impossible, for it is the historic, natural and legal right of the Palestinians to establish their own statehood. Algeria’s support for the Palestinians is also inherent and dictated by its brotherly duty, history and bitter struggle against colonialism. From that perspective, it is only logical that Algeria, from which the late Yasser Arafat announced the independence of Palestine on 15 November 1988, should call for Palestine’s accession to membership of the United Nations while making efforts during its membership in the Security Council to realize that goal. Algeria believes firmly that the normal status of Palestine is to enjoy full-fledged membership of the Organization, like any other Member State. As was stressed from this rostrum in September by the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune (see A/78/PV.5), it is high time for Palestine to become a full-fledged Member of the United Nations. We will spare no effort until that goal, which is shared by the majority of the international community, is achieved. It is unfathomable that the destiny of the Palestinians should be narrowed down to the interests of a few. It cannot be subject to the whims of an occupation that will inevitably end one day. It is unfathomable that the destiny of the Palestinians should hang on the fate of negotiations that have no prospects to resume or succeed. The membership of Palestine in the United Nations is an expression of the inalienable right of the Palestinians to self-determination. Palestine meets all criteria of membership identified by the founders of the United Nations, who carefully set them out in Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations. That is a non-negotiable fact. Palestine is a peace-loving country committed to all its obligations under the provisions of the Charter. It is willing and able to implement those obligations. Those are not empty words. It is a fact that has been recognized by more than two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly that have recognized Palestine as a State. The members of the Security Council must heed the voice of the international community and recommend the membership of Palestine in the United Nations. Pursuant to Article 24 of the Charter, the Security Council works on behalf of the Members of the United Nations. It is therefore wrong for those authorized to act on behalf of the wider membership to take actions against their will. We stress that the membership of Palestine in the United Nations is a step towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Palestine’s membership of the United Nations is also a way to safeguard the Palestinian State, as provided for in all United Nations resolutions and agreed by the international community. That country is today more than ever at risk of being liquidated as the occupation Power flouts the resolutions of international legitimacy and the rights of the Palestinian people. The settlement and annexation of Palestinian territories in the West Bank have reached unprecedented levels. Al-Quds Al-Sharif has seen the displacement of its people and the desecration and Judaization of its sanctities. The situation in Gaza is unimaginable and beyond description. The destruction and violations may well deteriorate even further under the threat of a land invasion of Rafah by the occupation forces. That would have grave repercussions for international peace and security. The international community must take a serious stand to end to the occupation and meet the demands of the Palestinians, the legitimate owners of that land. That is the only sustained solution to the crisis in the Middle East. We cannot go back to merely managing the conflict, because it may well erupt once again, with all the killing and suffering that would ensue. The credibility of the United Nations and the international order are at stake, especially in light of the grave violations perpetrated in the occupied Palestinian territories on a daily basis, along with the double standards and continued impunity of the occupation. Our move today in admitting Palestine as a full-fledged Member of the United Nations is a pressing need to protect the international order, which will otherwise lose all credibility. Algeria stresses the need to empower the Palestinian people and grant them their inalienable rights, first and foremost the right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent State, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. Membership of the United Nations would reflect the eternal enshrining of that right and halt any attempt to abort it. Algeria believes that the establishment of the Palestinian State is to ensure the stability of the Arab region, which will enjoy none so long as the Israeli occupation is oppressing the Palestinians. Today, only two weeks from the sixty-seventh anniversary of the Nakba of the Palestinian people, we stress that it is high time to remove the historic injustice against the Palestinians in the occupied territories and the diaspora. It is high time for the State of Palestine to become a sovereign Member of the United Nations.

As discussions on yet another moment of division in the Security Council unfold in the Assembly, Slovenia firmly believes that the focal point of our deliberations should be the people. The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a catastrophic level and continues to deteriorate. Barriers to humanitarian assistance persist, while violations of international law, particularly humanitarian and human rights law, persist as well. Already atrocious living conditions will be exacerbated by rising temperatures. Slovenia reiterates the call for full respect for international law and the full implementation of Security Council resolutions 2712 (2023), 2720 (2023) and 2728 (2024), as well as International Court of Justice orders on provisional measures. We call on Israel not to carry out the operation in Rafah. In order to keep the focus on people, we uphold two primary objectives: addressing the dire situation in Gaza and reviving the political process towards a two-State solution. Slovenia voted in favour of the recommendation of the Security Council (draft resolution S/2024/312) for the membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations. We believe that the membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations could considerably bolster the political process. The process should address all outstanding issues, provide support for the State of Palestine and guarantee security for Israel. United Nations membership should be seen as complementary to negotiations, not as a substitute for them. Slovenia advocates for the United Nations to play a central role in the peace process, thereby granting both States equal status in the United Nations. We regret the use of the veto. The two-State solution, with two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, living side-by- side in peace, remains the sole viable long-term option. Any two-State solution must be based on sovereign equality and mutual recognition. Slovenia continues calling for the peaceful resolution of all conflicts. It has been 30 years since the signing of the Oslo Accords, yet no substantial progress in the peace process has been achieved. Alarm bells have been ringing in the West Bank and Gaza for years. We believe that granting United Nations membership to Palestine could be an important step towards peace. It would strengthen the role of the Palestinian Authority and contribute to the security of Israel as well. Simultaneously, we strongly advocate for the convening of an international peace conference in order to agree on a peace plan leading to a two State-solution, with Israel and Palestine living side-by- side in peaceful coexistence. The recognition of the Palestinian State is the only guarantee for the safety and security of Israelis. Slovenia supports all efforts and initiatives aimed at finding a politically viable solution to the conflict.

At the outset, I would like to express my gratitude to you, Sir, for organizing this meeting. We also express our gratitude to Algeria for its dedicated efforts in support of Palestine in the Security Council and for spearheading draft resolution S/2024/312 in the Council, recommending the endorsement of Palestine’s full membership of the United Nations. Our heartfelt appreciation also extends to the Council members that demonstrated solidarity with the Palestinian cause by voting in favour of the draft resolution and supporting Palestine’s full membership. The Islamic Republic of Iran supports Palestine’s request for full membership. We believe that the admission of Palestine as a full Member of the United Nations would mark a pivotal moment in addressing the historical injustices endured by the Palestinian people. However, we deeply regret yet another irresponsible action by the United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, in using the veto to block that legitimate right of the Palestinians. That shameful veto demonstrates once again that the United States remains the sole impediment to the realization of the noble aspiration of the Palestinian people to full membership. The veto was also made against the collective will of the international community. It is regrettable that the United States blatantly challenged Palestine’s eligibility for membership of the United Nations and implied that there remains a question as to whether Palestine is peace-loving. That is an entirely outrageous argument. The United States, as a staunch supporter of the occupying regime, is the main cause of the United Nations failures, especially within the Security Council, in upholding the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. Despite the United States cynical efforts, the voting results in the Security Council speak loudly and display how the United States remains isolated in the United Nations and how the international community stands united in support of the rights of the Palestinian people. During the past eight decades, the United States has obstructed global efforts aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian question. Trying to justify their long-standing obstruction of Palestinian membership of the United Nations, the authorities of the United States have frequently referred to the so- called peace negotiations and comprehensive peace plan. Nevertheless, there has been neither a single intention nor any effort on the part of the United States to force the apartheid Zionist regime to comply with global demands or grant even the smallest portion of the Palestinians’ rights. Despite the effective support of the overwhelming majority of the Members of the United Nations in confirming the rights of the Palestinian people, unfortunately, in practice, the rights of the Palestinians have not been realized and the atrocious crimes of the occupying regime have continued with full impunity. At the same time, the Security Council, as the primary organ for international peace and security, has not been able to force the occupying regime to implement even one clause of its resolutions. We believe that the Security Council must end that pointless process and take decisive and appropriate measures to realize all the rights of the Palestinians and compel the Israeli regime to honour its obligations under the United Nations resolutions. When addressing the Palestine question, it is crucial to shed light on the ongoing situation and the challenges faced by the people of Gaza. Despite the international community’s appeal to stop the war, the Israeli regime has continued to kill and destroy with the utmost brutality, resulting in the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinian civilians, most of them women and children, and the injury of tens of thousands of others. The forced displacement of the population of Gaza and the deliberate destruction of more than 70 per cent of residential areas and infrastructures, including the vast majority of hospitals, mosques, churches, educational centres and historical and cultural places, as well as the targeting of aid convoys and aid workers, are only some examples of the vast destruction for which the Israeli regime is fully responsible. Such atrocities entail factors of the crime of genocide, based on its definition under Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Furthermore, the Israeli regime has deliberately pursued and perpetrated actions that entail war crimes and crime against humanity. The Israeli regime is also preparing to launch a land invasion and military aggression against Rafah. If that were to happen, a full humanitarian catastrophe would result. Therefore, it is a moral and legal obligation for the international community and all Member States to prevent the occurrence of such a tragedy. Those barbaric crimes must be decisively addressed by the international community and the Palestinians must be protected internationally. We call for the international community to take all necessary measures aimed at providing the basis for the trial and accountability of all the commanders, perpetrators and supporters of Israeli crimes in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories, due to the widespread and heinous commission of genocide. In conclusion, my delegation would like to reiterate its firm belief that a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue is possible only through the full realization of the inalienable right of that nation to self- determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State in all of the Palestinian territories, with Al-Quds as its capital.

It is now more than six months since the beginning of the escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. In that time, vast portions of the Gaza Strip have been razed to the ground by Israeli bombardment and 34,000 people have been killed. We have seen a startling disregard for international law, including the key principles of international humanitarian law. For those on the ground, the situation continues to worsen by the day. The level of suffering survivors are experiencing is unimaginable to most of us here in the Hall. Families and communities devastated by killing and destruction are now facing extreme hunger and the spectre of fatal disease. The people of the Gaza Strip need an immediate ceasefire and they need vastly increased humanitarian aid — and they need it now. Ireland supports the ongoing efforts of a number of States to mediate a ceasefire. The ongoing discussions in Cairo desperately need to bring a halt to the violence. We are gravely concerned by the intensified Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, where the majority of the population of Gaza is now taking refuge. A massive scale-up in the level of humanitarian aid getting into Gaza is still needed. Despite the repeated warnings of the worsening situation from the international community, still not enough of the most basic necessities of life  — clean water, food, medicine, fuel  — are reaching those who need it most. Israel must ensure that access for humanitarian supplies is unhindered. The International Court of Justice has already spoken. It has effectively ordered Israel to assist in the distribution of aid. Israel must implement the binding orders of the Court and must do so immediately. I thank the authors of the recently published independent report on the neutrality of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), led by Catherine Colonna, for their dedicated work in difficult circumstances. It is clear the allegations made by Israel that UNRWA is enabling terror are entirely unfounded. UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza, and we urge donors to resume and expand funding to UNRWA for its life-saving work. Ireland has been clear in its support for full Palestinian membership of the United Nations. We are deeply disappointed by the use of the veto in the Security Council by one permanent member to prevent the matter from progressing. The two-State solution requires support from the international community now more than ever. A clear way to move forward in the absence of a meaningful peace process is to ensure that the Palestinian people have their rightful place amongst the nations of the Earth. Ireland is committed to recognizing a Palestinian State in the near future, working with other European States and in the context of regional peace initiatives. It is fundamentally important that we, as responsible United Nations Member States, work towards the ultimate goal of a two-State solution, with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side and with mutual security. The current war, the continuation of a decades- long conflict that is traumatizing further generations and killing those most vulnerable, must end. We must have humanitarian aid and access, we must have the unconditional release of hostages and we must have a ceasefire, now. We will continue to work closely with partners in the region and all States in efforts to bring an end to the bloodshed and get desperately needed aid to the people of Gaza.

My delegation thanks you, Sir, for convening today’s plenary meeting following the veto cast by a permanent member of the Security Council during its meeting of 18 April (see S/PV.9609), under the agenda item “Admission of new members”. Malaysia deeply regrets that the exercise of the veto by a permanent member prevented the Council from recommending the State of Palestine to be admitted as a full Member of the United Nations. As we said in our statement at the quarterly Security Council open debate last week (see S/PV.9608 (Resumption 2)), the admission of the State of Palestine as a full Member of the Organization would have been, without any doubt, the right thing to do. Unfortunately, the Council failed to seize the opportunity to help the Palestinian people fulfil their right to self-determination — a right clearly enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. Malaysia firmly believes that the State of Palestine meets the four criteria for statehood outlined in the Inter-American Convention on the Rights and Duties of States and the conditions laid out in Article 4 of the United Nations Charter. Palestine has demonstrated time and again that it is committed to peace, even in the face of a brutal and oppressive occupation by Israel. Palestine has also demonstrated that it is able and willing to carry out obligations enshrined in the Charter. Moreover, Palestine has proven itself worthy of membership of the Organization through its active participation in all United Nations platforms. As such, assertions that the State of Palestine does not meet all the criteria set forth in Article 4 are ludicrous and nothing more than deliberate efforts to deny the State of Palestine that long-overdue recognition. Such assertions are also a rejection of General Assembly and Security Council resolutions that recognize Palestine as a State, and a clear denial of long-awaited justice. The admission of the State of Palestine as a full Member of the Organization should have happened a long time ago, when resolution 181 (II) was adopted and Israel was admitted 75 years ago. One hundred and forty Members of the United Nations have recognized the State of Palestine and many more will be doing so in the very near future. It is imperative that this grave injustice be righted without further delay, especially as Israel is actively eroding the prospects of a sovereign Palestinian State through its barbaric aggression in Gaza and intensifying expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank. The veto and its undemocratic nature run against the very principles that the United Nations was built upon. It has no place in a modern and democratic multilateral architecture. Malaysia maintains its position that the exercise of the veto by permanent members of the Security Council should be regulated to deter it from being used unjustifiably or abused. Its application must be prohibited in situations involving mass atrocity crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. We are also of the view that, to be effective and more accountable, the veto should be exercised by at least two of the five permanent members and supported by three non-permanent members of the Council. Then, it must be supported by the General Assembly with a simple majority vote. However, we maintain that ultimately, the veto must be abolished altogether. Malaysia will continue to work constructively with other Member States, through the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform, towards improving the United Nations to make it more efficient, transparent, inclusive, trusted and effective.

I thank the President for convening this plenary meeting of the General Assembly following the veto cast by a permanent member of the Security Council on 18 April with respect to Palestine’s application for admission to the United Nations (see S/PV.9609). While we have noted that Palestine’s application for membership of the United Nations was not approved by the Security Council because of the aforesaid veto, I would like to state here at the very outset that, in keeping with India’s long-standing position, we hope that this will be reconsidered in due course and that Palestine’s endeavour to become a Member of the United Nations will be endorsed. We have also noted President Francis’ intention to convene a plenary meeting of the tenth emergency special session regarding this matter shortly. India will participate actively in that meeting. As for the conflict in Gaza, it has been ongoing for over six months and the humanitarian crisis that it has triggered has been increasing. There is also the potential for growing instability in the region and beyond. In that context, we view the Security Council’s adoption of resolution 2728 (2024) last month as a positive step. As for India’s position on the conflict, I will make the following four brief points. First, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially among women and children, and a humanitarian crisis, which is simply unacceptable. We have strongly condemned the deaths of civilians in the conflict. We firmly believe that international law and international humanitarian law must be respected by everyone under all circumstances. Secondly, the terror attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023 were shocking, and they deserve our unequivocal condemnation. There can be no justification for terrorism and hostage-taking. India has a long-standing and uncompromising position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Thirdly, it is imperative that humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza be scaled up immediately in order to avert a further deterioration in the situation. We urge all parties to come together in that endeavour. We welcome the efforts of the United Nations and the international community in that regard. I will state here that India has provided humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine and that we will continue to do so. For my final point, my leadership has repeatedly emphasized that only a two-State solution, achieved through direct and meaningful negotiations between both sides on final status issues, will deliver an enduring peace. India is committed to supporting a two-State solution whereby the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders, with due regard to the security needs of Israel. To arrive at a lasting solution, we would urge all parties to foster conditions conducive to resuming direct peace negotiations at an early date.

France voted in favour of draft resolution S/2024/312, submitted by Algeria, proposing the admission of Palestine to the United Nations, because we are in favour of upgrading the status of Palestine at the United Nations and its admission as a full Member. We believe that it is time to reach a comprehensive political settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of the two-State solution, the only one capable of meeting the legitimate aspirations of each to have a State and to live in security. The admission of Palestine to the United Nations will contribute to the resumption of a decisive and irreversible process to implement the two-State solution and the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority in the Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank. It must be able to exercise its responsibilities effectively and efficiently in all the territories of a future Palestinian State. The conflict in Gaza, triggered by the terrorist attack by Hamas and other terrorist groups on 7 October 2023, which France strongly condemns, and the rise in tensions in the region are a reminder of the urgency of a lasting political settlement of the conflict. In that context, France continues to work, alongside its partners, to prevent a regional conflagration. It has also proposed to the Security Council a draft resolution on the situation in the Middle East, because the two- State solution is the only one that can build a just and lasting peace. France will continue to demand an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and full and unhindered humanitarian access. The law of war, the precautionary and proportionality principles, and international humanitarian law must be respected by all.

Egypt endorses the statements delivered by the representatives of the United Arab Emirates, on behalf of the Group of Arab States, and of Uganda, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. We meet today following the United States use of the veto to obstruct the historic draft resolution S/2024/312, submitted by the sisterly State of Algeria, to issue a recommendation from the Security Council to the General Assembly to accept the State of Palestine as a full Member of the United Nations. Egypt regrets once again that the United States has used the veto to prevent the Palestinian State, which has been recognized by more than 140 countries, from enjoying equal status with other Members of the United Nations. Egypt stresses that granting the State of Palestine full membership is the best way to support and even save the two-State solution and to reflect international recognition of the existence of the State of Palestine equal to Israel and other States. It would have given the hoped-for peace process the support it desperately needs, especially in light of current circumstances as we seek to revive the political horizon and stop the current devastating war in the Gaza Strip. We totally reject the false claim that the United Nations would obstruct the peace process and negotiations by granting the State of Palestine full membership. How can the United Nations, an Organization responsible for maintaining peace and security, be accused of standing in the way of the lost peace in the Middle East, which is faltering and almost impossible to achieve due to Israel’s intransigence and its continued rejection of the two-State solution. The rightful Palestinian bid for full membership of the United Nations is based on a number of considerations that we reiterate today as follows. First, the State of Palestine is a fully-fledged State in law and reality. It is a State with historical borders recognized in resolutio74 181 (II), on the 1947 partition of Palestine. It is a territory that was occupied by Israel in June 1967. It has a permanent population in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, an effective Government, and diplomatic relations with many countries of the world. Palestine is a State recognized by 140 States Members of the United Nations and has entered into a large number of international treaties within the multilateral framework. Palestine is an established State, Government and people and will endure forever, despite the naysayers. Secondly, the Palestinian bid meets all criteria set out in Article 4 of the Charter of the United Nations, in light of the fact that it is a State that already exists with all its elements. It is a peace-loving State, despite the ongoing occupation and crimes against its people, and ready and able to fulfil its obligations under the Charter. Thirdly, resolution 67/19, which in 2012 addressed the status of Palestine in the United Nations, expressed the hope that the Security Council would give positive consideration to Palestine’s request for full membership of the United Nations. Fourthly, the State of Palestine’s enjoyment of its right to full membership represents the best embodiment of the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights regarding the equality of rights among human beings. We call on all Members of the United Nations to support the State of Palestine’s right to full membership of the United Nations. We appeal to them to make every effort to end the bloody war waged by Israel against the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and to stop the daily killing and widespread destruction against that people, who have long and patiently hoped that the international community would heed their demands. We appeal to Members to join forces to implement all General Assembly and the Security Council resolutions, especially those adopted since the onset of the current crisis, including Security Council resolutions 2712 (2023), 2720 (2023) and 2728 (2024), and then to resume the peace process without delay. It is now clear to us all that the status quo prior to 7 October 2023 was untenable. The most basic rights of the Palestinian people must be respected in order to end the Israeli occupation and stop settlement activities. The Palestinians must enjoy the right to liberate their State within the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and to obtain full membership of the United Nations. That alone is the path to stability and security in the Middle East. There is no other path. Egypt will maintain its firm commitment to standing with the truth and to working to establish a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East from a position of strength and bias towards the truth, despite all the false and misleading claims of the occupation. While some today have sought to evoke history and holy values, we remind them all that respect for the rights of others without arrogance or infringement of those rights is the most prominent of those holy values.

Costa Rica recognized the international legal status of the State of Palestine on 5 February 2008. To date, 140 States have done so and others are in the process of doing so. Almost all Members have expressed our aspiration to find a political solution to the crisis in the Middle East through the two-State solution, with Israel and Palestine living in peace and security and their citizens enjoying equal rights and dignity within secure and recognized borders, based on Security Council resolution 242 (1967). If that is to become a reality, the logical and consistent requirement is the recognition of Palestine as a full Member of the United Nations. Thirteen years since Palestine’s last request to the Security Council to be recognized as a full Member of the Organization, a new veto has again obstructed that legitimate aspiration — an issue that has been raised before the Security Council since 1947. As we noted when we commemorated the second anniversary of the veto initiative (see A/78/PV.70), despite last year’s disappointments we must view each instance when a veto is cast as an opportunity for collective action and reflection and as a call to move forward as a determined and assertive General Assembly. We took a step in that direction last year when we adopted resolution 77/335, on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. In its paragraph 30, the Assembly requested “the President of the Assembly, with the support of the Secretariat and other relevant United Nations entities, to consider providing a digital handbook or accessible outlines on past practices, data and recommendations for the fulfilment of the functions and powers of the General Assembly, as outlined in Chapter IV of the Charter”. The availability of a centralized source of information would allow us to seek ideas and examples of how the General Assembly has intervened in issues of peacekeeping, mediation or crisis management in the face of the paralysis of the Security Council. It would also be a source of inspiration for a more effective implementation of the Charter. With the handbook and the veto initiative, the Assembly will have two mutually reinforcing instruments that will foster better interaction between the General Assembly and the Security Council. The Security Council’s lack of timely action impacts the effectiveness and credibility of the entire Organization and weakens multilateralism and the prospects for peace. The situation requires us to activate our collective responsibility and to remember the spirit of the San Francisco Conference.

At the outset, I would like to thank the President for convening this meeting following the failure of the Security Council to adopt draft resolution S/2024/312, recommending the admission of the State of Palestine to full membership of the United Nations, due to the use of the veto by a Member State. Tunisia expresses once again its deep regret at the Council’s failure to adopt the draft resolution proposed by Algeria on behalf of the Group of Arab States. We stress that the Palestinian request, supported by the Arab Group and by more than two-thirds of the Member States, is a legitimate demand in line with the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and full representation in the United Nations. We emphasize that the State of Palestine meets all the criteria for full membership and that it deserves its natural place among all other Members of the United Nations. Over the years, it has also proven its commitment to the Charter of the United Nations and its ability to fulfil membership obligations and has continued to contribute to multilateral work in an effective, constructive and responsible manner. We also recall that the Palestinian question has been before the United Nations organs, primarily the Security Council, for seven decades and has been and still is at the top of the permanent issues on its agenda. It is unreasonable, indeed unfair, for the Palestinian question to be addressed before the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and other United Nations bodies, and for adopting resolutions concerning it with the contribution of all members of the international community, without the State concerned enjoying its most basic rights, which include its right to be recognized as a Member of the United Nations, with rights and obligations equal to those of other States, and its right, without restriction or limit, to make its voice heard, express its visions and positions and defend its people within the United Nations and international frameworks. The right of the State of Palestine to obtain full membership cannot be questioned, denied or interpreted. It is a historical, inherent and steadfast right that the international community has recognized as one of the most important pillars of progress towards a just, comprehensive and permanent solution to the righteous Palestinian question. It is not just a symbolic matter; it is of vital importance to the Palestinian people. The delay of recognition of Palestine’s full membership of the United Nations has contributed since the Nakba to the continuation of the aggressive practices, settlement and expansion plans of the occupation authorities, with all the accompanying suffering of the Palestinian people through the massacres, violations and collective punishment measures imposed on them. It has also given rise to the current situation, in which the occupied Palestinian territory, especially the Gaza Strip, are enduring a terrible and unprecedented war of genocide that is ongoing and escalating, with the number of martyrs having reached 34,000, tens of thousands of wounded and missing, millions of forcibly displaced, and the massive destruction that has affected the infrastructure and all vital facilities, in addition to the use of starvation as a means of war. All of that is the harbinger of another humanitarian disaster if the occupation forces implement their plan to invade Rafah. The obstruction of the recognition of the full membership of Palestine has also contributed to the occupation authorities considering themselves above the law and accountability, even as they flout international legitimacy and degrade the United Nations. The right to self-determination is not subject to negotiation as it is a natural, historical and legal right that is inalienable and does not expire with the passage of time. There is no justification for postponing or obstructing it with justifications that are the result of decades of occupation and the international community’s inability to address it and put an end to it through international law, the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions of international legitimacy. Therefore, the failure to recognize the Palestinian right to full membership of the United Nations is only a continuation of the historical injustice that began with and has deteriorated since the occupation of Palestine. For all those reasons, along with legal and historical considerations, we reaffirm our support for the Palestinian bid for full membership and call on Member States to recognize the Palestinian State and to support its right to full and active membership of the United Nations and the international system. That would be a victory for the principles of right, justice and international law. In conclusion, Tunisia reiterates its permanent and firm support for the Palestinian people in their struggle to regain their legitimate rights, which are subject to no statute of limitations, and to establish their independent and sovereign State on their land, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Tunisia reiterates its call on the international community and the Security Council to take immediate, effective and responsible action to put an end to the aggression in the Gaza Strip and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, impose an immediate ceasefire, prevent all plans for invasion and forced displacement, facilitate the uninterrupted entry of humanitarian aid at scale, and impose the implementation of the resolutions of international legitimacy, free of all political considerations and double standards.

We appreciate the convening of this formal meeting to discuss the veto, cast in the Security Council on Thursday, 18 April (see S/PV.9609), of a draft resolution (S/2024/312), introduced by Algeria, on the recommendation to the General Assembly that the State of Palestine be admitted as a full Member of the United Nations. We take note of the special report issued by the Security Council on that matter (see A/78/856). The majority of the Members of the Organization and its authorities have reiterated on numerous occasions that failure to make progress towards a two- State solution only increases the volatility and risk for millions of people throughout the region, who continue to live under the constant threat of violence. That is why the admission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations as a full Member is a fair and urgent measure. Chile reaffirms its support for the State of Palestine’s admission as a full Member of the United Nations. We therefore we regret that the draft resolution prepared by Algeria was not adopted, despite securing a large majority of favourable votes. Chile promotes the two-State solution and the right of Israel and Palestine to live in harmony within secure and recognized international borders and with full respect for the human rights of all their inhabitants. We urgently call for full and prompt compliance with the relevant resolutions that support the right of the Palestinian people to establish a sovereign State, such as General Assembly resolution 181 (II) and Security Council resolution 242 (1967), as well as related decisions, such as Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), which reaffirms that the establishment of settlements by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a violation of international law. Chile insists on an immediate and permanent ceasefire, an increased flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, guarantees for full, immediate, safe, unhindered and sustained access to humanitarian aid  — that is, the removal of all obstacles to such assistance and the facilitation of the use of all available land routes to enter the Gaza Strip. We hope that Israel’s commitments to increasing aid will be fulfilled and that the situation of Gazans, which remains desperate, will be alleviated. Chile has also unequivocally condemned the actions of Hamas, as well as all terrorist acts, acts of violence and hostilities against the civilian population. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages still held by Hamas, ensuring their well- being and treatment in accordance with international law. We reiterate that violence cannot be solved with more violence, as its use has cost the lives of thousands of Palestinian civilians, mostly women, the elderly and children, and puts the lives of kidnapped Israeli citizens at great risk, as has already been tragically demonstrated. We note that the repercussions and ramifications of the conflict in the rest of the region are of deep concern due to the prolongation of violence. We encourage all parties involved, as well as the international community, to continue working to end the war. That will be possible only through diplomacy and dialogue. We recognize the efforts and results that friendly countries have made to reduce tensions. Chile has always reaffirmed that contributing to achieving a peaceful solution in the Middle East is a priority of its foreign policy, has consistently expressed our support for a just and lasting solution in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations. We emphasize that the precautionary measures adopted by the International Court of Justice must be complied with by all parties. We recall that Chile, together with Mexico, has submitted a referral to the International Criminal Court regarding the situation in Palestine, with the aim of strengthening the investigation of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, as identified in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, that have occurred in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel. Given the current investigation by the Prosecutor of the Court regarding the situation in Palestine, the objective of Chile’s referral is to support the Prosecutor in his investigation. For Chile, the clarification of the facts and responsibilities, as well as accountability, are essential to ensuring that those situations do not happen again. We emphasize our position on the use of the veto and the danger it entails by eroding the credibility of the multilateral system. We insist that it must be limited in circumstances such as mass atrocities and war crimes. Once again, we emphasize the importance of achieving a reform of the Security Council and its working methods to ensure that decisions can be made on safeguarding international peace and security in a timely manner. That is crucial to strengthening the capacity of the Organization as a whole. Finally, Chile joins the voices calling for a general de-escalation and the immediate cessation of hostilities, which endanger international peace and security.

We are grateful for the convening of today’s meeting in order to discuss the use of the veto in the Security Council in connection with the request of the Observer State of Palestine to obtain the status of full Member of the United Nations (see S/PV.9609). Guatemala was one of the 83 Member States that co-sponsored resolution 76/262, “Standing mandate for a General Assembly debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council”. We applaud the fact that this item is on the Assembly’s programme of work for the second consecutive year, but we regret that we have had to convene here again today to discuss it. The veto cast against draft resolution S/2024/312, on Palestine’s admission to the United Nations as a full Member, has once again laid bare the paralysis of the highest organ responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. In our view, for as long as draft resolutions that address the causes of conflicts continue to be vetoed, crises will continue to escalate and the Council will continue to be in breach of its fundamental obligation to maintain global peace and security, as enshrined in the very Charter of the United Nations. In that regard, in order to ensure the establishment of lasting peace in the region, it is absolutely imperative that we recognize a solution of two States, with clearly defined and secure borders, that promotes dialogue based on equality between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. Guatemala recognizes the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination and the need to seek a peaceful settlement to conflicts, and advocates that such a solution be facilitated by the international community, with the direct involvement of all parties concerned. The veto that has regrettably brought us here today is a step backwards in the journey towards that goal and imperils international peace and security. To conclude, we reiterate unequivocally the urgent need to put an end to all aggression and to seek a peaceful resolution. The time has come to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region in which two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, are able to live side-by-side in peace. That is the only option able to meet long-term security needs.

At the outset, my country’s delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of the sisterly United Arab Emirates on behalf of the Group of Arab States in New York on agenda item 63, “Use of the veto”. I begin by expressing my deep regret and disappointment at the use by the friendly United States of the veto against the legitimate request of the State of Palestine to obtain full membership in the United Nations. My country, the Sultanate of Oman, is a peace-loving country that believes in peace in word and deed and considers it a fundamental pillar of the system of international relations. We believe that the conflict in the Middle East region can be ended only by establishing the Palestinian State and granting the State of Palestine full membership of the United Nations. That has become a strategic necessity for the upcoming phase and a worldwide demand supported by the members of international community. The obstruction of that legitimate demand by one State for political reasons does not serve security and peace in the Middle East and the world, and negatively affects the credibility of the Security Council due to the double standards applied when it comes to the Palestinian question, which is related to a free, defiant people that rejects occupation and insists that the elimination of colonialism and the right to self- determination are two fundamental pillars of the United Nations and the future of that great people. More than 70 years have passed since the illegal and illegitimate Israeli occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories. The Palestinian people are still resisting the occupation, despite its cruelty and repeated and systematic violations of international law, international humanitarian law and the resolutions of international legitimacy. There can be no doubt that what the Palestinian people are enduring in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is clear evidence of the failure of the Security Council, due to the positions of some countries, to maintain international peace and security and to make peace a tangible reality in that vital region of the world. Palestine is an established State recognized by a wide range of countries, and its achievement of full membership in the United Nations is only a matter of time, as no single country can obstruct the will of the international community. We therefore call on our partners to reconsider their decisions and positions. They should support peace — a just and comprehensive peace for all the peoples of the Middle East; a peace that ends the cycle of violence and counter-violence; a peace that ends the occupation and restores security and stability to all the peoples of the region in a way that reinstates their rightful civilizational status and stops the decades of killing, destruction and unjust siege. We stand for peace. We support the two-State solution with peaceful coexistence, and we categorically reject any plan that does not establish a just and comprehensive peace and a permanent solution to the Palestinian question. My country, the Sultanate of Oman, will continue to support the legitimate demands of the Palestinian people and their right to obtain full membership of the Organization.

I thank the President for convening this meeting to discuss yet another instance in which the veto has been used in the Security Council (see S/PV.9609). We regret that there has been a proliferation of the use of the veto in the Security Council in recent months. The Security Council is accountable to the States Members of the United Nations. Therefore, South Africa maintains its support for consideration of peace and security matters when a Security Council permanent member has utilized a veto to prevent a decision. General Assembly debates on these matters have continued to highlight the impact of the use of the veto. That has also laid bare the imperative for the reform of the Security Council to make it more representative, democratic, efficient and proactive in its approaches to conflict situations. The Security Council’s inability to agree on a serious matter of international peace and security, the Palestinian question, has resulted in perpetuating the repeated cycle of violence, prolonging the suffering of Palestinians, and in its failure to take action on matters deeply affecting their present and future situation. We stress that those cycles of catastrophic consequences are occurring in a specific context of illegal occupation by Israel, as determined by United Nations resolutions and international law. The collective punishment of the Palestinian people continues to take place unabated. For the past several months, we have witnessed how the use of the veto has blocked efforts to prevent steps towards the cessation of hostilities and has resulted in the killing of civilians on a large scale, as well as a worsening humanitarian crisis. We reiterate the obligations of Israel to comply with the ruling of the International Court of Justice, which has determined that its actions in the Gaza Strip are plausible genocide. The General Assembly and the Security Council have recognized in their resolutions the urgent need for a negotiated settlement towards a two-State solution and, ultimately, the self-determination of the Palestinians. The use of the veto in this case has once again prevented any progress towards peace. The Middle East peace process, including the question of Palestine. has been on the agenda of the United Nations for more than 60 years. The inability of the Security Council to act, as well as its failure to take decisive action towards resolving the conflict, is an indictment of the United Nations. After all these years, there still has not been any significant movement towards the attainment of a permanent and sustainable solution to that long-drawn-out crisis. Conflict between Israel and Palestine affects regional stability and impacts the fragile situation in the region, and therefore a resolution of the conflict remains imperative. South Africa reiterates that it is the responsibility of the Security Council to continue to make concerted efforts to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, to protect civilians on all sides and to allow for the urgently required flow and delivery of essential humanitarian assistance. Resolution 181 (II) was a promissory note to the people of Israel and Palestine, guaranteeing the creation of two States. It is our duty to ensure that beyond the current conflict in Gaza, a political dialogue is advanced to work towards the attainment of a just political settlement and peaceful co-existence of the peoples of Palestinian and Israel.

I would like to thank President Dennis Francis for convening this debate in accordance with resolution 76/262, which mandates the General Assembly President to call a meeting when a veto has been cast in the Security Council. The vetoed draft resolution S/2024/312, introduced by Algeria on behalf of the Group of Arab States, sought the approval of Palestine’s long-standing application for full United Nations membership. It should be recalled that the General Assembly, through its resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947, unjustly decided to partition Palestine into two States, one Arab and one Jewish. While one of them, Israel, is now a Member of the United Nations, the Palestinian State has been denied admission, although it meets all the criteria for membership. Over the past seven decades, the Palestinian people have not only been denied the right to self-determination; while millions of them have been expelled from their homeland, they have also been subjected to a prolonged and brutal foreign occupation for the past 57 years. It is that denial of self-determination and foreign occupation, that historic injustice, that is at the heart of the conflict and violence in the entire region. In Israel’s latest and most brutal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza, over 35,000 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed. Thousands more have been injured and 2 million displaced by Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of homes, schools, hospitals, civilian infrastructure and religious sites across Gaza. Humanitarian aid has been blocked, humanitarian workers have been deliberately targeted, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East has been demonized to intensify the suffering of the Palestinian people. Famine and pestilence stalk the people of Gaza. The International Court of Justice has called this plausible genocide. Israel has disregarded the demands of the Security Council and the General Assembly for an immediate ceasefire. It has failed to implement the provisional measures prescribed by the International Court of Justice. Now the extremist Israeli leadership is threatening an assault on Rafah, which, as the Secretary-General has stated, “would be an unbearable escalation [and] have a devastating impact on the Palestinians in Gaza, with serious repercussions on the occupied West Bank and across the wider region”. Let me tell the Israeli representative that the outlaw Israeli regime cannot divert attention from its crimes by levelling calumny against the Islamic countries. Pakistan, unlike Israel, acts in accordance with international law. The Assembly and the entire United Nations membership must, first, enforce an immediate halt to hostilities and an end to Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza, and we must consider what those actions for enforcement must be. Secondly, we must guarantee unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for the besieged population of Gaza. What has been done so far is much less than what is needed. Thirdly, we must prevent further escalation of the conflict. Israel has tried to provoke such an escalation, and we appreciate the restraint that has been shown in the response. Fourthly, we must provide international protection for the Palestinian population. They have been killed with brutality and impunity, and the United Nations must come to their rescue in the form of international protection. Fifthly, we must revive the peace process to secure a two-State solution. Finally, but not least, we must hold Israel responsible for its crimes. In the wake of the Gaza devastation, the only glimmer of hope has been the universal recognition of the imperative for a two-State solution. The admission of the State of Palestine as a full Member of the United Nations would constitute a concrete political step towards the two-State solution and towards rectifying the historic injustice against the Palestinian people. The veto cast against Palestine’s admission erodes the credibility of the assurances that have been held out of support for a two-State solution. The diplomacy now under way for peace in Palestine, Israel and the region would gain considerable momentum if the veto were lifted and Palestine’s admission to the United Nations recommended by the Security Council. The Assembly, reflecting the wishes of the international community, must urge the Security Council to reconsider and to recommend Palestine application for membership of the United Nations.

We support the statement made by the representative of Uganda on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. It is shameful that, once again, the United States Government has prevented the realization of the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. With its most recent veto in the Security Council (see S/PV.9609), the State of Palestine was deprived of its right to join the United Nations as a full Member. The accession of Palestine to the United Nations is one of the first and essential steps that are urgently required to achieve a solution to the conflict. The historical injustice must be reversed without further delay. The State of Palestine has been recognized by more than 140 countries, including Cuba. It is an active member of the international community and multilateral forums. It is subject to rights and obligations in various international instruments. Without a doubt, it has earned the right to full membership of the United Nations. The impunity with which the Israeli Government acts must cease. That impunity can be explained only by its confidence that it will not have to answer for its actions, since it enjoys the support of the United States Government and other NATO allies. We strongly reject the statements made by the representative of Israel in relation to Cuba. Israel has no moral authority to give lessons on human rights. It is only trying to divert attention from its crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and apartheid, which have been taking place for 75 years against the Palestinian people in the Palestinian territory itself and which are now assuming extreme proportions. What human rights can the representative of Israel talk about when his Government has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them women and children, in the past seven months of escalating conflict? Is there anything humane about Israel’s forced displacement of nearly 2 million Palestinians from Gaza or its bombing of hospitals, schools and civilian shelters? Is there anything humane about Israel’s collective punishment of Palestinians, when those who are not exterminated by weapons are equally condemned to death by starvation and disease in unprecedented catastrophic humanitarian conditions? The atrocious actions carried out by Israel have affected not only the Palestinian people, but also the personnel of United Nations agencies and other international actors and representatives of various civil society organizations engaged in humanitarian work. Within the United Nations human rights system, including the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner, there are well-established mandates and mechanisms that Israel systematically disregards with impunity and that are focused on following up on the sustained and flagrant violations of human rights committed by Israel in the Palestinian and other occupied Arab territories. Reality has demonstrated the imperative need to preserve item 7 of the Human Rights Council’s agenda. It is unacceptable that the Security Council continues to fail to enforce its own resolutions to put an end to Israel’s excesses, in which the United States has historically been complicit, by obstructing and repeatedly using the veto to prevent the action of that organ and thereby undermining regional peace, security and stability. The world is witnessing the unspeakable suffering of the Palestinian people despite continued demands for an immediate ceasefire and calls to end the massacre, flagrant violations of human rights and ongoing collective punishment, indiscriminate shelling, the killing of civilians, forced displacement and the destruction of homes, hospitals and civilian infrastructure persist, exacerbating the precarious humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. We reiterate our strong demand for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories. There is an urgent need to stop the genocide and put an end to the illegal colonizing policies and practices that have persisted for more than seven decades. We reaffirm the urgent need for a comprehensive, fair and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the creation of two States, that will allow the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and to have an independent and sovereign State within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that will also guarantee the right of return of refugees. Given the paralysis of the Security Council, we advocate the urgent convening of a peace conference under the auspices of the General Assembly, aimed at preserving the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and stopping the ongoing genocide. The Palestinian people require the firm support of the General Assembly. Every minute of impunity, passivity, double standards or silence will cost more innocent lives. The international community must act now. Cuba reiterates its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian cause and reaffirms that it will never be among the indifferent.

I would like to express our appreciation to you, Sir, for convening this debate in line with resolution 76/262, on the so-called veto initiative. We are gathered here due to the veto cast by a permanent member of the Security Council against draft resolution S/202/312, concerning the admission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations as a full Member. We affirm our unwavering support for the Palestinians’ application for full United Nations membership. We also urge the international community to address the Palestinian question with urgency, recognizing the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people. Türkiye firmly believes that the use of the veto power in the Security Council should neither obstruct the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people nor be a barrier to an immediate ceasefire. Veto after veto, the impasse in the Council constitutes a serious setback to the founding principles of the United Nations and the Council’s mandate to maintain international peace and security. The issue of Palestine remains one of the longest- standing and most pressing challenges to peace and security in the Middle East. For the past seven months, we have been witnessing a brutal assault on Gaza. In the absence of decisive action by the Security Council due to the use of the veto, nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed and 1.7 million internally displaced. We categorically reject any military operation against Rafah and attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their homeland, as have been undertaken for seven decades. That would have a devastating impact on the Palestinians, with dangerous implications for the West Bank and the wider region. We urge the immediate implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, as well as the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice. International law is universal and applies to all States without distinction or discrimination. No State is above the law. The consequences of the abandonment of international law will only bring more instability, more aggression, more conflict and more suffering. Concerns about a regional spillover of the conflict have already become a reality. Unfortunately, incidents in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and the Red Sea are alarming. Without a ceasefire, the atrocity in Gaza runs the risk of turning into a global catastrophe, with repercussions far beyond the region. Israel is not only killing civilians indiscriminately, but it is also preventing the entry and distribution of sufficient humanitarian assistance into Gaza. The international community must therefore use all its means to compel Israel to ensure safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access to and within Gaza without delay. Türkiye has maintained its strong support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which operates under extremely difficult circumstances and despite deliberate, similar campaigns. We join others in welcoming the report of the Independent Review Group, which confirms the indispensable and irreplaceable role played by UNRWA in providing humanitarian services to the Palestinian people in Palestine and the neighbouring countries. The report also invalidates Israeli allegations against the Agency’s neutrality and impartiality. We call on all Governments to resume their support and funding for UNRWA so that it can continue its critical life-saving services, especially under these extraordinary circumstances. Last week, Palestine was denied once again its rightful place in the community of nations due to the veto cast by one of the members of the Security Council. With that veto, not only the will of the Palestinian people, but also the affirmative votes of other Security Council member States were disregarded once again. Calling for a two-State solution while at the same time denying Palestinians their inalienable right to statehood is neither consistent nor convincing. Türkiye has time and again reiterated the necessity to overcome that historic injustice towards the Palestinian people. In conclusion, I would be remiss if I did not highlight the increasing calls of young people, students and civil society for peace, freedom and justice for the Palestinians. It is high time to heed those calls and deliver on our common responsibility towards the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international call. Türkiye will continue its efforts towards ending the conflict and bringing permanent peace and stability to the region. The only viable option is a two-State solution. The Palestinian people deserve nothing less than a future of dignity, freedom and prosperity, and we must all do our part to that end.

Australia was a proud co-sponsor of the veto initiative resolution 76/262. Australia sees the veto initiative as an important mechanism for promoting Security Council transparency and accountability. We thank the United States for its explanation of the use of the veto on 18 April (see S/PV.9609). We note that there will be a substantial debate during the resumed tenth emergency special session later in May, and Australia will make more detailed comments at that time. Meanwhile, we repeat our demands for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, leading to a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and that international humanitarian law be upheld.

As a co-sponsor of the veto initiative resolution 76/262, Portugal remains deeply troubled by the use of the veto in the context of crises, which only exacerbates the suffering of civilians and delays crucial humanitarian efforts. The consensus reached with the veto initiative emphasized the need for increased accountability for the use of the veto within the Security Council, enhancing its responsibility to the General Assembly and the international community. The outcome has been made evident by the 13 General Assembly meetings called after vetoes in the Security Council — 10 of them in the past 12 months. While any change to the Charter of the United Nations requires the unanimous agreement of all permanent Security Council members, we urge that the use of the veto be restricted and exercised sensibly and in strict adherence to the Charter. We reiterate our deep concern over the unprecedented loss of civilian lives, the critical humanitarian situation in Gaza and the immense suffering of civilians, in particular women and children. Recent developments underline the urgent need for a ceasefire and the immediate provision of humanitarian assistance to those in dire need. We urge all parties to promptly implement Security Council resolutions 2712 (2023), 2720 (2023) and 2728 (2024). We once again warn of the devastating humanitarian consequences that could be generated by a military ground operation into Rafah, and we urge Israel to enable the use of every crossing and entry point in Gaza at their full capacity, allowing humanitarian aid to reach all those in need immediately and for as long as necessary. The admission of Palestine as a full Member of the United Nations is a matter of profound significance and urgency. It represents a necessary step towards achieving a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the principles of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. Portugal reaffirms its unwavering commitment to a just and comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the two-State solution, ensuring peace and security for both and the wider region.