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Understanding 9/11tv U.N. Security Council Debates Israel- Hamas Ceasefire Resolution CSPAN March 25, 2024 4:26am-6:00am EDT
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security council is called to order. this meeting is the situation in the middle east including the palestinian question. the agenda is adopted. rule 37, i invite the representative to participate in this meeting. it is so decided. the■h security council will begn its consideration of item number two on the agenda. members of the council have before them this resolution. the text of the draft resolution submitted by the united states of america. the council is ready to proceed to a vote on the draft resolution before you.
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i now give the floor to those membs council who wish to make statements for the vote. i give■■v the floor to the representative of the united states. amb. thomas-greenfield: for all of the divisions, many of us share the same goals. we want to see an immediate and sustained cease-fire as part of a deal that leads to the release of all hostages being held by hamas and other groups and that will allow much■r more life-savg humanitarian aid to get gaza. we cannot just want that, we have to make that. we have to do the hard work of
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diplomacy. i know that you have heard because it is the truth. a security council resolution means much less if it is not actually made real on the ground. that is why the united states, egypt, and, are working around the clock in the region to secure an immediate and sustained cease-fire. that will help us address the dire humanitarian crisis in gaza . we believe we are close. this moment is one where the security council has a critical role to play. by adopting the resolution before us we can put pressure on hamas to accept the deal on the table.
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you don't need me to tell you that every day without a cease-fire leads to more needless suffering. for more than 100 hostages including a one-year-old child held in captivity for the innocent palestinians in gaza who have been displaced, who are starving and who desperately need peace, for the israelis who continue to face attacks from hamas, a terror group that set this conflict into motion october 7. every day without a deal needle. this resolution will move us closer to securing that deal and i urge all council members to vote yes. to vote for a resolution that condemns hamas for its horrific terrorist attack and sexual
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violence, that makes clear that all civilians, palestinians and israelis should be able to live without the fear of violence, that demands the protection of civilians in gaza and stresses that a major ground offensive poses a great threat to civilians, even as we work toward illuminating hamas in all parts of gaza. the calls on israel to eliminate all barriers and restrictions to humanitarian aid as the threat of famine looms large in gaza. makes it clear that the palestinian authority -- over gaza. for a two state solution. this is a strong resolution.
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it reflects the consensus of this council and it does more than call for a cease-fire. ps make a cease-fire possible. it would be an historic mistake for the council to not adopt this text and i urge all council members to vote yes. >> i think the united states for that statement and i give the floor to the representative of the russian fedat. >> mr. president, thenations ser six months been unable to adopt e-fire. all of the attempts time and
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again came against the resistance of the united states who cast a veto in this chamber. in this time we have heard from u.s. colleagues, their repeated justifications. either saying that the achievement of a cease-fire is prematureph■f insofar as there a need to give space to the so-called counterterrorism efforts in israel or they demanded the security council not to stand in the way of diplomacy of washington on the ground. or they called for us to wait for the onset of ramadan when apparently an agreement would definitely be reached for an end to the violence. and now six months have elapsed and gaza has virtually been wiped from the earth and now the u.s. representative without blinking has been asserting that washington has finally begun to recognize the need for a
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cease-fire. this sluggish thought process in washington has, at the cost of the lives of 32,000 palestinians, two thirds of whom children and even now we observe the typical hypocritical spectacle where the united states have been trying to sell a product to the members of the council and the international community, trying to sell something completely different, a diluted formulation and definition of the imperative for a cease-fire. this kind of package about moral imperatives are seen inquantitif emmanuel kant. to save the lives of peaceful palestinian civilians this is not enough and is not stipulated in the mandate of the u.s.
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security council which is vested with a unique mechanism to demand a cease-fire and where it necessary to compel compliance there with.jm the united states stated and i quote, we actually have a revolution -- resolution that we put forward right now that is beforety council that does call for an immediate cease-fire tied to the release of hostages and we hope very much that countries will support that. in the text of the u.s. draft which has been put to the vote today, there is no such call. it turns out that either the u.s. representative or the u.s. secretary of state have been deliberately misleading the
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international community. from the onset it was clear that the so-called negotiations are u.s. colleagues have been engaged on with this issueav■e been merely to drag out the time. i'll of our comments and red lines were disregarded as were e other allegations. this was an empty rhetorical exercise rather than normal work on a document. the american product is exceedingly lit a sized, the sole purpose of which is to play to the voters, to throw them a bone inf a cease-fire in gaza and to establish the u.s.'she region th the establishment of terrorist labels and to ensure the unity
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of israel whose crimes are not even addressed. the u.s. draft contains an effective green light for israel to mount a military operation. at the very least the authors tried to make it such that nothing would prevent western territory from continuing their brutal cleansing of the south gaza strip, and what is washington trying to achieve? we have already stated we will no longer tolerate pointless resolutions which do not contain are which lead us nowhere. this draft should not pass the majority of the membership to send a message about the
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inadmissibility, not the palliative but the actual intention of washington. it would be very strange to see those members of the council who understand this and who persuaded us of the deficiencies in the u.s. draft, it would be with a surprise that they now lift their hands voting in favor. laentlemen, if you do this, you will cover yourself in disgrace. consider again how will you look before the population in the middle east, in front of your own population if you support this hypocritical initiative which was designed to disorient the international community and undermine the rest of the council making sure it cannot have an impact on the ground.
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this council will not be able to have an impact on the situation on the ground to ensure that does not get in the way of the white house. are you willing to play into theithe russian federation not o this, as a permanent member of the council and one of the founders of the united nations we recognize the historic global responsibility we shoulder. we cannot allothe security council to become an instrument in the advancement of washington 's destructive policies in the middle east. if it were adopted this would definitively close the door when it comes to discussions about the need for a cease-fire in gaza■ú■w■mthis would free the hf israel, and it wouldn't -- it would result in all of gaza having to face destruction■,
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devastation or expulsion. we are not guided by what is convenient for washington and the satellite votes who raise their hand with them. we want to do what is necessary people and what helps to advance peace. we call a con -- we call upon the security council to vote against e u.s. draft. mr. president for the united nations security council to be in a position to deliver upon its mandate for international peace and security, a number of nonmembers have drafted an alternative draft resolution which stipulates and black and white the demand for both a cease-fire and the unconditional release of hostages. this is a balanced and political
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document. we see no reason for the members of the security council not to support this unless a cease-fire and the release of hostages is not part of their plan. this is an attempt to allow the council to comply with the noble functions vested in it and they call for you to not let the opportunity slip away. thank you for your time. >> i think the representative for the russian federation for that statement. i shall put the draft resolution to a vote now. will those in favor of the draft resolution please raise their hands?
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those against? abstentions? the result of the voting is as follows. against, none of absteion. the draft resolution has not been adopted owing to the negative vote of the permanent member of the council. i now give the floor to those members of the council who wish to make statements after the vote. i give the floor to the
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representative of the united states. >> thank you, mr. president. today the united states put forward a r in good faith after consulting with all council members. and after multiple rounds of edits. the vast majority of this council voted in favor of this resolution but unfortunately russia and china decided to exercise its veto, and now russia and china will give you all sorts of explanations for its obstruction, but whether or not it will admit it, there are two deeply cynical reasons behind the vote. russia and china could not bring itself to condemn the hamas terror attacks on october 7. can we pause on that? russia and china refused to
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condemn hamas from burning people alive, from gunning down innocent civilians, for raping women and girls, for taking hundreds hostage. this was the deadliest single attack on jews since the holocaust. in a permanent member of the council cannot even condemn it -- condemn it. the second reason behind e justs petty. russia and china did not want to vote for a resolution thatas penned by the united states because they would rather see us fail then see this council succeed even after negotiations and edits produced the draft that received overwhelming counsel support. as you saw today nearly every councilmember voted to put the
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weight buehind bead diplomatic efforts to secure an immediate and sustained cease-fire as part of a deal that leads to the release of all hostages, that will allow much more humanitarian aid to get to gaza. but russia put politics over progress. russia whoovoked war on its neir has the audacity and hypocrisy to throw stones when it lives in a glass house. so l's be honest. for all of the fiery rhetoric we know that russia and china are not doing anything advance peace or to immediately contribute to the humanitarian response effort. another resolution that some of you would like to be considered but in its current form that text fails to support
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sensitive diplomacy in the region. and worse is that it could give hamas an excuse to walk away from the deal on the table. all of us want to see the council speak out. we should not moveany resolutios the ongoing negotiations. these are not just negotiations being carried out by the united states. others in the region are engaged . if that alternative resolution comes up for a vote and does not support the diplomacy on the ground we may once again find this councili hope that does no. for our it. continuing to work toward a deal alongside qatar and egypt and we
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will■2 work with any councilmemr seriously interested in adopting a resolution that will make that deal possible. >> i think the representative of the united states for their statement. i give to the representative of the united kingdom. >> thank you, mr. president. the united kingdom voted yes on the text before us this morning. we voted yes on the need for an immediate andre, to protect civs and allow humanitarian aid in and to relieve suffering. the call for an international humanitarian law to be upheld, for the release of hostages. and to urge against a ground
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offensive. palestinians are facing a growing humanitarian crisis, which will not improve until more aid can get to gaza. we are deeply disappointed that russia and china were unable to support this council to clearly and unequivocally state the need for an immediate and sustained that end. through the resolution the security counsel would have rightly and for the rs time unequivocally condemned hamas terror attacks. ■2:7we are disappointed that the council was not able to send this important message due to the vetoes cast by russia and
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china. we welcome the patient and constructive consultation by the united states on this text. for our part we will continue to do everything we can to get aid into gaza as quickly as possible by land, sea, and air. an immediate stop to the fighting is the only way to get aid into gaza that is so desperately needed and make progress toward a permanent and sustainable cease-fire. >> i think the representatives of the united kingdom for their statement. i give the floor to the representative ofamb. bendjama:.
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president. i address to you today, not only as representative of algeria, but also as a representative of -- witnessing the unfolding tragedy in palestine, our vision is devastated by the violence upon the palestinian people. live scenes of destructikillingg are not bearable anymore.
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since the beginning of the -- against the palestinian people, our group has consistently called to put an end to this carnage. only by ceasing hostilities can we alleviate the immense suffering and ensure that the humanitarian assistance will reach those in need. resented last month a draft resolution that garnered significant secury counsel, but it was ultimately vetoed.
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we firmly believe that its adoption would have saved thousands of innocent lives. it is beyond any■< doubt that resolution 2712 and 2720 have fallen short due to the absence of the clear demand for cease-fire. those who believe that the israeli occupying power would choose to oppose its international and legal obligation are mistaken.
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they must abandon this fiction. since the circulation of this draft resolution, algeria has participated faith with the pro, proposing reasonable -- to achieve a more advanced and acceptable text. we acknowledge that -- the u.s. delegation in accommodating some of our proposals. however our core remain
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unaddressed, despite the many circulated and revised versions. throughout this process we have d relentlessly the urgency of immediate cease-fire to present a further loss of life. we echo the demands of millions of people and humanitarian actors for an immediate cessation of hostilities. regrettably the draft resolution falls of our expectations. it fails to adequately address the main issues, and it demands suffering enduring by the
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palestinian people. over five months t conflict in gaza has resulted in the tragic loss of life of more than 32,000 palestinian lives. more than 74,000 injuries, with 12,000 suffering permanent disability. these are not mere statistics, they represent lives, they represent dreams and hope -- homes that have been destroyed.
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alarmingly, the text avoids mentioning the responsibility of the israeli occupying power. these individuals were not lost due to acts of self-harm, they were killed. their perpetrators must be held accountable for us in the arab world, in the islamic nation. palestinians■ó lives indelibly matter. the text presented today does not convey a clear message of peace. ■clear safeguards to present
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further escalation. it is a step toward continuing killing the palestinian civilians. the emphasi on measures to reduce civilian harm from ongoing and future operationd fa license for continuing bloodshed. in this context we are particularly concerned about the military operation in rafah.
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such a military operation would have devastating consequences for algeria, along with other countries that have actively pursued reconciliation between palestinian factions. united palestine is essential for its future in the future of the peace process. we believe that specific provisions within the draft resolutions the future of the palestinian state, and hinder ongoing reconciliation efforts.
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building the palesni state requires the collective effort of all of its citizens. and security council impede this process. mr. president,--plays a vital role in assisting palestinian refugees not only in palestine, but in lebanon, in syria. it is a tool of regional stability. and the mining mandates would
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exacerbate the already dear humanitarian situation. continuing operation is essential until palestinian refugees are able to sustain ho. as stipulated by internationala. mr. president, while supporting parallel efforts to and -- to end -- they clear cease-fire to alleviate the palestinian
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suffering. the security council duty is to maintain international peace and security. it should be empowered to impose a cease-fire for all of these reasons. algeria voted against this draft resolution. we urge allmembers to prioritize immediate cessation of hostilities. the security council must take decisive and meaningful action
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to pave the way forsustainable n palestine and in the wider region. it is within our capacity to act . urgently i thank you. >> i think the representative of algeria for theirta give the fp is from france. amb. de riviere: mr. president, we thank you for proposing this resolution and we voted in favor of it. we must continue to act as the situation is worsening every day.
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france calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and it calls for an immediate and lasting cease-fire. we support the efforts of several elected members of this council proposing a draft resolution along those lines and we welcome the fact that that resolution unreservedly supports ongoing efforts in doha. france unreservedly supports these efforts. we call for the respective international law and the geneva conventions. france is opposed to any israeli offensive in rafah that could only lead to a humanitarian disaster. there is an urgent need for massive humanitarian aid to gaza. the port must be opened, the
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direct land link from jordan and all crossing points. france will continue to call this council to condemn the terrorist acts committed by hamas and other terrorist groups in october. last october the vast majority of us had supported the brazilian draft which clearly outlined these acts. france recalls its tireless commitment to israeli security and solidari with the israeli people following these attacks. these attacks cannot justify the unjustifiable suffering of the palestinians in gaza. france remains committed to a political settlement of the confli at only a two state solution will ensure the security of israel as well as the legitimate aspirations of palestinian people. it is the duty of this council to recall this and that is why
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france will propose an initiative to the security council. >> i think representative of france for their statement. i give the floor to the representative of korea. >> thank you, mr. president the republic of korea voted in favor of the resolution proposed by the u.s. more sustainable peace in palestine and israel. including support for the ongoing negotiations to achieve the release of hostages and an immediate cease-fire. the republic of korea affirms a tradition of calling for an immediate cease-fire objecting to any ground operation in rafah ■mand supporting the protectionf civilians.
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the draft resolution made it clear that an immediate and sustained cease-fire is imperative to protect civilians and to alleviate humanitarian suffering. we incorporate comments from the councilmembers. this draft resolution proposed by the u.s. contains other important elements including supports for different manner -- for diplomatic outposts in the release of all hostages, clear condemnation of all acts of terrorism, including the deplorable hamas-led attacks on october 7. it enables all parties■d to do e immediate and unhindered
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humanitarian aid throughout gaza. it includes a rejection of forced displacement, the establishment of the so-ca buffer zones and new settlements in gaza as well as a commitment to the two state solution. it is regrettable that another opportunity for this council to forge a favorable sponsor has failed to draw consensus. continue to constructively engage with other members of this council to reach a meaningful outcome in ding to the grave situation in gaza. >> i think the representative of the republic of korea. i give the floor to the representative of china. amb. zhang: china voted against the draft resolution that is
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just been put to a vote. more than 160 days have passed since the outbreak of the gaza conflict, in the face of a tragedy in which more than 32,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives. the most urgent action to be taken by the council is to promote an immediate, unconditional and sustained cease-fire. this is the universal call of the international community. the position taken a few months ago and following the appeal by the secretary-general of the security council while invoking item 99 of the charter. the council has dragged its feet and wasted too much time in this regard.
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the u.s. introduced its own draft resolution after vetoing on february 20 the overwhelming consensus among councilmembers cease-fire. over the past month the draft is undergoing alterations to respond to the concerns of the international immunity but it has always avoided the central issue of the cease-fire. the final text remains ambiguous and does not call for an immediate cease-fire nor does it answer the question of implanting a cease-fire in the short term. this is a clear repudiation from
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the council members and it fell short of the expectations of the international community. an immediate cease-fire is a fundamental prerequisite to save lives. the u.s. draft sets up preconditis for a cease-fire which is no can do it -- no different than giving a green light to continued killing which is unacceptable. the draft is unbalanced in many other aspects. in particular with regard to israel's rent and repeated declaration of plans for a military offensive in rafah. the draft does not clearly state its opposition which would send an utterly wrong signal and would lead to severe consequences. any action taken should stand the test of history under
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scrutiny of morality and conscience. with a view to safeguarding truth and justice, safeguarding the u.n. charter, its purposes nity of the council and of the concerns and strong position from the arab states, with this draft resolution, china together with russia and algeria have voted against this resolution. members of the council have before them another draft resolution that was result of collective consultation among elected members of the council. this draft is clear on the issue of a line with the correct direction of the council action.
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china supports this draft. we hope the members of the council will reach agreement as soon as possible and will send a clear signal calling for an immediate cease-fire and an end to the fighting. ■nchina from the outset is calld for the immediate release of all hostages and repeatedly reiterated 2712 and 2720. we welcome the mediation by egypt, qatar, and others to this end and we hope that all detainees will be released. china forgets the accusations by the u.s. and the u.k. against china's voting position.
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if they were serious about the cease-fire they would not have vetoed time and again multiple council resolutions. they would not have taken such a detour and playing a game of words while remaining evasive uncritical issues. if the u.s. is serious about a cease-fire, please vote in favor of the other draft resolution clearly calling for a cease-fire so that a cease-fire can be immediately achieved. so the palestinian suffering can be alleviated and hostages may be released withoutfor the u.s.t important is not words but actions. no matter what, china will continue to work with councilmembers and international
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communities to play a constructive role to achieve cease-fire and bring an end to the war torta two state solution to bring an suffering to crete a comprehensive and lasting solution. >> i think china for their statement. i give the floor to the representative of malta. amb. frazier: malta thanks the united states for proposing this draft of the resolution. malta voted in favor. we regret that the veto has prevented its resolution. without commenting on resolutions 2712 and 2720. malta remains firm in its position that a immediate and permanent cease-fire is the only avenue through which we can
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prevent the furthdeterioration n addressing the impact of the israeli-hamas war. we impress upon them to negotiate a deal which allows for the release of hostages. we will continue to reiterate our call on hamas to release all hostages unconditionally. we recommend that hamas condemn the attacks in october 7 including the taking of hostages in the sexual violence committed. we recognize that this text confers on the ground offensive teraza and the consequences for the 1.5 million, the children.of whom a however the council cannot be perceived to authorize any
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ongoing or future military operations into rough and anyway. we believe the should have had stronger and more reassuring language on this matter. we underline the fact that the full statement of the palestinian civilian population from and within gaza whittle amount to grave breaches of internationa law and the ever increasing humanitarian toll of this wwe firmly reiterate our cr israel to ensure immediate, safe, sustained delivery of desperately needed aid to the people of gaza. we work to our utmost to alleviate the suffering of the civilians in gaza and we repeat our call for the full
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implementation of resolution 2712 and 2720. we are deeply concerned about the ongoing situation and we're iterate that the need for an immediate and permanent cease-fire remains the priority to de-escalatencerning spiral o. malta reaffirms his steadfast commitment to attaining comprehensive peace in the middle east. we demanded two state solution where israel and palestine as democratic states peacefully coexist side-by-side with insecure and recognized borders and internationally agreed upon parameters. >> i think the representative of all to further statement. i give the floor to the representative of guyana. ambassador: thank you, mr. president.
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after five months of war in gaza , this council has still not been able to adopt a text that addresses all of the dimensions of the conflict in a manner that impacts the situation on the ground and upholds the rule of law. while guyana welcomes the u.s. initiative to develop a draft resolution and the transparency with which the negotiations were conducted, we are of the view that given the length of time spent on those negotiations and certain positions consistently expressed by several delegations , the draft could have better reflected the broad base feedback. mr. president and colleagues, guyana abstained on this draft resolution for a number of reasons which i will elaborate. contrary to some media and other reports, this resolution does not call for an immediated, we t
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determines the imperative three cease-fire and for a supportive diplomatic efforts that are while those efforts must be commended, given the responsibility and the mandates of this council guyana could not support calls for resolution that does not support an immediate cease-fire. 2,000 persons have been killed in gaza since the seventh of october, the majority of whom are women and children. more than 74,000 have been maimed. initial estimates have claimed it with take years to clear 20,000,000 tons of rubble and unexploded weapons scattered across gaza. the latest ipc report projects famine now -- between
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now and may 2024. this man-made disaster cannot be changed without an immediate cease-fire and it is our responsibility to immediately demand one even as it acknowledges the efforts of qatar, egypt, and the united states. the demand for a cease-fire should not be conditioned on the release of hostages. the taking of hostages is strictly prohibited under international law and the release must be unconditional. guyana reiterateststhe immediatl hostages. it does go wrong's cannot make a right, and the palestinian people should not be collectively punished and themselves held hostage for the crimes of others. crimes of others. text lacks attribution in a number of key areas. while the draft includes the
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condemnation of hamas for the october 7 attacks and demands they immediately granted humanitarian access to the hostages at a red lee so■m, thee is no attribution or demands to the israeli authorities for what is taking place in gaza. for example, who was responsible for 1.5 one million palestinians taking refuge in rafah and u.s. announced a plan to military offensive there? compliance regarding the protection of civilian and civilian objects, humanitarian access and the protection of humanitarian relief and medical personnel, their assets and infrastructure? who has erected a maintain the existing barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale? who is responsible for the foreseeable displacement of the civilian population in gaza? who is preventing the use of all
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available routes throughout the entire gaza strip? who does not respect the notification mechanism? we know the answer to these questions. we have vertebrae for after briefer8, on civil societies describe the situation on the ground explaining what the problems are and it was responsible for creating these why then were relevant demands on the resolution not clearly addressed to the occupying power? not even once was this done. if one were to read his resolution without background knowledge it would be difficult to ascertain which party in this conflict is committing the atrocities in gaza, atrocities that necessitated this draft resolution being put forward. in the resolution of 41 paragraphs, 2036 words the
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occupying power is mentioned once in the penultimate paragraph. paragraph seven was of particular concern tothis counch the chart of responsibility for addressing threats to peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression. how did we endure the idea of ongoing operations in gaza as long as measures are taken to, and i quote, reduce significantly civilian harm. this idea was rejected. in guyana's view, this is in direct contravention of the council responsibility. it was set dangerous precedent and make the council complicit in the atrocities being committed in gaza now and in the future. we talk about the fourth
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paragraph with the restriction -- reconstruction coordinator. without review the scale of efforts required in gaza after the war would warrant a key role given its decades of experience and its capacity vis-a-vis other agencies operating there. this council has earned many times of the indispensability. it is the lifeline for palestinians. we were therhe draft pertains to the investigation into the allegations against a small number of its staff. guyana supported by several delegations had listed an affirmation of unwrought -- anwra's important recommendations. mr. president and your colleagues, this council still is an opportunity to take action and end the suffering of all
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parties. civilians in gaza need a respite, israelis need a respite. both need respite from the cycle of violence and pain. the strong desire by the people of palestine and israel for peace. guyana is prepared to work with other council members to respond to theiraspirations, including y important the two state solution. this must not be postponed. i think you. >> i thank the representative guyana for their statement. i give the floor to the representative from slovenia. >> thank you very much, mr. president. one month after our last about, i will repeat my words. we voted for the resolution because the killing and starving of civilians in gaza must stop,
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and the suffering of hostages and their families must end. we voted in favor of the resolution because we believe it is imperative for the security council to send a clear message that the situation in gaza is unacceptable. regret the use of the veto by the russian federation in china. we thinkthe draft offer to consn opportunity to follow-up on several harrowing briefings that we have received in the last at the resolution did not include all of the elements we wanted to see in the text. however, it provided us an opportunity to express ourselves in a number particularly concerning they include the importance of achieving an immediate and sustained cease-fire, the need to release ce against an offensive in rafah and the
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implications for regional peace sense stability. the need for increased provision and distribution of humanitarian aid. the need for respect of international law and protection of civilians and civilian objects. the need for protection of humanitarian relief and medical personnel. the rejection of a changing gaza including wars displacement and the commitment of the council to division of the two state solution. many of these elements have been extensively elaborated during our numerous meetings and briefings on gaza. as emphasized on those occasions we believe in the complementarity of all efforts bilateral, regional, and those of the council. we therefore once again thank the leaders of egypt, qatar, and on securing a deal in the ground.
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it said linea -- slovenia is of the view negotiations could provide impetus to the process and bring us closer to lasting peace. we can pin you condemning the terrorist attack of hamas on the seventh of october and call for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages. hamas set this in motion, but it did not have to end with over 32,000 killed palestinians, the rest of them starving and the massive violations of international humanitarian law. war with all of his tragic consequences is a choice, not a necessity. we underscored the need for accountability and adherence to international law and we would like to express our deep concern over israeli statements regarding settlement of people in gaza and reject the ground invasionh.
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we regret the council was unable to send a clear signal on the need for this conflict to end. we reiterate our call for full of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law of the divisional measures of the international court of2712 and 2720. the council need to demonstrate leadership in pursuit of these to find a united voice from the council. for slovenians, palestinian lives matter. israeli lives matter. >> i thank the representative from slovenia for their statement. i give the floor to the representative of switzerland. >> thank you, mr. president.
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switzerland voted in favor of the draft resolution, and we regret it was not adopted due to the veto of two permanent numbers of the security council. in light of the situation, the horrific, and bearable suffering on the ground it would have been necessary for the council to achieve a tangible result and to send a signal of an ability act in clear unity for the protection of civilians. all of the members of the security counsel contributed to the text and i think the united states with a reference. switzerland argued for its content to -- you clear memory reflect -- to clearly reflect the request for a community and -- immediate humanitarian cease-fire to be established. it is our time or an equivocal request for an immediate
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humanitarian cease-fire to be subjective consensus at the security council. in light of the catastro situath civilians find themselves in gaza, first and foremost children and hundreds of ou persons and during the risk of bombardment, and pandemics, a cease-fire remains priority, urgent necessity now. that humanitarian assistance needs to take place iunimpeded weight. we know the u.s. text is not call for the unconditional release of hostages, a demand that a large majority of council members switzerland have consistently made since the act of terror perpetrated by hamas on seventh of october. switzerland welcomes the condemnation of these accent attacks. lastly switzerland remains concerned about the humanitarian consequences of the current
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hostilities. a major military offensive in rafahy catastrophic plight of the civilian population and generate new major obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian assistance. this isendorsed by this council. today's failure should under no way be interpreted as a chance for the parties to continue hostilities. switzerland remains committed to facilitating negotiations in the council. it also remains our duty to see to it that these obligations under international law, in particular international humanitarian law and human rights, for these obligations to be respected by all parties under all circumstances even in the absence of resolution from the council.
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this is necessary to protect and assist civilians. switzerland remains committed to unified action aimed at bringing this conflict to an end and reestablishing a political rise and in accordance with our mandate for the commitment of international peace and security. >> i thank the representative of itement. i give the floor to the representative from sierra leone. >> mr. president, today the security council has considered the draft resolution presented by the united states as part of the council's efforts to fulfill its responsibility under the charter of the united nations to maintain international peace and stability. the united states insured we would have a resolution --
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sierra leone voted in favor of the draft resolution. we demonstrate commitment to achieving sustainable cessation of hostilities dependence on negotiations outside of the united nations. the tech space before the council does not call for an unambiguous and immediate cease-fire and unconditional release of hostages. with unfolding disaster fees and killing a gaza, certainly we have committed to support initiatives that would lead to a cease-fire. our vote therefore was informed by the need to support action that could lead to an immediate and sustained cease-fire to reduce human suffering, stop the display of palestinians --
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displacement of palestinians and of medical supplies, water, food, medicine, and shelter. our vote is indicative of the urgent nd to hostages to be immediately released. with our vote we support our need for expanded humanitarian assistance which civilians in the gaza strip especially at this moment where acute food insecurity and the increase of famine. in compliance with international law■f, we welcome parties to comply with obligations on international law, including international humanitarian law with regard to the conduct of us to produce and protection of civilian and civilian objects. while we regret it was not adopted, the cooperation of elements that could be misinterpreted, as a counsel we
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consider our process of peace. our request for a solution to the ongoing humanitarian situation is [indiscernible] 1.4 million displaced persons and vulnerable groups and untimely deaths and untold suffering. sierra leone will recognize humanitarian agencies in providing life-giving assistance to its population and offer our support to the humanitarian and construction coordinator for gaza. it is our firm view that the people of palestine should be given the liberty to determine their political status and future. we emphasize all engagements regarding the construction of the gaza strip must be conducted
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in good faith and with active dissipation at the palestinians. >> i thank the representative of sierra leone for the statement. ecuador voted in favor of the draft resolution, which we have just considered. we share the need for urgency, for the council to act in the humanitarian situation of the palestinian population in gaza on the brink of famine and being forced to go elsewhere. we voted in favor of the resolution, which is the print of a lengthy negotiation process in which all members of the council participated. it is above all a resolution in which the council determines that an immediate cease-fire is required to come up also contains other elements of considerable importance, relevance, and urgency in medium and long-term measures on the
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path to lasting peace. the text includes a specific condemnation for the hamas terrorist attacks and the taking of hostages. ecuador reiterates the demand that these hostages be released immediately and unconditionally. mr. president, i am convinced that each of us, each member of this council believes that the text could be improved upon, but i'm also fully convinced we would never agree on which part needs to be improved upon and now to do it. perfect text for everyone is impossible. mr. president, the council must not be hostage to political rivalries. we should to be a space for building reconciliation and peace. in favor of a clear-cut mandate,
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and so once again we regret that the majority decision of the council is not better respected due to the veto. thank you. >> i thank the representative for their statement. i shall make a statement in my capacity as a representative of japan. over five months since hamas's horrifying attack against israel which is been an unfolding of tragedies the world is been witnessing in gaza. at least 32,000 palestinians have been reported to be killed in gaza, most of them women and children. brink. rafah only threatens to deepen the humanitarian crisis.
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given the gravity of the situation in japan voted in favor of the resolution. we deeply regret it failed to be adopted. japan appreciates the tireless efforts of the united states in consulting with all members throughout the negotiation process. this resolution could have pushed forward ongoing diplomatic efforts, in particular the co-party talks for an immediate cease-fire and a of hostages. we believe this to be a paramedic approach to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground. although we were unable to adopt a resolution, the council must put pressure on the parties. those in gaza and beyond cannot
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wait another day. i think you. -- thank you. >> i resume my function is president of the council. the primary representative of the russian federation as asked for the floor to make a final statement. i give them the floor. >> mr. president, we have now just heard -- we have heard hypocritical statements from a number of members of the security council, from some members who have been shedding crocodile tears about the russian and chinese vetoes. we explain the reasons behind our not allowing the resolution to pass, and if no meansscause r what is been pretrade by the
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u.s., not that the u.s. representation set i told all of you would covered in disgrace. voting for the u.s. text, which for you including those who are vaunting it was unacceptable. do you want me to tell you how things actually were? it is not difficult to see. it is not at all complicated. your u.s. lords and protectors have begun to rank the hands of your leaders in capital. they told you that you should not be worried because the russian federation would veto this in any way, but you would not go against of the u.s. text. that is it, so do not tell us hypocritically that you were disappointed that russia and china vetoed the resolution.
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oncegain you have covered yourselves in disgrace voting for text which yourselves did not support and you yourself do not support. >> i think the representative of russia for their statement. i now the floor to the representatives of israel. >> thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to the united states of america. the united nations wasished in e holocaust to prevent such atrocities from happening again. i bested greenfield, thank you defending these values. your conviction that the release of the hostages is not something that can be postponed, it shows true moral clarity.
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the american resolution should as, would have marked a moment of reality for the u.n., a place where good is evil and injustice is injustice. it would have been the very first time that this council or any u.n. body condemned hamas in this brutal massacre. yet sadly for purely political reasons this resolution did not pass, and terrorists can coinue benefiting from this council whitewashing their crimes. colleagues, how could we explain to children around the world that the body mandated to uphold global peace and security refuses to condemn terrorists for the most horrific crimes? the council's decision to not condemn hamas's is stained will never be forgotten. as israel defends it's very future against those who seek our annihilation, all u.n. bodies have dedicated their
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discussions only to the situation in gazauz and civilian casualties. a supplied by the terrorist are thrown around and quoted as if they are word of god, yet in a sense of these numbers are merely the lies of hamas that the u.n. is so quick to parrot. hamas and knows that they cannot defeat israel militarily. their goal is to annihilate 1zisrael, and their strategy iso terrorize our civilians what weaponizing the international community order to ensure their survival. and how did they do it? they use gazans as human shields in an effort to maximize civilian casualties knowing that it will lead this council to pressuring israel to end the military operation. remember, for israel every civilian death is a tragedy, for
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some loss -- four hamas it is a strategy. israel is a law-abiding democracy. we take every effort to minimize collateral damage. israel has gone above and beyond to ensure the safe duty of civilians. we make phone calls and provide a gazans a good military maps detailing safe corridors. israel is taken steps that know with the taken. all in order to mitigate civilian casualties. hae other hand, built for years hundreds of miles of tunnels in which terrorists hide and our are held. hamas does exactly this in order to exploit gazan civilians as human shields and doing great
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death toll. four hamas more murders civilians is key to their survival. it is a path toward a cease-fire that will keep them in power, so as yourselves if you are not helping them with your strategy? so hamas through the ministry of health provides full statistics parented -- parroted around the globe. by looking at the numbers it is crystal clear they cannot represent reality. a statistics professor recently released an analysis of the hamas story, to cause a ministry of health numbers proving that not only are they distorted, but they are also inflated. they have no possible basis in reality, but even if we were to
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take hamas's falsified numbers at face value, the noncombatant to combat ratio in gaza 1 . this is the lowest ratio in the history of urban warfare. every civilian death in gaza is tragic, but the only party to blame is hamas. the security council refuses to hold hamas accountable for putting gazans have direct and the line of fire. can dan the tunnels under schools, or hamas accountable. the same can be said about the libelous narrative of defendant -- of famine. there is absolutely no limit that israel places on humanitarian aid entering gaza, and to date 300,000 and 41 tons
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of aid on 218,000 trucks has arrived on the streets. the only reason why any gazans lactate is because hamas steals it for much of themselves. as long as hamas is in control gaza's economic situation will be a ruins. his concern over and operation in rafah, but let me be clear. there is nos to avoid an operation in rafah more than israel. is it your sons and daughters sending your children into battle? no, it is our children making the ultimate
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defense of their homeland. from the outset of the war the goal is been clear. return the hostages and ensure gaza no longer poses a threat to israel. so far israel has succeeded in dismantling roughly 18 of hamas's battalions but there are four remaining battalions in rafah with around 8000 terrorists. israel is fighting for your future, and if we fail to achieve our goals hamas will repeat october 7. terror will prevail in our region and inspire jihadist organizations all across the globe. the only way to achieve a real and permanent cease-fire is to eliminate hamas's capabilities entirely, and this cannot happen unless all of their battalions are demolished. you cannoting up most of it.
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the fire will grow again and spread. israel sees no alternative. the road to a permanent cease-fire passes through rafah. if this council is it any other ideas how to dismantle the terrorist group without entering rafah, we would love to hear them. once hamas capabilities are dismantled israel's goal to do militarizing gaza can you materialize, but for a lasting solution between israel and gaza there was another requirement. the radicalization -- deradicaliztion. -- deradicalization.
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71% of support hamas's october 7 massacre. 71% of the palestinian people support the massacre, and over 60% of palestinians want to see hamas in control of the gaza strip. n you comprehend this? the vast majority of palestinian support the massacre and wish empower. this is the root of the problem. however itorhis deep-seated hatred and makes demands of israel is burying their head in the sand like an ostrich, just as the u.n.s sincd from gaza in 2005. for 18 years the u.n. has turned a blind eye to the terror rampant in schools across gaza.
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we call for two state, peace, yet the n. refuses to address the underlying issue. the vast majority of palestinians are not looking for peace. what is most importantj to them is israel's annihilation at any cost. dera key. by making demands of his room without making anyinians to end. demand that they end incitemt to terrorists. the men that they deradicalize the people. the education of the people underwent during the third reich is what the palestinians need to receive so that they finally support coexistence, coexistence
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with jews, israel. that is how we educate our kids. mr. president, the war may be in gaza but this war extends much further than this battle against hamas. they are directing all of them to attack us and the malicious one is around, the architect of instability, and its ambitions must be stopped.
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