(Note: A complete summary of today's Security Council meeting will be available later.)
As the Security Council gathered the day after the body of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza was retrieved, a United Nations Middle East peace expert stressed the need to consolidate the tenuous ceasefire, while also raising alarm about the escalation of violence and settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, hoped that the return of Ran Gvili's body to Israel for burial will lead to healing. "The announced start of the second phase of [United States] President [Donald J.] Trump's 20-point Comprehensive Plan is a critical step in consolidating the ceasefire in Gaza," alongside the establishment of the subsidiary bodies of the Board of Peace, including the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the Office of the High Representative for Gaza, he said.
However, "despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military continues to conduct military operations with air strikes, shelling and gunfire occurring across the Strip," he pointed out. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, including many women and children.
Recalling the misery and hope he witnessed recently in the Strip, he described farmers, unable to import seeds, repairing greenhouses with makeshift materials and families who sat vigil through rainy nights "just to hold down the four corners of their tents". Humanitarian work continues to be hindered by insecurity, customs clearance challenges, delays and denials of cargo at crossings, and limited routes.
The West Bank has seen extensive Israeli military operations, settler violence and arrest campaigns of Palestinians - including children - by Israeli security forces. "The combination of settlement advancement, State land declarations and persistent establishment of outposts is carving up and making vast swaths of land inaccessible for Palestinian use in the occupied West Bank," he said.
He also detailed "the pressure campaign" against United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), including forcible entry with bulldozers and demolitions at its Headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem and "abhorrent calls for the annihilation of UNRWA staff" by Israeli officials. Further, Israel continues to withhold nearly $2.5 billion of Palestinian clearance revenue.
Ultimately, these actions taken together are undermining any prospects of a two-State solution. "Unless urgently addressed, they may also jeopardize progress on implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement," he warned.
The President of the United States, that country's delegate said, recently announced the Board of Peace while speaking in Davos and the transition to phase two of the United States' 20-point plan.
"The results of phase one speak for themselves," he said, pointing to the establishment of a ceasefire, the delivery of aid and the return of all hostages. Phase two will "advance the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza", he said, thanking those who have committed to joining the Board - including Council members Bahrain and Pakistan. The Board "is acting, and not just talking", he said, and will help realize a "new Gaza" and break the decades-old cycle of violence. He warned, however, that "assistance cannot devolve into dependence", and that Hamas and other militant groups "must live up to their side of the bargain" by disarming.
With Hostages Returned, Hamas Must Be Disarmed, Gaza Demilitarized
"From the first day of the war in Gaza, Israel has been clear before this Council about its goals," said that country's representative. These are "every hostage home" and "Hamas disarmed"; and now the first goal has been achieved. "Today, for the first time in 843 days, I sit in this Chamber without the yellow hostage pin on my lapel," he noted, holding up the small ribbon.
Now, Israel works towards its second goal - the disarmament of Hamas, he said, adding: "It does not mean weapons hidden underground while promises are made above ground." Hamas remains heavily armed, still holding thousands of rockets and anti-tank missiles and tens of thousands of assault rifles. "This is not a movement preparing for peace, this is a terrorist army preparing for its next war," he stressed. Israel is upholding its commitments, he said, detailing aid trucks entering Gaza, as well as his Government's decision to open all major crossings into the Strip. "Aid is flowing, coordination continues," he said. "Hamas must now be dismantled completely, Gaza must be demilitarized and deradicalized," he added.
Peace Still Possible, But Occupation of Palestine Must End
"Palestine is a reliable partner for peace if peace is the objective," said the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine. While welcoming the ceasefire agreement and acknowledging that it saved thousands of lives, he noted also that at least 500 Palestinians have since been killed. For the ceasefire to succeed, Israel must cease dictating the future of Gaza and fully withdraw from the territory. He also noted the highest number of West Bank displacements since 1967.
"Yet, we still see a chance for peace," he said - "a real historical opportunity to end the occupation". Any peace process must preserve the unity and territorial integrity of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and "Palestine must be central to, and fully represented in, any process that determines its future".
Welcoming the recovery of the remains of the last Israeli body, he asked: "What about the countless Palestinian families whose loved ones have been killed, with thousands of bodies still crushed and buried under rubble, yet to be found, yet to be identified and to be given dignified burial?"
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Complete Live Blog coverage of today's meeting can be found here .
