President, on his recent visit to the region, my Foreign Secretary met Israelis and Palestinians and heard their stories of suffering, pain and anguish on both sides.
He came away determined to help improve the situation and further convinced that there is no military solution to this conflict.
That is why we are calling for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages and an immediate scale-up of aid into Gaza. We urge both sides to accept the deal on the table, endorsed by this Council.
President, whilst mediation efforts continue, people in Gaza urgently need a drastic improvement in the humanitarian situation.
First, civilians need better protection and designated civilian spaces. We are deeply concerned by Israel’s incursion into Khan Younis and into the only remaining IDF-designated humanitarian zone of Al Mawasi where some 1.5 million people are sheltering. We call on all sides to comply fully with International Humanitarian Law and on Hamas to release all the hostages immediately.
Second, civilians in Gaza need much, much more aid. UNRWA is central to these efforts. That is why we announced $27 million in new funding for UNRWA last week, with some directed at supporting the management reforms recommended by the Colonna review. We call for full cooperation with UN and humanitarian teams, including UNRWA, and the granting of requests for visas and equipment, and the opening of all aid routes into Gaza, including reopening the Rafah crossing. Deteriorating law and order must urgently be addressed so that aid can reach people safely.
Finally, civilians need functioning hospitals and essential supplies such as water and electricity after nine months of devastation. We are appalled by the stories of women and children living in unsanitary conditions and that diseases, including Polio, are spreading.
Colleagues, West Bank settlement expansion and settler violence have reached record levels. The Israeli government has seized more land this year than in the past twenty years combined. This is unacceptable: it runs counter to multiple resolutions of this Council and undermines the viability of a two-state solution.
The only way out of this cycle of violence and suffering is through diplomacy, with Israelis and Palestinians committing to a renewed peace process resulting in a two-state solution, with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian State. We are committed to giving the people of the West Bank and Gaza the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. And it needs to be irreversible.
Thank you.
