Palestinian envoy urges UN Security Council to 'show resolve, to be guided by moral clarity' on Gaza genocide

HAMILTON, Canada

Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, urged Security Council member states to take decisive action Wednesday to end Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip and occupied Palestinian territories.

"Over a year ago, and from this same chamber, we called for a cease-fire that would allow Palestinian and Israeli families to be reunited in life, not death," he said, noting vetoes by the US on resolutions.

Mansour said the Council has failed to achieve a cease-fire and, therefore, the UN General Assembly should take control and act under the framework of the "Uniting for Peace" mechanism.

Accusing Israel of pursuing a "colonial agenda" while flagrantly violating international law, Mansour said: "Since the onset of the occupation, Israel has confined Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory to the areas already built up and inhabited only 13% of East Jerusalem and 40% of the rest of the West Bank. The aim has always been to ensure that Israel could seize maximum Palestinian land with minimum Palestinians."

He highlighted Amnesty International’s findings of genocide in Gaza and denounced Israel's attacks on countries like Ireland for their principled stance.

"Israel continues genocide, starves and forcibly, forcibly displaces a people, colonizes and annexes land. But it is Ireland which has crossed every red line for denouncing these crimes, for insisting on respect for international law and for human rights. You must be kidding," he said. "How much more absurd can this situation get?"

Mansour denounced efforts to deflect accountability, declaring, "We reject this deliberate conflation between the actions of a state -- or should I say the crimes of a state -- and those who belong to a given faith."

Calling on all states for action, Mansour said: "This is a time to show resolve, to be guided by moral clarity and to lead by example. We call on each state to examine what more they can and must do to uphold international law and to implement UN resolutions."