On the afternoon of August 22, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held a regular meeting on the Middle East - a region that is sinking deeper into tension as the conflict in the Gaza Strip enters its 11th month.
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| People in the Gaza Strip, already severely traumatized by the war, have now lost their homes due to repeated evacuation orders from Israel. (Source: UNRWA) |
UN News reported that Security Council members, the Israeli Ambassador, the Permanent Observer of Palestine and senior UN officials heard reports and discussed the situation on the ground in the Middle East.
The representatives once again called for an immediate ceasefire and strict implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Speaking at the meeting, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland warned that the region is facing an uncontrollable escalation.
Repeated evacuation orders by the Israeli military in Gaza pose a threat to Palestinians already traumatized by fighting and increasingly displaced, and raise concerns that essential services could soon be cut off.
Ambassador and Head of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations Fu Tong assessed that Israel ignored calls for a ceasefire and continued military operations in the Gaza Strip, causing new casualties every day, saying that Israel was showing "blind faith in a military victory".
Stressing that a political solution is the only fundamental way out of the current crisis, the Chinese ambassador urged Israel to comply with all obligations under international humanitarian law, including opening the border crossings for aid into Gaza.
For his part, Deputy Head of the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN Dmitry Polyansky expressed regret that the international community, including the UN Security Council, has been unable to prevent the escalating conflict in Gaza over the past 10 months.
Meanwhile, Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama stressed that Israel's policies are turning "Gaza into an unlivable place for Palestinians, the situation is getting worse every day and there is no sign of hope."
This is the latest meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, following an emergency session on August 14.
Meanwhile, Palestine's Permanent Observer to the United Nations (UN) Riyad Mansour called on world leaders, including members of the Security Council, to support and join Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's initiative to visit the Gaza Strip to witness firsthand the "horrors" that people are suffering.
Last week, President Abbas announced his intention to visit Gaza along with other members of the Palestinian leadership. On August 21, he issued a decree establishing a committee to prepare for the visit, but did not specify the specific date of the trip.
Palestinian observers called on Security Council members to press ahead with their demands to ensure President Abbas’s access to the Gaza Strip and “work urgently to stop the genocide and crimes being committed” against the people of the country.
According to Mr. Mansour, “there must be a ceasefire now” based on the terms of UNSC Resolution 2735 and “the waiting time is over”.
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