FM urges ‘immediate’ measures by UNSC against Israeli violations

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Friday urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) and the international community to take "effective and immediate" action to halt Israeli violations against Palestinians, which threaten international peace and security.

During a UN Security Council session in New York dubbed "the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question", Safadi warned that the two-state solution, which has international consensus, is threatened by Israel’s unilateral measures that breach the legislative decisions and escalate regional conflict and violence.

He also reiterated that the clear path to a comprehensive peace, which is Arabs' strategic choice, is through working towards the two-state solution, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with Israel in peace and security, in adherence to international legislation and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Addressing the gathering, Safadi said that entrenching the occupation would not achieve security or stability, according to a ministry statement.

Settlements, land confiscation, home demolitions and the targetting of the UNRWA cannot bring about peace, he noted, adding that security cannot be achieved by annexing the occupied Golan Heights or annexing the occupied Palestinian territories of the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea region.

The UN Security Council plays a main role in enforcing international legitimacy resolutions, including 242, 338, 478 and 2334, as well as ensuring adherence to international law, which recognises all lands under Israeli control since 1967 as occupied lands, stipulating Israel’s respect for its obligations as an occupation force.

Safadi also exhorted the international community and the gathering to reject the announcement made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on annexing what constitutes a third of the occupied West Bank, in violation of international law. 

He also called on the international community to uphold its responsibility and stop any attempts that aim to tamper with the legal and historical status of Jerusalem’s holy sites, drawing attention to the disastrous repercussions of illegal settlements.

The top diplomat stressed the importance of rallying support to the UNRWA to enable it to continue playing its UN-mandated role of providing services for more than 5 million Palestinian refugees. 

Safadi also touched on the Kingdom’s stance on the holy city, noting that “Jerusalem, as reaffirmed by its custodian His Majesty King Abdullah, is sacred to Muslims and Christians, as it is to Jews, and is the key to the region’s peace and stability”.

Urging action to safeguard the holy city, Safadi said that the sovereignty over Jerusalem is Palestinian and custodianship over its holy sites is Hashemite, while protecting the holy city and its identity is a collective responsibility.

While in New York, Safadi on Saturday met with UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov over the latest developments in the Palestinian cause.

Also on Friday, Safadi met with Undersecretary General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov, during which they signed a memorandum of understanding between the Kingdom and the UN’s office on counterterrorism. 

During the meeting, Safadi stressed that the Kingdom will continue working as part of the Global Coalition Against Daesh and through the Aqaba meetings initiative to create a holistic approach to combat terrorism.