Russia Exposes USA & Israel Over ceasefire Negotiations Live at UNSC ! We Love Africa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxo_XX80sNA&si=nn4ifyVFuW4KR0Uz
I give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation. Thank you, Mr. President. We would like to thank the special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Mr. Torbenesland. We thank him for the comprehensive overview of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We are also grateful to Dr. Louisa Baxter for an emotional and a sobering description of the situation in the Strip. It is painful, but we have to acknowledge that the Security Council, as the main UN body tasked with maintaining international peace and security, for more than 10 months now has basically remained a passive observer of the continued bloodbath in Gaza, which took, by now, more than 40,000 innocent civilian lives. As was stated by the UN Secretary-General Guterres, the level of killings and destruction in the course of the Israeli operations is the highest one compared to any other conflict anywhere in the world during his mandate, and what is happening in Gaza is, and I quote, utter lawlessness. We are deeply disappointed by the fact that the Council has not been able to demand an unequivocal ceasefire and ensure that there is compliance with this demand by all parties to the conflict. Two and a half months ago, Security Council members adopted Resolution 2735, drafted by Washington, and at the time, our American colleagues told us that the fate of the deal between Hamas and Israel on ceasefire and hostages release hinged upon that resolution. And the time has now come to take stock of how the document impacted the situation on the ground, and we can answer the question unequivocally. It didn't impact the situation on the ground at all. Israel and their agreement with the so-called President Biden plan providing for an immediate ceasefire, their agreement is something that our American colleagues at the time told us about, but Israel is continuing its brutal operation, only pausing when they need to. Over two and a half months, almost 3,000 Palestinians fell victim to it. And, of course, a full withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza in efforts to restore the destroyed infrastructure is not something that anyone is even considering. At the same time, Israel is essentially blocking the humanitarian workers who are creating all kinds of obstacles to them. And, similarly, other resolutions passed by the Council, humanitarian resolutions that we have passed since the current escalation of the conflict, remain words on paper. We continue thinking it's unacceptable that members of the Security Council in June signed off on an obviously false statement in the American resolution where it said that Israel supposedly had already agreed to the proposed deal. Even the official statements by Israel at the very same meeting clearly showed that the leadership of West Jerusalem had no intention of stopping their military operation in Gaza. The delegation of the Russian Federation at the time abstained on voting on the American draft, and we do not regret that abstention one bit. It is noteworthy that, having forgotten what they stated in June, our American colleagues are trying to sell us yet another new quantity, having modified the parameters of the original deal in a way that is suited to for Israel. And today, the representative of the United States, in this room, not even having tried to explain what these modifications are, is once again calling upon members of the Security Council to exert pressure on Hamas. According to the information we have, Israel is now insisting on keeping the idea of military presence in Gaza, including their control over the crossing with Egypt and the Philadelphia Corridor. We do note that such changes to the parameters of the deal is also something that some countries in the region vehemently object to. And I would like to put a question to our American colleagues. On whose behalf are you acting now when you're trying to push through that deal, which is principally different from the original one? The Security Council never blessed the deal formulated in this way. And why, when you call upon all of us to exert pressure exclusively on Hamas leadership to make sure that the movement accepts the new Israeli whim, you consistently refuse to work with Western Jerusalem, which critically depends on you for weapons supplies? Is this something that well-intentioned and impartial mediators do? Time has shown that all the doubts we had about the true reason behind that American product were confirmed. And yet another resolution by the Security Council, which was pushed through by Washington, became not just a diplomatic cover for Israel to continue with a systematic cleanser of Gaza, but it also became a spoiler. Because of this, the Security Council no longer undertakes efforts to have a document which would be in line with the strict and unquivocal demands of parties to cease fire. Moreover, because of the provocative acts by Israel over the past two months, the Middle East region has come even closer to the brink of a global conflict. And the Security Council, through the United States' efforts, is not doing anything to stop the bloodbath that Israel is continuing in Gaza. A week ago, members of the Security Council were discussing the tragedy in the Tavim school there as a result of an Israeli strike. More than 100 people died and dozens were wounded. As we warned at the time, this incident was not an unfortunate episode. It was rather a manifestation of a conscious policy by the Israeli leadership. On the 20th of August, the Israeli air force attacked a school in the Mustafa Hafez region in Gaza City. At least 12 people died as a result. Prime Minister Netanyahu, in reaction to the joint appeals by the international community to stop the killing of peaceful Palestinians, states that he will not stop until Hamas is fully destroyed. And if it weren't for his American allies, he would not display such a disregard for the position of the overwhelming opinion of the UN member states. A separate point I would like to make, and it's a point that is unacceptable, to have the provocative acts by the leadership of Israel and the OPT, and I refer specifically to the 13th of August visit by the Minister of National Security Ben-Gvir to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The Israeli authorities do undertake effective measures to stop this fallacious practice, which is a blatant violation of the status quo of the Old City Holy Sites. How much longer are we going to remain idle when American would-be negotiators continue putting on a show and feed us empty promises of speedy results of their diplomatic efforts on the ground? The reality is that Washington for 10 months now has basically kept the entire Council hostage, threatening their veto and not allowing us to pass a strict and unequivocal decision neither on the Palestinian issue nor on the ceasefire in Gaza, nor on the moving of the Middle East peace process forward. And this is all the more lamentable because it is the maniacal desire of the United States to monopolize the Middle East peace process and to reformat it according to Israeli patterns. It led to the dramatic consequences that we're witnessing today. I don't think I need to say to you that this situation undermines the authority of the Security Council. The Security Council since October has not been able to pass any effective decisions which are needed not only for the just settlement of the Palestinian issue in line with our very own resolutions, but also to prevent a regional war in the Middle East. And if Resolution 2735 is not being implemented, well, let's pass a new document which would send an unequivocal signal to the spoilers that what they're doing will not be allowed to happen with impunity, and provide such a resolution with a toolbox which could help end violence regardless of the whims displayed by any of the sides to the conflict. It's of critical importance also to make sure that Washington stops finally their multi-billion military assistance to Israel which is being used to destroy peaceful Palestinians. How many more victims are needed for the Security Council to finally act in line with its mandate instead of blindly following the US and Israeli lead? 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Is that not enough for us to pass the decisions that are needed? We are formulating it this way to make sure that all of our colleagues feel the historic responsibility on our shoulders and we are ready to work with all of those who share this position of ours. I thank you for your attention. I thank the representative of Washington for her statement. I give the floor to the representative of the United States. Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you, Coordinator Winslow and Dr. Baxter for your briefings. Colleagues, Secretary Blinken just concluded his ninth visit to the region since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th and unleashed a war that has caused so much suffering and devastation. The Secretary reaffirmed the United States ironclad support for Israel's security but he also aimed to advance discussions on a comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal that now is in sight and to emphasize that no one in the region should take any action that would undermine ongoing negotiations. While the Secretary was in Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed that Israel accepts the bridging proposal that the United States, Qatar, and Egypt put forward last week. The proposal is consistent with the principles outlined by President Biden in May 2024 and that this council endorsed in Resolution 2735. And this builds on areas of agreement from talks convened in Doha last week and bridges the remaining gaps in a manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal. We appreciate this council's support for the efforts the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have made to help get this deal done. We now have a path forward to save lives, bring relief to the people of Gaza, get the hostages back home, and de-escalate regional tensions. Again, Israel has accepted the bridging proposal. Now Hamas must do the same. As members of this council, we must speak with one voice and we must use our leverage to press Hamas to accept the bridging proposal, which includes massive and immediate benefits for the Palestinians in Gaza and incorporates a number of Hamas's earlier demands. Colleagues, this is a decisive moment. It's a decisive moment for ceasefire talks and for the region. And so every member of this council should continue to send strong messages to other actors in the region to avoid actions that would move us away from finalizing this deal. At the same time, the United Nations and humanitarian agencies need to accelerate planning so that they can surge assistance into Gaza in the event of a ceasefire, while we all continue to press for increased humanitarian assistance now. We continue to work with the Israeli authorities to speed up clearances and remove restrictions so that Palestinian civilians can get much-needed food, medicine, shelter, clean water, and other essentials, including vaccines, as we just heard from Dr. Baxter. A disease like polio must be prevented from making a comeback in Gaza, and we urge Israel to continue working with humanitarian agencies to provide polio vaccinations for Palestinian civilians, particularly children, in Gaza. This effort is urgent, and having a ceasefire deal would greatly facilitate the implementation of this crucial vaccination campaign. Colleagues, even as we press for a ceasefire and hostage releases in Gaza, we must also continue to speak out about the situation in the West Bank. I want to be clear. Actions in the West Bank that could escalate tensions at this fragile moment must stop. As the White House has made clear, attacks by violent settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank are unacceptable and must stop. Israeli authorities must take measures to protect these communities from harm, including by intervening to stop such violence and by holding all perpetrators to account. It is also critical that Israel release all owed Palestinian authority tax revenues on time. These funds are needed to pay PA salaries, provide essential services, ensure peace, security, and stability in the West Bank, all of which are key to Israel's security interests. Additionally, we remain concerned about Israel's West Bank settlement announcements and the legalization of outposts. The government of Israel's resettlement program is inconsistent with international law, and these unilateral actions are detrimental to the prospects of a two-state solution, which we have repeatedly said offers the only durable and secure path forward for Israelis and Palestinians. The suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on August 18th, which Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed, was a stark reminder of Israel's very real security concerns. The United States unequivocally condemns this attack as it does all acts of terrorism and calls on the Security Council to do the same. Colleagues, this week I spoke with two individuals whose family members were murdered in cold blood by Hamas on October 7th, Aish Weinstein-Hage, who lost both of her parents, and Judy Engadi on that horrific day, and Ruby Chen, whose son Itay, a 19-year-old Israeli-American who was killed by Hamas. It is beyond heartbreaking and infuriating that the remains of Iris's and Ruby's loved ones are still being held by Hamas, as they have held the body of Hadara Golden since 2014, denying his family closure. Today we again call on Hamas to release the remains of Judy, Engadi, Itay, Hartar, and all those still in Gaza, immediately. And here's what's truly remarkable to me. Iris and Ruby have turned their immense pain into purpose by organizing and speaking out and lobbying for an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. During our call, Ruby invoked some of Martin Luther King's most powerful words. He reminded me of a quote, and I'll quote it here. The fierce urgency of now. To me, that perfectly sums up the moment we find ourselves in and the task before us, as we also just heard from Special Coordinator Winslet. It is urgent that we secure a ceasefire and a hostage deal now. Not soon, but now. Because families like Iris's and Ruby's desperately need closure. Because the well-being of all hostages is in jeopardy. Because Palestinians in Gaza are living under hellish conditions and are caught in the crosshairs of war. Because there's very real danger of regional escalation. And so let us do everything in our power to get this ceasefire and hostage release deal over the finish line now. Let us be confronted with the fierce urgency of now. Thank you, Mr. President.