On Thursday, April 18, the UN Security Council met to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Palestine’s request for full member status in the United Nations. Currently, the PA has observer status.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, opening the meeting, said that “the Middle East is on the brink of an abyss” and called on all participants to exercise maximum restraint. “One miscalculation, one misunderstanding, one mistake could lead to the unthinkable – a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating not only for the participants, but for the entire world,” he said. At the same time, Guterres repeated that he strongly condemns the Iranian attack on Israel, as well as the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. “It’s time to end the cycle of bloody retribution,” he said.
The Secretary General called for a cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip and for the immediate release of all hostages held in the strip.
At the same time, he noted that during seven months of fighting, the Gaza Strip had turned into a “humanitarian hell.”
The Secretary-General also called the situation in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) explosive, where 450 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, of which 112 are children. During the same period, 17 Israelis were killed in Judea and Samaria, as well as in Israel. He said that “the horrific upsurge of violence occurred against the backdrop of the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements,” which in itself is a violation of international law. Guterres called on Israel to take immediate steps to end settler violence, bring perpetrators to justice and protect the Palestinian population from attacks, violence and intimidation. and
Separately, Guterres focused on the situation in the Red Sea and the Khust attacks, as well as on the northern borders of Israel.
Permanent Representative of Russia Vasily Nebenzya called on the UN Security Council members to support the draft resolution proposed by Algeria on behalf of the Arab group.
Israeli Permanent Representative Gilad Erdan called today’s meeting a reward for terror. “This is a reward for those who planned, carried out and supported the worst crime against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.” According to him, if the PA’s request is granted, it will be the most shameful decision in the history of the UN.
Reuters, citing an official source in Washington, reported that the United States would use its veto power to block the resolution. “The United States remains of the view that the fastest path to a state for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations with Israel, with the support of the United States and other partners,” the source said.
In order to gain full member status, the Palestinian Authority must secure the support of at least 9 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council, while none of the countries with the veto power (USA, UK, France, Russia and China) must exercise it.
The fact that the United States intends to vote against the resolution was also stated by Deputy Chief of State Department Press Service Vedant Patel at a briefing for journalists in Washington.