Israeli Occupation of Palestine ‘Core’ of Mideast Conflicts: Iranian Diplomat

“The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian land is the core and central of all conflicts in the Middle East. The injustice has been continuing for more than seven decades, exacerbated through Israeli expansionist, aggressive and apartheid policies towards Palestinians and the Region,” Eshaq Al-e-Habib said on Thursday at a Security Council meeting on “Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question”.

Following is the full text of this speech at the meeting:

Mr. President,

At the beginning, I convey my Delegation’s appreciation to Kazakhstan for convening this open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine, at this critical juncture for Palestine and the Middle East.

I align myself to the statement of the representative of the Bolivarian Republic Venezuela on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian land is the core and central of all conflicts in the Middle East. The injustice has been continuing for more than seven decades, exacerbated through Israeli expansionist, aggressive and apartheid policies towards Palestinians and the Region.

Mr. President

Each time we meet here, there are new announcements on illegal settlements or annexation plans. This should not be surprising from a regime whose prime Minister admits: "There was not and will not be a better Government for settlement than our Government”. The Israeli regime now works day and night to negate any right of Palestinian statehood and entrench the occupation.

The latest case in hand is the provocative decision of the US to recognize al-Quds as the capital of the Israeli regime that revealed the complicity of both regimes to deprive the Palestinians of their basic rights to establish an independent state for their own with al-Quds as its capital. The whole international community rejected this illegal and politically wrong decision in the General Assembly on 21 December 2017 and manifested its support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinians, despite all grotesque intimidations exercised before the vote.

The fast-growing illegal settlements in the Palestinian territory constitutes not only a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention but also a war crime that is another clear indication that the Israeli regime has never had any interest in peace. Israeli entire history starts with illegal occupation of the Palestinian land and is full of aggression against its neighbors and other countries in the Middle East, at least 14 times since 1948. This regime arrogantly and flagrantly continues to violate at least 86 resolutions, adopted by this Council, starting from resolution 54 (1948) to the resolution 2334 (2016) on illegal settlement activities. There are many more by the General Assembly, the HRC and UN Specialized agencies, all adopted in response to its illegal occupation, repeated acts of aggression as well as its well-documented atrocities, apartheid policies and war crimes against the Palestinian people. The Israeli regime, emboldened by the impunity provided to it by US, shamelessly and flagrantly continues to violate all Council’s resolutions on the Middle East while shedding alligator tears for those resolutions it chooses to like. 

Israel continues to flout all international regimes governing WMDs by refusing to crocodile to NPT and the Chemical and the Biological Weapons Convention.

Surprisingly and shamelessly this regime seeks the sympathy by claiming that it is, in fact, the one, and not the Palestinians, that is under threat.

No political theater may hide Israeli policies of incremental aggressive and expansion and its behavior towards its neighbors as the main source of threat to the peace and security in this region.

Mr. President

The destructive role of the US in international conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, is incontestable. The United States has never been an honest partner for peace and justice in this conflict, and it will never be.

It is a discredit for this Council to fail to act when it comes to genuine issues, such as the long-lasting occupation of Palestinian territory – to which this item is dedicated – or the indiscriminate bombing of Yemen in the past three years that has brought hunger, disease and destruction on the Yemeni people and imposing humanitarian blockade leading to the largest famine the world has seen for many decades, as described by USG for Humanitarian Affairs. The list of such failures attributable to the obstructionist approach by the US delegation and goes on and on.

While the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands certainly is the main contributor to the instability of the Middle East, there are other contributors.

Any foreign intervention, occupation and ensuing instabilities and attempts to engineer societies in the Middle East, proved to provide breeding grounds for terrorist and extremist groups to grow.

Unfortunately, US and the Israeli regime prefer to resort, promote and spread Iran-phobia and this has become a kind of ongoing obsession and hysteria for them. We have heard them today and in course of this debate and in recent months. This hysteria is being actively perpetuated by those willing to sell or spend their dollars on American "beautiful weapons". It has nothing to do with peace and security in the Middle East.

On the contrary, it is an undeniable fact that while Iran was helping the people of Iraq and Syria to defeat Daesh, US and some were busy arming them.

In closing, at a time with the Palestinian people are facing rising Israeli aggression Iran reaffirms its longstanding solidarity with the Palestinian people, recognizing their decades of resilience despite so much suffering and injustice, and reiterates its strong support for their legitimate and inalienable rights, including to self-determination and freedom in an independent and viable State of Palestine, with Al-Quds as its capital.

I thank you Mr. President.