Arab Group calls on UN Security Council to bring end to 'catastrophic' Gaza war
The Arab Group called on the UN Security Council on Friday to take urgent action to halt Israel's 'catastrophic' war in Gaza.
The group of Arab states also demanded an end to Israel's blockade of the enclave and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid, as UN officials say the entire population faces famine.
Israel has faced mounting international pressure over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the UN says only a 'teaspoon' of aid has been allowed in after a more than two-month blockade.
Speaking on behalf of the Arab Group as chairman for the month of May, the UAE's UN envoy Mohamed Abushahab accused Israel of using starvation as 'a weapon of war' and rejected its proposed aid mechanism, calling it a breach of international law.
The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began operations this week, distributes aid through several 'secure' sites – manned by private security contractors – with the aim of keeping supplies out of the hands of Hamas. The mechanism cuts out traditional UN and other aid distributors, and critics have accused it of militarising humanitarian assistance.
'Palestinian lives are not less valuable than any other lives,' Mr Abushahab told reporters in New York.
Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war in Gaza have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming military operations in March following a short-lived truce. But a new proposal submitted by the US was approved by Israel on Thursday, and Hamas has said it is reviewing it.
Palestine's deputy ambassador Majed Bamya said that international condemnation of Israel's actions in Gaza was insufficient.
'There is international outrage, but our outrage is not good enough,' Mr Bamya told reporters. 'It's not good enough for the people of Gaza to know that the world condemns this action, condemns these crimes, stands against them. We need actions.'
He accused Israel of attempting to forcibly erase the Palestinian cause and people, warning that such efforts would fail.
Mr Bamya also pushed back against expectations that Palestinians should endure the crisis alone.
'The world cannot expect Palestinians to be superheroes, that they need to resist all of this on their own, that they need to figure out the way to survive, that they need to figure out how to stay in their land,' he said.
'Israel wants to convince them that if they want life, they can only find it away from them.'
This week, Israel announced the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank. On Friday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed to build a 'Jewish Israeli state' in the Palestinian territory which Israel has occupied since 1967.
Britain called the move a 'deliberate obstacle' to Palestinian statehood, and UN chief Antonio Guterres's spokesman said it pushed efforts towards a two-state solution 'in the wrong direction'.
Mr Abushahab said the Arab Group looks forward to the upcoming conference in June on the two-state solution co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France as it is 'critical' for member states take concrete actions to advance sustainable peace.
'We salute those countries that recognised the state of Palestine and strongly encourage others to follow their example,' he said. 'Recognition is not just a symbolic gesture; it is a concrete step for the just and lasting peace.'
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