Egypt's UN Envoy: What happens in Gaza stains int'l community
NEW YORK - 18 June 2025: Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Osama Abdel Khalek Tuesday strongly condemned the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip, calling it 'a stain on the conscience of the international community' that must be brought to an immediate end.
Addressing the UN General Assembly, Abdel Khalek urged member states to remain steadfast in their principled support of the Palestinian cause, emphasizing the importance of establishing an independent Palestinian state with al-Quds (East Jerusalem) as its capital and granting it full membership in the United Nations, describing this as the only path to peace in the region.
There is no room for neutrality—silence is complicity, and hesitation in supporting the Palestinian right is betrayal, he said.
Voting in favor of any forthcoming resolution aimed at saving civilians in Palestinian territories is a legal obligation and a moral necessity, he added.
He also criticized the most recent use of the veto in the UN Security Council, stating it disregarded international responsibility and allowed Israel to persist in its brutal aggression against unarmed civilians in Gaza.
He stressed that such repeated actions highlight the urgent need for comprehensive reform of the UNSC—chief among them, addressing the structural flaw in the veto system once and for all.
He continued, this latest veto does not change two glaring facts.
First, Israel is systematically committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, orchestrated by far-right Israeli leadership and top officials—who must be held accountable, he said.
Second, there is clear and overwhelming international consensus demanding an immediate end to this unjust war and the protection of the Palestinian people, as reflected by the sweeping support for the resolution adopted on June 12, he added.
In his speech before the UNGA, Abdel Khalek said the international community has a legal and moral obligation that cannot be evaded—to reject such use of the veto and to refuse to let it serve as a political or legal cover for the continuation of war.
The right of veto does not supersede international law, nor does it rise above human nature that refuses the killing of children and innocent people in Gaza, he added.
'All members of the international community must exert every possible pressure on Israel to stop its aggression, lift the blockade and starvation policies, allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza without conditions, and implement relevant UN resolutions, including the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).'
He called for the development of international humanitarian law terminology to address the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza, saying the Palestinian people have the right to have their suffering recognized and the crimes committed against them acknowledged—crimes that have persisted for decades.
The Palestinians are the only people enduring war crimes and unprecedented atrocities broadcast live to the world, with no end in sight, he added.
Egypt is committed to its mediation efforts, in cooperation with Qatar and the United States, to reach a permanent ceasefire and end the Israeli blockade on Gaza, he stressed.
He noted that this mediation effort does not contradict the role of the United Nations and its bodies in stopping the aggression and saving innocent civilians.
In a related context, Egypt's representative condemned the Israeli attacks on Iran, stressing Egypt's rejection of any actions that violate international law, the UN Charter, or the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.
He expressed deep concern over this dangerous escalation, which threatens serious consequences for the security of the Middle East.
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AFP 10:15 Many Iranians reacted with fear and dismay at Donald Trump's instruction to "immediately evacuate Tehran", according to a BBC report on Tuesday evening. The capital's almost 10 million residents have now been left to decide whether to shelter in their homes, bracing themselves for what could come next, or attempt to join the heavy traffic leaving the country's capital. Many who decide to leave Tehran post images of their homes online, a poignant trend in Persian-language social media for those leaving their city behind. BBC Persian and other BBC correspondents said they have received messages from affected people. They have also conducted interviews and monitored social media to gather people's stories. Some Iranians had already decided to leave well before Israel issued the first evacuation order for parts of Tehran on Monday. "Many more Iranians living in Tehran have decided to leave since Monday, braving traffic jams of up to 14 hours and fuel queues to flee - unsure if their homes will still be standing when they return." According to the BBC report, some residents have decided to stay put because of elderly parents, young children, pets, medical needs, or a lack of options. This handout picture released by the Iranian Red Crescent on June 17, 2025 shows members of their rescue teams searching the debris inside a buidling in Tehran, targeted by Israeli strikes. Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire for a fifth consecutive day on June 17, with the Israeli military saying in a statement it targeted multiple missile and drone sites in western Iran, including infrastructure, launchers, and storage facilities. AFP 09:45 The US Embassy in Jerusalem will be shut from Wednesday through Friday due to the security situation in the region and to comply with Israeli guidance, the US State Department said. 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They added that the arrests had been made in western Iran. 09:15 Iran claimed early Wednesday to have fired hypersonic missiles at Israel in the latest round of overnight strikes between the archfoes, hours after Donald Trump demanded the Islamic Republic's "unconditional surrender". The US president insists Washington has played no part in ally Israel's bombing campaign, but also warned Iran that his patience is wearing thin as the conflict enters a sixth day. Israeli warplanes targeted the Iranian capital before dawn Wednesday after the military issued a warning on social media for civilians in an area known as District 18 to evacuate. Iranian state media reported explosions ricocheting in Tehran's Piroozi, Sabalan, and Sayyad areas. In retaliation, Iran told residents of Tel Aviv to prepare for an attack, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claiming its hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles were "repeatedly shaking the shelters" in the commercial hub. "The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles" was carried out, the Guards said in a statement broadcast on state television. Hypersonic missiles travel more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept. Iran also sent a "swarm of drones" towards Israel, where the army said it intercepted two over the Dead Sea area. 09:00 Israel's military said Wednesday it struck an Iranian centrifuge production facility and multiple weapons manufacturing sites, in the latest round of strikes between the archfoes. This handout satellite image released by Planet Labs on June 15, 2025, shows new vehicle tracks and dirt piles over underground centrifuge buildings at Natanz enrichment facility, southeast of Tehran after airstrikes on June 15, 2025. AFP "More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets... carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours," an Israeli army statement said. "As part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons development program, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted." "During the wave of attacks, several weapons manufacturing sites were struck, including facilities for producing raw materials and components used to assemble surface-to-surface missiles," it added. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
