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The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Algeria calls Israel 'enemy of humanity' and seeks UN sanctions
Algeria on Sunday called Israel the 'enemy of humanity' and urged the UN to impose sanctions on it. The comments came during a special session of the UN Security Council that was called by the UK, France and Denmark in response to Israel's Cabinet approving new military operations in Gaza that include the takeover of Gaza city. 'The council must act decisively, resolutely, by resorting to its utmost tools to act under Chapter Seven of the [UN] Charter,' Algerian ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama told the council. 'The hour has come to impose sanctions on the hand that steals the land on the flag that flaps over the ruin. The hour has come to impose sanctions on the enemy of humanity.' Mr Bendjama condemned Israel's new military plans and said that ' Gaza is facing hell '. 'Such an operation would not merely ruin Gaza, such an operation would not merely ruin Gaza, it will just annihilate what remains of it,' he said. Israel's security cabinet on Friday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's plans to control Gaza city in the north and displace half the population to the south. Israel already controls about 75 per cent of the strip, and many of the enclave's more than two million people have been displaced several times since the war began in October 2023. Widespread hunger has been reported amid an continuing aid blockade initiated by Israel, which has accused Hamas of looting and hoarding assistance. 'Hunger-related deaths are rising, especially among children with severe malnutrition since the escalation of hostilities,' said Ramesh Rajasingham, head and representative of OCHA in Geneva and director of the Co-ordination Division, highlighting the deaths of nearly 100 children from severe acute malnutrition. 'This is so this is no longer a looming hunger crisis. This is starvation, pure and simple.' The Israeli cabinet outlined the goals of the new military operation: the disarming of Hamas; the return of all the hostages; the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip; Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip and the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority. Palestine's representative said that Israel is seeking to cement its 'full military control' over Gaza. Israel 'is prolonging this war not to end Hamas rule or to disarm it, but to prevent an independent Palestinian state,' Riyad Mansour told the council. 'As long as Israel is above the law, it will act as an outlaw state.' The UK's deputy UN representative said the inhumanity occurring in Gaza 'cannot be justified'. 'We have a clear message for Israel: urgently and permanently lift all restrictions on aid delivery,' James Kariuki told the council. Kuwait 's UN representative Tareq Al Banai, delivering the statement of the Gulf Co-operation Council countries, said that the new military operation 'lays the groundwork for a new stage of genocide and forced discipline and under undermines any chance of achieving a two-state solution'. But the US pushed back on concerns over the new Israel military operation, accusing member states of rewarding Hamas's refusal to agree to a ceasefire by handing it propaganda victories and pledging to support a Palestinian state. 'The simple truth is that this war could end today if Hamas let the hostages and all of Gaza go free,' US acting ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea said, adding that the UN has helped to spread lies about Israel, the Washington-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and the US. 'Israel did not decision to advance its military campaign in a vacuum, but after months of Hamas's intransigence … The loss of civilian life in Gaza is tragic, but the responsibility for this rest with Hamas.' Israel's ambassador said that his country has 'no plans or desire' to permanently occupy Gaza, and intends to relocate civilians away from the influence of Hamas. 'This is liberation from a brutal terror regime,' deputy Israeli ambassador Jonathan Miller said, accusing Hamas of exploiting the hostages that remain in the enclave as well as Gaza's population to maintain its position.
El Chorouk
30-07-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
Algeria advocates for 3 essential steps to empower the Palestinian right
Algeria affirmed that strengthening the two-state solution begins with granting the State of Palestine full membership in the United Nations, calling on Tuesday in New York, through its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amar Bendjama, for an immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. Mr. Bendjama said in a speech before the UN High-Level Conference on 'The Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution': 'We meet today to discuss this solution, and for some, this discussion may be useless, even surreal, as how can we talk about establishing a state while we witness the destruction, starvation, and burning of Gaza with our own eyes, and how can we talk about establishing a state while the West Bank is bleeding.' However, he reiterated that 'in these darkest times, we must affirm principles,' adding that 'from Algeria's history, we believe that the true and correct response to occupation is not surrender, despair, and silence, but steadfastness, determination, and persistence.' Mr. Bendjama underscored that 'the Palestinian people have a legal and natural right rooted in history, law, and justice, their right to self-determination and to establish an independent, sovereign state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.' Mr. Bendjama further reiterated Algeria's call for action, proposing three essential and clear steps, the first of which is 'the necessity of strengthening the two-state solution, which begins with granting the State of Palestine full membership in the United Nations.' He asserted in this context that 'Algeria was the first and so far the only country to officially make this call in the Security Council last January, and it received support from the overwhelming majority of the Council members,' affirming in this regard 'Algeria's readiness to renew this call again.' The second proposal, according to Mr. Bendjama, is 'the recognition of the State of Palestine,' where he pointed out that 'Algeria, which was the first country to do so thirty-seven years ago, today calls on all nations that have not recognized the State of Palestine to join history.' As for the third step, it will be through 'empowering Palestinians on their land, rejecting displacement, protecting lands, criminalizing settlements, and ending impunity.' But before all that, Mr. Bendjama added, 'an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza must be guaranteed without restriction or condition, along with ensuring the entry of aid and feeding the children of Gaza and not allowing them to die of hunger.'
El Chorouk
25-03-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
MINURSO: A UN Exception in Disregarding Human Rights
Algeria denounced on Monday the failure to provide the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) with a human rights mandate, unlike similar missions. Algeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amar Bendjama, emphasized in New York, 'We have been lectured many times by some partners on the importance of monitoring and reporting on respect for human rights and the need to respect international law, including international humanitarian law. What is strange, however, regarding MINURSO, is that we were astonished by their silence or even their opposition.' In his remarks at a UN Security Council meeting devoted to improving the adaptability of UN peacekeeping operations to new realities, Bendjama drew the audience's attention to this shortcoming, which specifically affects MINURSO. This behavior, the Algerian diplomat added, sends a signal that 'MINURSO, as the exception among all UN peacekeeping operations deployed in Africa, is simply turning a blind eye to human rights violations.' Bendjama stressed that 'providing all UN peace operations, without exception, with a strong human rights component is essential to improving the work of UN missions in the field by monitoring and reporting violations.' In general, Bendjama indicated that Algeria considers 'the discussion on the future of UN peace operations and their adaptability to be an important issue for the Council and the international community, especially in a context where UN peace operations face significant challenges.' He explained; 'As we prepare for the ministerial conference on peacekeeping scheduled to be held in Berlin next May, we emphasize the importance of seizing all possible opportunities to develop a unified vision for the future of peacekeeping, particularly in terms of adaptability.' However, Algeria believes that UN peace operations 'have shown their limits and require significant adjustments to effectively address new challenges,' the Algerian diplomat added. In this regard, Algeria proposes, in addition to the human rights aspect, that the mandate granted to peacekeeping operations focus 'on the core issues, taking into account the mission's purpose and defining its ultimate objective as soon as possible.' Bendjama continued, saying: 'We are witnessing what can be described as 'Christmas tree mandates,' under which UN missions are given an overwhelming number of responsibilities, hindering their ability to carry out their intended missions.' Nevertheless, he stressed that 'partnerships are essential to improve the adaptability of UN peacekeeping operations,' adding, 'We insist on strengthening cooperation between the UN and regional organizations, especially the African Union, which is a reliable partner in this regard.' He also asserted that 'adaptability requires promoting political solutions and integrating the peace-building dimension into the mandate of UN peacekeeping operations.' 'It is essential that UN peacekeeping operations uphold the priority of dialogue, respect for international law, and the right of peoples under foreign occupation to self-determination, within the framework of political efforts on the ground.' Finally, Bendjama affirmed 'Algeria's commitment to supporting the work of UN peacekeeping operations by making its expertise in maintaining international peace and security available to the United Nations and the international community.'
