I thank you, Mr. President, and express our appreciation to Japan, in its capacity as Security Council President, for convening this important meeting.
We are grateful to you and all the Security Council members who have recognized the urgency of this matter and the need for serious follow-up and action in light of the recent provocative decision announced by the United States of America, contrary to the relevant United Nations resolutions regarding the Holy City of Jerusalem and in total disrespect of the longstanding legal, political and historic status of the City.
We are grateful to the Arab Republic of Egypt for its efforts in leading this process in the Security Council and for its submission of the draft resolution.
Mr. President,
The total rejection of this decision and the international consensus on Jerusalem are beyond clear. The message has been unequivocal: all Security Council’s resolutions concerning the status of the Holy City of Jerusalem and the rest of the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967 are legally binding and must be respected, without question and without exception. This includes the Council’s last legislation in this regard, resolution 2334 (2016), which constitutes a roadmap for all those who want to achieve peace in the region.
This has been powerfully reaffirmed in the statements made on the 8th of December in this chamber; in the principled statements by governments, organizations, civil society around the world; in the declarations of the Arab Ministerial Council, held in Cairo on 9 December, and the Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Istanbul on 13 December; and today in the overwhelming support of Council members for the draft resolution just voted upon. [Read more…]
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