Statement by Mr Lyle Davidson at the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question
25 January 2018
Mr President,
We congratulate you and your delegation for assuming the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of January. We align ourselves with the statement delivered by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.
It is hoped that the onset of the new year will renew the commitment of the Security Council to contributing towards a peaceful resolution of this long standing agenda item pertaining to the Palestinian Israeli matter.
We cannot allow another year to proceed without progress on the Middle East Peace Process, as every year that goes by makes peace appear to be even more elusive. New challenges, as we have seen recently with the developments pertaining to the status of Jerusalem, have compounded existing negative developments such as continuing Israeli illegal settlement activity.
Mr President,
South Africa continues to believe that the best option for the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict is premised upon:
Firstly, the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence, which entails a principled position against the military occupation of the Palestinian people and their land;
Secondly, the right of both the peoples of Israel and Palestine to live side by side in peace in their own states, based on the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine;
Thirdly, a belief that there can be no military solution to the conflict and that peaceful negotiation is the only means of ensuring lasting peace, security and stability; and
Fourth, a commitment to multilateralism in order to secure a sustainable solution and a rules-based international order. No unilateral act by any party should pre-empt final status issues.
Mr President,
South Africa wishes to use today’s debate as an opportunity to highlight an issue of particular concern for our delegation. This is the plight children in military detention in Israel. These children experience widespread systematic and institutionalised ill-treatment in military detention and are easily hidden from the public eye. Nevertheless, reflecting on data from the United Nations Children’s Fund, we are concerned about the high rates of physical abuse, strip searches, the use of solitary confinement in the context of interrogations, as well as threats and verbal abuse. While the immediate injustice of these abuses cannot be overstated, it is the psychological and developmental harm to these young individuals that is most troubling. Furthermore, such abuses merely seek to reinforce hatreds among the two sides to the conflict prolonging the crisis and doing nothing to reconcile parties.
Mr President,
South Africa is deeply concerned that unilateral action by some Member States to recognise Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel undermines the revival of a peace process. Relevant United Nations resolutions and mutual agreements on the status of Jerusalem should remain a central aspect of any negotiated solution to be resolved by the parties. Furthermore, the city of Jerusalem remains a sacred space for all the major Abrahamic religions, which is one reason why it remains one of the most disputed aspects of the Peace Process. To prejudge the outcome of this is most likely to put the entire peace process, and in particular the two state solution, in jeopardy.
Mr President
South Africa continues to call for more financial support for the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which provides assistance and protection for more than 5 million Palestine refugees. The continued strong and generous support of the international community is thus necessary to ensure the Agency’s continuity of services, and is especially needed in light of the recurrent and severe financial shortfalls that continue to affect its vital humanitarian programmes. We would like to emphasise that the funding for UNRWA should be sustainable, predictable and sufficient. For its part, South Africa will continue to support UNRWA through its financial contributions. Furthermore, we will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people through the IBSA fund.
In conclusion Mr President
South Africa remains firmly convinced that continued dialogue in support of a peaceful solution is the only viable option that can effectively address the issue. To ensure this, the efforts of the international community needs to move towards building trust among the parties, and not lead to the entrenchment of divisions and long standing hatred. We remain hopeful and urge both sides to resume the peace process, for a comprehensive, just and lasting resolution of the Palestinian issue.
I thank you.
Rev. Thursday, 26-Jul-2018 11:31 AM