Statement by Ambassador Jerry Matjila, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations, at the Open Debate on the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question
22 January 2019
Mr President,
South Africa welcomes this quarterly open debate on the situation in the Middle East, focusing on the Question of Palestine. We thank the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov for his briefing. We also thank the Representatives of Palestine and Israel for their respective statements. South Africa aligns itself with the statement to be delivered on behalf of the Non Aligned Movement by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
We want to begin this debate by congratulating the State of Palestine for assuming the Chairmanship of the Group of 77.
Mr President,
This is the first open debate that South Africa is participating in as a member of the Security Council during our current term as an elected member.
We wish to use this opportunity to emphasise the importance for this Council to ensure that it remains committed to meaningfully contribute to the resolution of one of its longest standing agenda items, the Question of Palestine.
While the monthly meetings of the Council, and quarterly open debates afford an opportunity to have a significant influence on the Middle East Peace Process, it has not yielded the necessary results that it has the potential to.
The adoption of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 2334 in December 2016 is one such example of the potential outcomes of Council deliberations on the matter. Unfortunately there has been minimal effort to implement this resolution. This calls into question the credibility of the decisions of the Council, especially if it is the Council, itself that does not take any action to ensure the implementation of its own decisions.
In Resolution 2334 we reaffirmed that Israeli settlements, which have steadily been expanding into Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and constitutes a violation of international law. Furthermore, 2334 recognized that the settlements are a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
The recent upsurge in tensions between Israeli settlers and the Palestinian people in settlements such as Ofra, and the broader cycle of violence resulting from these heightened antagonisms are indicative of the obstacles created by the illegal expansion of settlement activity to the peace process. According to the recent report by OCHA about 250 Israeli settlements have been established in the occupied West Bank since 1967 and some 611, 000 Israelis currently live in these settlements in flagrant violation of international law including the Fourth Geneva Convention.
South Africa, therefore calls for the full implementation of Resolution 2334. This should include the submission of timely written reports by the UN Secretary-General to the Security Council on its implementation, every three months in order for progress to be adequately monitored. This Council receives written reports on other matters that it is seized with, and the situation in Palestine should be no different.
We must not allow the decisions made by the Security Council to be undermined and blatantly violated in some cases.
Mr President,
Even more concerning is the deliberate targeting of children, the continued violation of human rights in the occupied territories, and the continued imprisonment of Palestinian minors in military detention in Israel. The impact of such violence on the future of peace between the two parties cannot be understated. The fomentation of hatreds and a culture of violence at the formative stage of the development of these children will only make peace and reconciliation even more distant and unachievable.
While the Council remains silent on such issues, a just peace becomes more and more out of reach. We cannot afford inaction, and must instead inject a much needed urgency into resolving this conflict. This must include safeguarding the gains made over decades of diplomacy, and preventing any prejudging of outcomes on the Final Status issues such as Jerusalem, security and the return of Palestinian refugees.
Mr President,
I wish to reiterate South Africa’s position in support of a two-state solution. We would also reiterate that the primary responsibility for peace rests with the Palestinians and Israelis themselves. South Africa, as part of the international community, has always sought to encourage peace between the parties. In this regard, we convened the Spier Peace Retreat in January 2002 wherein we invited senior participants from Palestine and Israel with the aim of strengthening the "peace camps" in both Israel and Palestine; sharing the South African experience in negotiations, peacemaking and transition to democracy; and to support international peace efforts, in particular through the UN system.
The initiative demonstrated the spirit of commitment to dialogue and partnership for peace between the parties. In line with the outcomes of that Spier Retreat, we continue to support and encourage the parties to work towards peaceful dialogue and negotiation as the only way forward to finding a lasting solution. The guidelines for these negotiations have to be based on the already established international legal framework, which include United Nations General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions, the Madrid Principles, the Arab Peace Plan and the Quartet Roadmap, to name but a few.
Mr President
We wish to once again recognise the importance of the work of the United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which has provided crucial socio-economic assistance to Palestinian refugees for decades. Cuts in the budget of UNRWA threaten the lives of many vulnerable people, as well as undermining any confidence in a resolution to the conflict. Punishing civilians by cutting humanitarian funding cannot in anyway be conceived as moving the peace process forward, rather it will only serve to entrench animosity and heighten tensions.
South Africa is deeply concerned by reports of Israel’s plans to shut down UNRWA run schools in East Jerusalem. Closing schools affects the most vulnerable refugee population, children, at their most vulnerable stage of development and the formative years of their education.
South Africa welcomes recent pledges made to support UNRWA and we affirm that this humanitarian support creates the conditions that contribute to easing the dire conditions of the Palestinian people.
In conclusion, Mr President, this Council must do everything it can to remove all obstacles to peace between Israel and Palestine, and no longer allow continued hatred, human rights violations and disregard for international law to fester.
Generations of Palestinians and Israeli’s have known only conflict and violence. We must do all we can now to create a culture of peace, and to foster hope for a future free of conflict for both sides.
I thank you.
Rev. Wednesday, 23-Jan-2019 12:36 PM