Secretary-General’s Remarks to the General Assembly Meeting on the Situation in the Middle East and Palestine [as delivered]
Format
[Watch the video on webtv.un.org]
The past ten days have witnessed a dangerous and horrific surge in deadly violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly Gaza, and in Israel.
I am deeply shocked by the continued air and artillery bombardment by the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza. As of 19 May, this had claimed the lives of at least 208 Palestinians, including 60 children, and injured thousands more.
The continued indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas and other militant groups towards population centres in Israel, resulting in at least 12 fatalities including two children, and hundreds of injuries, is also unacceptable.
KP Assembly unanimously condemns Israeli aggression in Gaza - News Makers newsmakers.pk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsmakers.pk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
25 May 2021, 15:29 UTC
Ahead of an appeal hearing at the Jerusalem District Court on 26 May over the forced eviction of two Palestinian families in the Batn al-Hawa area of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Saleh Higazi said:
“This is yet another illustration of Israel’s criminal policy of forced displacement of Palestinians in motion.
“By continuing to pursue this court case - after the outcry over the planned forced evictions in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem – Israel is fanning the flames of the latest upsurge in violence and perpetuating the same systematic human rights violations against Palestinians that are at the root of the latest violence.
Speakers in General Assembly Urge Israel, Hamas to Use Ceasefire as Opportunity for Reopening Dialogue, Addressing Root Causes of Conflict
Format
GA/12327
GENERAL ASSEMBLY PLENARY
SEVENTY-FIFTH SESSION, 70TH MEETING (AM)
Delegates welcomed the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and urged stakeholders to use the agreement as an opportunity to reopen dialogue and address the root causes of the conflict, as the General Assembly wrapped up its special debate on the situation in the Middle East this morning.
Croatia’s representative said the ceasefire should create an atmosphere conducive to resuming the political process. While endorsing the Secretary‑General’s call for a robust support package for reconstruction and recovery, he said the focus should be on addressing the underlying causes of the conflict in the longer term.
Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt, May 20
According to a quote widely attributed to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.” I’m bringing up this quote in the context of what is currently happening in Gaza. As I monitored the devastating events unfolding on the ground, I couldn’t help but refer back to a report issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This report, published on June 15, 2015, reviews the final results of what was called the 2014 Gaza War. Some numbers cited in it caught my attention right away. According to the report, 2,251 Palestinians were killed during that onslaught, including 1,462 civilians, 551 children, and 299 women. 11,231 Palestinians were injured, including 3,436 children and 3,540 women, 10% of whom suffered a permanent disability. More than 1,500 Palestinian children have been orphaned. 18,000 ho