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NEW YORK / GULF TIME
The United Arab Emirates today welcomed the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 2712, which calls for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip sufficient for the unhindered delivery of full, rapid and safe humanitarian aid. The resolution also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, especially children.
As the Council’s Arab member, the UAE worked closely with the Permanent Mission of Malta, the penholder of the resolution. The UAE supported Malta throughout the negotiations to reach agreement on a text that prioritised the protection of children.
The resolution is the first adopted by the Council on the Israel-Palestine conflict since 2016. Council members united around the urgent need to protect civilians, particularly children.
In her explanation of vote, Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, UAE’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, said, “Over the past week, I’ve seen us all work together across our geographical divides in a way that made this moment possible, and I thank you for that. I believe lives will be saved because of this work.”
She added, “I want to emphasise that the adoption of today’s resolution only begins our response to this war and to this crisis,” and noted that the UAE voted in favor of the resolution because it meets urgent basic needs that take into account the situation of children in Gaza in particular. Ambassador Nusseibeh said, “The UAE remains resolute that we must work towards a lasting humanitarian ceasefire. We must not lose sight of this urgent goal.”
She stressed that, “The resolution means in real time enough time and space for search and rescue operations to save those children who are buried under the rubble, including the 1,500 who have been reported missing there. It means that fuel, food, water, medicine, and other essential goods can be delivered at scale. It means that sick and injured children can be evacuated.”
Ambassador Nusseibeh said that too much time has passed, too many people have been killed, and too much destruction has been wrought, adding “It is worth noting here that where Hamas is not operating, Palestinians are also losing their lives on land internationally recognised as part of their future state. During this period, this last 40 days, and largely under-reported, almost 200 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank as a result of settler violence and raids. This must stop and Israel must hold those committing these attacks fully accountable.”\
The UAE called on Israel to cease its attacks on civilians and civilian institutions, and Ambassador Nusseibeh stressed that Israel must uphold the special protections afforded by international law for hospitals and schools and ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access.
The UAE condemned Israel’s raid on Al-Shifa Hospital and other attacks on hospitals, stressing that the resolution rejects precisely that type of military action. Ambassador Nusseibeh said, “If the parties violate this resolution, we expect, and we will work to ensure, that the Security Council steps in to support its implementation.”
On the future and political horizon of the conflict, Ambassador Nusseibeh stressed the need for the Council to prioritise resolving the conflict. “Over the last decade, there have been increasingly vocal warnings and signs that the Two-State solution is on its deathbed. What emerges from the ruins of Gaza may be our last chance to save it. But it will need all of us to continue working together, like we have done here today, to resurrect it.”