Ammon News - Jordan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mahmoud Hammoud, called, during a Security Council session, the international community to act and put an end to the ongoing aggression perpetrated by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
He stated that, while this session convenes, the Israeli occupation army continues its brutal campaign, which blatantly challenges the core values and principles upon which the UN was founded over seven decades ago.
In his address to the Security Council, Hammoud emphasized that since the onset of the war more than a year ago, the Israeli war machine has claimed the lives of over 43,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are innocent children and women.
He noted the countless injured, displaced individuals, and those missing under the rubble throughout Gaza.
Hammoud condemned the ongoing aggression of the Israeli government, labeling it a flagrant disregard for international will that calls for an end to the war, warning that the resultant humanitarian catastrophe will have lasting repercussions on generations of Palestinians.
He described the current situation in northern Gaza as ethnic cleansing and genocide, stating that Israel indiscriminately kills innocent civilians, systematically targets residential areas, and attempts to impose new realities through force.
Additionally, Hammoud criticized Israel's policies of starvation and collective punishment, which restrict the flow of food and medicine and force civilians to flee.
"These acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity," Hammoud asserted, urging the Security Council to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities by taking decisive action to halt these violations and adopting a binding resolution that enforces an immediate ceasefire under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
He called on the Security Council to ensure the necessary protection for Palestinians, noting that the lack of accountability emboldens the Israeli government and its extremist officials to continue violating both the Council's decisions and international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.
Hammoud warned that ignoring Israeli violations and failing to make genuine efforts to stop them would encourage violators of international law worldwide, undermining the principles and values that the UN represents.
He stressed the urgent need to end this aggression and halt the supply of weapons to Israel used to kill innocent civilians, advocating for the imposition of sanctions on the extremist Israeli government for its actions, which pose a threat to regional and international peace and security.
In this context, Hammoud urged the international community to take individual and collective actions to compel Israel to comply with the orders issued by the International Court of Justice regarding violations of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
He highlighted the recent vote by the Israeli Knesset approving two laws to prevent the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from operating in the occupied Palestinian territories, underscoring that this is a clear indication of a UN member state challenging the international community's will and the mandate granted to UNRWA by the General Assembly.
This poses a dangerous precedent for undermining the agency, the refugee issue, and the right of return and compensation.
Hammoud insisted that such attempts by Israel must not go unanswered, as they threaten the lives and futures of millions of Palestinian refugees and the credibility of multilateral efforts.
He reiterated Jordan's firm stance that Israel's attempts to dismantle UNRWA and resolve the Palestinian refugee issue will fail, maintaining that this issue will remain alive until the Palestinian people exercise their right to self-determination and establish their independent state, with refugees receiving their full rights in the face of Israeli actions.
Hammoud emphasized that there is no substitute for UNRWA in providing services to millions of Palestinian refugees and called on the international community to provide the necessary support for the agency to continue delivering its services in Gaza and all areas of operation in accordance with its UN mandate.
The ambassador also addressed the deteriorating situation in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, highlighting the dangers posed by unilateral Israeli actions and the terrorism practiced by settlers, including land confiscation, settlement expansion, and the loss of Palestinian lives and property.
He urged the international community to unite efforts to counter Israeli attempts to create new conditions on the ground that undermine the prospects for Palestinian statehood and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which represents a strategic Arab option.
Hammoud further warned against the incursions of extremist Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, affirming that Jordan will confront any attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo there under its historical Hashemite guardianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites.
He reaffirmed Jordan's solidarity with Lebanon and its sovereignty, urging an end to aggression against Lebanon and full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701.
Hammoud reiterated the need for the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in stopping the dangerous escalation in the region and intensifying efforts to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area, and the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to those in need.
He stressed the importance of ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just peace that meets the aspirations of the Palestinian people for self-determination and the establishment of their sovereign state based on the two-state solution.
Hammoud concluded by stating that "Israel believes it has a golden opportunity to eliminate the Palestinian cause through its crimes and massacres, which its leaders, soldiers, and wide sectors of its society boast about, as evidenced by thousands of videos circulating on social media that you have undoubtedly seen."
He added, "However, these crimes will only strengthen the Palestinian people's resolve to achieve their rights and remain steadfast on their land, giving rise to generations determined to realize their dream of living with dignity in their independent state, with Jerusalem as its capital on Palestinian soil."
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