Palestine’s UN Observer to General Assembly: “Ceasefire now. Stop the Genocide”
As the United Nations General Assembly last night resumed its 10th emergency special session to address the dangerous situation in the Gaza Strip, for the second time since the start of the Israeli aggression against the besieged Strip, Palestine’s Permanent Observer to United Nations Riyad Mansour urged the Assembly to enforce a ceasefire in Gaza.
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The UNGA resumed its special 10th session at the request of the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations in its capacity as Chairman of the Arab Group for this month, and the Permanent Mission of Mauritania to the United Nations, in its capacity as Chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and in coordination with the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, in light of the Security Council’s failure on December 12 to carry out its duties under Article 99 of the Charter, which threatens international peace and security, as a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons was adopted by an unprecedented overwhelming majority with 153 countries voting in favor, 10 against, and 23 abstentions.
The Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine Riyad Mansour described the Israeli assault as a war against Palestinian history and existence. Israel is deliberately targeting hospitals, homes, mosques and churches, he pointed out, adding that the country is killing engineers and doctors and poets and academics, as well as those who would document the crime and inform the world — the journalists. Further, Israel has been deliberately making Gaza unliveable for human life, inflicting maximum pain to force people out of their country. It has confessed to this goal, he said.
However, he pointed out, Israel has failed in its efforts to bully and silence Member States of the United Nations. Highlighting the global call for a ceasefire, emanating from people around the world, as well as the human rights community, he noted that, while the Security Council was blocked by a single veto, 153 countries in the General Assembly voted in favor of that.
Palestinian children now know much more about death than about life, he said. One million Palestinian children in Gaza are facing a death sentence that can take effect at any moment. He went on to share the story of a child called Ayoub, whose mother named him after the Muslim prophet of patience, knowing he would need endless fortitude to endure the suffering awaiting him. Ayoub was killed with his siblings when Israel bombed their home, he said, echoing the Secretary-General’s description of the Gaza Strip as a graveyard for children. In the face of atrocities being committed in Gaza, he stressed, there is only one moral position: “Ceasefire now. Stop the Genocide.”
