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VICE-CHAIR\u00a0OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>H.E.\u00a0JAIME HERMIDA CASTILLO<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ****************<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>SECURITY COÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵCIL\u00a0OPEN DEBATE<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST,<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n New York,\u00a028\u00a0January 2026<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mr.\u00a0President<\/span><\/i><\/b>,<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Distinguished Council members,<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ladies and gentlemen,<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>I\u00a0commend\u00a0Somalia\u00a0on its presidency of the Security Council\u00a0for\u00a0the month of January.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I also welcome\u00a0Bahrain, Colombia,\u00a0the\u00a0Democratic Republic of\u00a0the\u00a0Congo, Latvia and Liberia\u00a0to the Council.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Today,\u00a0on\u00a028 January, as the international community marks\u00a0for the first time\u00a0the International Day of Peaceful Coexistence<\/a>, we are reminded that coexistence is not an abstract ideal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is built, or broken, by concrete choices made\u00a0every day\u00a0on the ground.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It rests on\u00a0the pillars of\u00a0respect for\u00a0the\u00a0rule of\u00a0law, for human dignity, and for the equal right of\u00a0peoples\u00a0to live in safety and freedom.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Against that backdrop, developments in the\u00a0Occupied Palestinian\u00a0Territory\u00a0over the past\u00a0three\u00a0months\u00a0run counter to peaceful\u00a0coexistence\u00a0and the pillars on which it is sustained.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>The approval by Israel, the occupying power,\u00a0of\u00a019\u00a0new settlements in the occupied West Bank,\u00a0including East Jerusalem,\u00a0including the re-establishment of settlements evacuated in 2005,\u00a0constitutes yet another massive grave breach\u00a0and\u00a0represents\u00a0a serious setback.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These\u00a0illegal, colonial\u00a0actions\u00a0openly\u00a0seek\u00a0to\u00a0destroy the contiguity of the Palestinian land and\u00a0foreclose the possibility of\u00a0a viable, independent Palestinian State.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Settlement expansion has no legal validity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Settlements\u00a0are illegal, as most recently ruled by the International Court of Justice, our highest court.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Settlements\u00a0erode any remaining trust that negotiations can deliver a just outcome\u00a0for the Palestinian people.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, settler violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,\u00a0continues to intensify, terrorizing civilians and entire communities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The pattern is clear.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So is the impact.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fear, displacement, and the steady erosion of daily life, systematic coercion causing untold misery undermining the present and future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Accountability is essential\u00a0but non-existent under Israel\u2019s\u00a0unlawful\u00a0occupation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Equally\u00a0appalling\u00a0are recent measures targeting Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Laws that strip Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA of its privileges and immunities,\u00a0enable\u00a0the seizure\u00a0and destruction\u00a0of its facilities, and mandate the termination of essential services are incompatible with Israel\u2019s obligations under international law, including the Charter of this Organization.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is not an optional actor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is a lifeline for millions of Palestine refugees.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly, its mandate supported overwhelmingly by the international community as part of this organization\u2019s permanent responsibility for the Palestine question until it is justly resolved. The International Court of Justice clearly reaffirmed this in its advisory opinion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Undermining its ability to function will deepen humanitarian suffering and\u00a0furthermore\u00a0destabilize an already fragile\u00a0region.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has grown even more desperate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Winter rains, flooding, and freezing temperatures are battering makeshift shelters and destroying fragile tents.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hundreds of thousands, an entire population\u00a0of displaced\u00a0people\u00a0are exposed to extreme cold, deprived of shelters and sustenance.\u00a0Many have already died, including\u00a0babies and children.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>We are also gravely concerned\u00a0and reject\u00a0the decision\u00a0by Israel\u00a0to cancel the\u00a0permits\u00a0of dozens of international\u00a0NGOs\u00a0preventing their continued operation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, further depriving the population of desperately needed\u00a0assistance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Restricting principled humanitarian actors at a time of overwhelming need\u00a0in Gaza\u00a0is\u00a0turning a humanitarian crisis into a\u00a0bigger\u00a0catastrophe, yet again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Mr.\u00a0President,<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The\u00a0United Nations\u00a0Committee\u00a0on the Exercise of the Inalienable\u00a0Rights\u00a0of the\u00a0Palestinian\u00a0People\u00a0recall\u00a0the General Assembly resolution adopted on 12 December 2025\u00a0that\u00a0gives\u00a0strong support\u00a0to the ICJ advisory opinion on the obligations of Israel\u00a0regarding\u00a0its presence and activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The resolution reaffirms core principles that\u00a0remain\u00a0as urgent as ever:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These are not slogans.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They are\u00a0<\/span>ob-li-ga-tions<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Distinguished Members,<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On this day dedicated to peaceful coexistence, the message should be clear.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The choice before us is not complicated:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Uphold the law.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Protect civilians.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Protect Palestine.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Demand the peace we long for, one that is just and lasting.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you do not, the\u00a0disastrous\u00a0alternative is a future of deepening\u00a0human suffering and\u00a0conflict that none of us\u00a0will\u00a0accept.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Thank\u00a0you.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Related content:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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