New York: The Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, has sent three identical letters to UN Secretary-General Ant³nio Guterres, this month’s Security Council President (France), and the President of the UN General Assembly. These letters highlight the deteriorating humanitarian situation and ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip, attributing it to the Israeli occupation’s blockade and attacks on civilian areas.
According to Qatar News Agency, the letters also address the actions of Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which are described as acts of murder and ethnic cleansing. The communication reveals a staggering death toll in Gaza, with figures approaching 52,000 since October 7, 2023, and over 117,000 wounded, predominantly affecting children and women.
The letters further highlight Israel’s severe restrictions on the operations of the United Nations and other international humanitarian organizations, pointing to continued aggression against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). These measures, the letters claim, aim to halt humanitarian operations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Mansour emphasizes the urgent need for collective action to support UN initiatives and the rulings of the International Court of Justice. He calls on all states to meet their legal, political, humanitarian, and moral obligations to halt what he terms genocide and to protect the Palestinian people.
The letters urge the Security Council to fulfill its mandate under its Charter and relevant resolutions, specifically mentioning Resolutions 2735 and 2334. Mansour calls for an end to what he describes as genocide, the cessation of illegal occupation, protection of the international legal order, and the realization of Palestinian rights, including self-determination and return, to establish peace and security in the region.