Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Promotes Political Agenda Intended to ‘Destroy Israel’s Image as a Democratic State,’ Fourth Committee Hears
The report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices is a distortion of reality and promotes a particular political agenda aimed at “destroying Israel’s image as a democratic State,” that country’s delegate told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today, while other speakers called for a permanent end to the Israeli settler activities, in keeping with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.
After 7 October, the Israeli delegate said, it is clear that Hamas used millions of dollars of support received from the United Nations and Member States to arm themselves with every kind of weapon, dig tunnels under their schools, hospitals and humanitarian installations, and prepare to attack Israel. Recalling that day, he said that approximately 1,400 people were brutally massacred. “Women were raped as a weapon of war,” he said, adding that a UN official who visited Israel in the aftermath said: “If there is a hell on earth, it is the lives of children under attack by Hamas”.
That organization was following its own covenant, according to which, he said, Israel will exist until Islam obliterates it. Yet there is no expectation that the United Nations will establish a committee to investigate Hamas. Describing the Special Committee’s reports and resolutions as one-sided, he said the support of the “anti-Israeli automatic majority at the UN” permits this to continue. Despite that, Israel will continue to fight to bring home the hostages held in Gaza and ensure that Hamas will never be able to repeat its attack on Israeli communities. On humanitarian aid, he added, more is entering Gaza, and Israel is opening new routes and humanitarian crossings.
Canada’s delegate, opposing all initiatives at the UN that single out Israel for criticism, said there are too many resolutions on this issue. Expressing concern about one-sided resolutions that politicize it, he condemned the Hamas attack and said nothing can justify its acts of terror. Calling for the immediate release of all hostages, he voiced concern about the “widening of the war,” with attacks by Hizbullah and the internal displacement in Israel, as well as attacks by terrorist groups from Yemen and Iraq. Reaffirming support for Israel’s right to self-defence, he warned that it must be exercised in accordance with international law and the laws governing military conflict.
Recalling that the leaders of Australia, New Zealand and his country have called on Israel to respond to the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, ensure accountability for settler violence and reverse the record expansion of settlements in the West Bank, he said: “We have seen no evidence that this is taking place. Our votes will reflect these developments”.
The representative of the League of Arab States said that the 7 October attacks are a response to years of illegal Israeli oppression. Calling for accountability for the genocide, settlements and occupation of Arab territories, she stressed that the international community must not allow Israel to enjoy immunity. Israel has continued to flout the resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly, the two bodies that granted it statehood. It is targeting holy sites and preventing Palestinians from accessing them. It is also attacking journalists to prevent them from covering its atrocities. “We must in the name of humanity come together” to put an end to Israel’s violations, she said.
Also highlighting the lack of accountability for the crimes committed by Israel was Iran’s delegate, who condemned the expansionist policies that Israelis have pursued for many decades, including the use of starvation of children as a weapon. Calling for a full ceasefire, followed by Gaza’s reconstruction, he said Israel and its allies must pay reparations. This regime is committing atrocities, not only against Palestinians and other peace-loving nations, but also against the United Nations, he said.
The representative of Namibia said that, despite accusations of the Special Committee’s bias, no counter-evidence has been provided against the documented facts. On the contrary, the Special Committee, like other UN bodies, faces restricted access to fulfil its mandate. The precedent set by the acceptance of the ongoing Israeli practices and settlement activities as a norm “will forever be a blemish” for which the international community will bear collective responsibility. Against this backdrop, he called on Israel to honour its obligations under international law, adding: “The practice of unabated continued annexation and expansion of settlements is untenable and must be stopped”.
Several delegates echoed these sentiments, including Guyana’s representative, who called on Israel to permanently end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory, in keeping with the court’s advisory opinion of 19 July, and to cease all settlement activities, adding that Member States also have a responsibility to disincentivize the practice. Condemning the increasingly dangerous rhetoric by Israeli senior officials, promoting the idea of the Gaza Strip’s occupation after the end of the war, she recalled that international law prohibits annexation of territory by an occupying Power, including acquisition of such territory by force. She further noted that the simplification of the approval process for Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, coupled with other measures, point to Israel’s application of sovereignty over the West Bank.
Also warning of Israel’s attempt to achieve long-term control of the West Bank, Egypt’s delegate noted that Israeli settlements number in the tens of thousands in the Occupied Territory. Anyone who is trying to visit the Occupied Palestinian Territory must take very circuitous routes to avoid the Israeli settlements, he pointed out, adding that this is aimed at preventing a Palestinian State. Israel is also targeting the spirit of the Palestinian people, by depriving them of the right to return through its attempts to eliminate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which consistently reaffirms that right.
Turning to the situation in his country, Lebanon’s delegate said that Israel, in the past 48 hours, has launched more than 300 aerial raids against Lebanon. The number of victims exceeds 3,500. “Israel continues its incursion into our land, devastating our villages and rendering life unliveable there,” he stressed. The target is not military. It is about genocide and annexation. “It is high time to put an end to the bombardment against Gaza in Lebanon and impose a ceasefire,” he said. Israel must withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories and put an end to its violations.
The representative of Syria, spotlighting the Israeli occupation in the Syrian Golan, said that Israel seeks to “distort and falsify history,” including the desecration of cemeteries, with three-quarters of the territory being confiscated. He detailed cases of turning agricultural lands into military outposts, establishing more than 40 settlements and disposing of toxic waste there, which has reportedly led to an increase in cancer. Calling Israel’s settlement expansion in the Golan Heights null and void under international law, he reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to recover the entirety of the Golan Heights.
Several speakers urged the Security Council to take a more active role in ending the conflict. Jordan’s delegate urged it to assume its responsibilities by enforcing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and in Lebanon. Accusing Israel of undermining the security and stability in the region through the crime of genocide, he stated that Israel persists in seizing land, demolishing homes and attempting to forcibly displace Palestinians, while its officials escalate racist rhetoric to impose sovereignty over the occupied West Bank. Emphasizing Jordan’s commitment, he affirmed the continuation of its custodianship and protection of Jerusalem’s holy sites, and pledged ongoing humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
The representative of Cuba voiced regret over the Council’s failure to put an end to the Israeli practices. He called on that body to end the “barbarity,” highlighting that Israel acts with full impunity, due to support from the United States. Reaffirming his country’s support for Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations, he urged the Council to take immediate action on this issue. “Every minute of silence or inactivity or any double standards leads to the loss of innocent lives,” he said.
Speaking in exercise of the right of reply were representatives of Iran, Israel, Lebanon and Syria, as well as the observer for the State of Palestine.
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