Peace Requires ‘Messy’ Concessions, Security Council Told, as Speakers Urge Diplomatic Toolbox for Middle East
President of Colombia Chairs Debate on Mediation, Identifies Racial Hatred as Root Cause of Global Conflicts
Peace is never elegant, it is “a messy series of concessions that leave everyone truly exhausted, but alive” and that is infinitely preferable to the alternative, the Security Council heard today from the speaker of a country that has survived a civil war.
Liberia’s delegate was speaking in an open debate on “Advancing Political Solutions in the Middle East: Mediation and Dialogue for Lasting Peace”, one of the signature events of the Colombian presidency of the Council this month.
The meeting began with a sobering overview from UN Secretary-General António Guterres who highlighted the “brutal price” being paid by the people of the Middle East. Highlighting the killing of civilians and peacekeepers and the uprooting of entire communities in southern Lebanon, he noted that over a million civilians have been displaced since March, as Israel and Hizbullah intensified their operations.
Despite the ceasefire announced eight months ago, violence is on the rise in the Gaza Strip. It is time to get serious about the only credible way to resolve the conflict: “An end to the occupation and a two-State solution”, he said. In the Gulf region, “where the ceasefire is more like a lesser-fire”, civilians are under attack in multiple countries, while restrictions on navigational freedom in the Strait of Hormuz are causing hardship around the world.
‘Dialogue Best, Only Hope for Peace’
The Secretary-General also commended mediation efforts by States — he welcomed the United States’ facilitation of talks between Israel and Lebanon, highlighted the Comprehensive Plan facilitated by the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye for the Gaza Strip, and praised the active mediation of Pakistan as well as the contributions of Egypt, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in the Gulf crisis. “Dialogue is our best and only hope for peace,” he said, adding: “The UN Charter gives us the rules and the tools.”
Also addressing the Council was Gustavo Petro Urrego, President of Colombia and Council President for June, speaking in his national capacity. He delivered a wide-ranging statement drawing connections between conflict and inequality. Noting how little of the price of a cup of coffee actually reaches coffee farmers, he issued an urgent call for equity, preventing elite control of artificial intelligence (AI) and tackling racism.
“Dialogue between civilizations can never involve destroying a civilization”, he said, adding that “there can be no chosen people of God”, as that very idea has driven so much war. Comparing the current moment to the darkest periods of the twentieth century, he said that its global crises are rooted in racial hatred. “Missiles are falling down on babies”, he said, calling for compassion.
Liberia Proposes Standing ‘UN Dialogue Secretariat’
“We listen to President Petro today because Colombia has walked the path, paid the price and lived to continue to build the peace,” said the representative of Liberia. His own country learned at great cost that “victory that is exclusive” is “merely an intermission before the next generation’s vengeance”, he said, proposing a “standing UN dialogue secretariat” to ensure continuous mediation and replace the current stop-and-go approach in which envoys arrive at moments of crisis and depart when the shooting pauses.
United States Adopts Enforcement Approach after Failed Dialogue with Iran
The representative of the United States said: “Effective diplomacy requires leverage, credibility and effective enforcement.” Her country has “brought a new approach” to the Middle East, she said, adding that this action-based approach has achieved “real results”. The Comprehensive Peace Plan to End the Gaza Conflict has facilitated humanitarian assistance, secured the release of all hostages held by Hamas and established a “realistic pathway towards lasting stability”. She also underlined the importance of UN sanctions architecture concerning Iran — “created precisely because dialogue without consequences failed to prevent destabilizing behaviour”.
Iran Urges President Trump to Refrain from Threats
Iran’s representative, however, said that if the United States is genuinely interested in a diplomatic solution, it must engage with Iran “on the basis of mutual respect”. The United States President “should refrain from his recurring threats against Iran, including his renewed threat of force made today”, he said, also noting repeated violations of the 8 April ceasefire by Israel and the United States. His country will continue to exercise its right to self-defence and those parties “will bear full responsibility for all consequences arising from their unlawful actions”, he said.
Bahrain’s delegate said her country has become a target of unlawful attacks by Iran. She highlighted Council resolution 2817 (2026) — one of the most co-sponsored in UN history — and described Iran’s campaign as a flagrant violation of international law that must end immediately. The representative of Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, also condemned Iranian attacks, rejected all efforts to seize Palestinian land or change its demographic character, and added: “The Palestinian cause will remain the central issue of the Arab world.”
Emer Higgins, Minister of State for Disability of Ireland, highlighted the “unconscionable suffering” of Palestinians — in Gaza and the West Bank, whose territorial integrity is being eroded by ever-increasing settlement expansion. “Regrettably these are the direct consequences of decisions by the current Israeli Government,” she said, noting the “atmosphere of impunity” which enables settler violence against Palestinians. Ninety-six per cent of incidents with settler violence never lead to prosecution, she pointed out.
“Palestinian civilians are anything but protected”, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine said, adding that mediation and dialogue should be followed up with accountability. Indeed, the “fire has not ceased in the Gaza Strip”, he added, noting that Israel obstructs aid delivery and now controls 70 per cent of Gaza, while 2 million Palestinians are squeezed into 30 per cent of the Strip in unliveable conditions. “It is time to rein in Israel’s colonial appetite”, including in Lebanon and Syria, he said. Mediation Fails Where One Side Holds Occupying Power
Mediation Fails Where One Side Holds Occupying Power
Mediation cannot be effective “in environments of profound power asymmetry” where one Power is the occupying Power and the other is under occupation, Somalia’s delegate stated. Reaffirming the rights of the Palestinian people, he added: “A victim is not an aggressor, and an aggressor will never be a victim.”
Pakistan’s delegate stressed that the “Arab-Israeli conflict” is one of the largest, oldest issues on the Council’s agenda. “The illegal occupation of Arab lands must end, ceasefires must be respected and humanitarian assistance must flow unimpeded”, he stressed. In the Middle East, history, culture and religion “interact profoundly”, and he stressed that any efforts towards peace in the region must account for this reality.
“Syria has known war as much as it has known peace,” said that country’s representative. Therefore, it knows “how difficult it is for parties to a conflict to agree on an honest mediator”. His country engaged in United States-brokered security talks with Israel. While this has yet to produce tangible results, “we are keen to continue with these efforts”, he said.
Egypt’s speaker condemned the “destructive Israeli approach”, from the displacement of Palestinians to the violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
‘Cost of Diplomacy Lower than That of War,’ Says Lebanon
Lebanon’s representative voiced his Government’s strong commitment to ongoing mediation efforts, while warning: “It has become evident […] that Israel constantly attempts to undermine the [United States]-led efforts.” So too does Iran, which recently rejected the 3 June ceasefire agreement, in a stark statement of interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs. Against that backdrop, he said mediation must be treated as a priority — “not a last resort”. Emphasizing that a just and lasting peace can never be achieved through military aggression, he declared: “The cost of diplomacy is always lower than the cost of war.”
Outi Holopainen, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Security Policy of Finland, said that the United States-brokered ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel offers “renewed hope” for lasting peace and security. “Hizbullah must halt its attacks, and Israel must respect Lebanon’s sovereignty,” she said.
France’s delegate said that his country will organize an international conference in support of the Lebanese authorities as soon as conditions allow. He also highlighted an event it is convening on 12 June, featuring Israeli and Palestinian civil society representatives, because “the peacemakers need our support now more than ever.”
The representative of the Russian Federation highlighted the Middle East’s “special place on the world map”: It is the cradle of the great civilizations and religions and has endured the rule of empires.” Those who seek to return Iran to the “Stone Age” are only deepening existing divisions, he said, as he highlighted his country’s updated concept for collective security in the Persian Gulf, which contains practical proposals for strengthening confidence-building measures in the region.
Lee Kyung-chul, Special Representative for Middle East Peace at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, warned that the Middle East crisis shows that even digital-based, advanced economies are not immune to disruptions in petroleum and shipping. His country’s SHINE Initiative — Stability, Harmony, Innovation, Network and Education — offers a comprehensive vision for engagement with the Middle East, aimed at building trust.
Where There Is Political Will, Mediation Can Work
The Latin American region has shown that when political will exists, mediation and confidence-building can work, Panama’s speaker said, citing Colombia’s peace accords. His own country’s recovery of full sovereignty over the Canal is an example of political leadership and good-faith negotiations leading to “a just agreement whose validity endures”.
“No two conflicts are identical,” Denmark’s delegate said, but many of the conflicts in the region are interlinked. “Across the diversity of cause and condition, one truth endures — dialogue and diplomacy are indispensable to the peaceful settlement of disputes,” she said.