Briefing: The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

Thank you, Mr. President.

And as usual, I'd like to start by thanking the Under-Secretary-General and Coordinator for Humanitarian Action and Reconstruction in Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, and the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, Jorge Moreira da Silva, for their presentations. My country, Switzerland, salutes the great commitment of your teams, as well as that of the OCHA teams, in setting up the mechanism established by resolution 2720, in order to increase the supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Your regular presentations to the Council are particularly useful because, we have just heard it again, the humanitarian catastrophe continues to worsen throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

In Gaza, hostilities continue to claim numerous civilian casualties, and Israeli evacuation orders are adding further pressure on an already desperate population - many of whom are children - limiting access to essential services. In addition, more than 100 hostages remain in captivity, and we call - once again - for their immediate and unconditional release.

Switzerland reiterates its condemnation of all violations of international humanitarian law committed by all parties, which must cease immediately.

Almost nine months after the adoption of resolution 2720, the provision of humanitarian aid remains more vital than ever in Gaza. Allow me to highlight three particularly important aspects of the implementation of resolution 2720:

Firstly, the resolution places a strong emphasis on humanitarian access. Switzerland once again calls on all parties to implement their obligations under human rights and international humanitarian law. This includes allowing and facilitating safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access through all crossing points to civilian populations. We condemn the incident at a checkpoint on September 9 affecting a UN team working on the vaccination campaign in Gaza. Such incidents are unacceptable. As the occupying power, Israel has an obligation to provide for the basic needs of the population under its control. We recall that the deliberate use of starvation as a method of warfare is a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Secondly, the protection of civilians, including humanitarian and medical personnel, must be guaranteed - always. The use of heavy weapons whose destructive capacity is such as to make it impossible to distinguish between civilians and combatants in densely populated areas is unacceptable. Furthermore, the civilian population, non-combatants and civilian infrastructure, such as residential buildings, schools and hospitals, must not be the object of attack. Switzerland condemns such attacks, which are violations of international humanitarian law, in the strongest possible terms. The deadly consequences of Israeli military operations in areas where civilians have taken refuge are intolerable, as we saw for example last Wednesday. For example, a school used as a refuge for 12,000 people was once again attacked, resulting in numerous casualties, including six UNRWA staff members, whose families and loved ones we offer our sincere condolences to. Establishing reliable protection and security guarantees for humanitarian personnel is an obligation. The Council reaffirmed this by adopting resolution 2730.

Switzerland recalls that international humanitarian law prohibits any party to a conflict from using the presence of civilians or persons hors de combat to shield a military objective from attack. However, even if this rule is violated, this in no way suspends the obligation of the other party to the conflict to comply strictly with international humanitarian law in the conduct of hostilities. Civilian property, including schools and places of worship, is protected by international humanitarian law.
Thirdly, we welcome the implementation of the polio vaccination campaign, which Switzerland supported with funding of one million Swiss francs. This campaign showed what the United Nations and its humanitarian partners can achieve if the parties to the conflict respect their obligation to guarantee safe and unhindered access. But this is not enough. We have said it many times, and this Council has decided it: we need an immediate ceasefire.

Mr. President,

Despite the consistent efforts of the Under-Secretary-General and her team, the reopening of all crossing points is necessary in view of the immensity of the needs. In addition to an immediate ceasefire, the reconstruction envisaged by the members of the Council 9 months ago with 2720 requires the prospect of a peace process.
Respect for international law and the resolutions of this Council is also a sine qua non for de-escalation, including regional de-escalation, and a first step towards the establishment of a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

We reiterate our firm support for the negotiated two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine, of which Gaza is an integral part, living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders.

Thank you.