I would like to make the following statement today on behalf of Denmark, Greece, Malta, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and my own country France.
We have three common messages:
First, we are appalled by the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza. This crisis is entirely man-made and has been constantly deteriorating for the past 11 months. International humanitarian law must be upheld and civilians in Gaza protected.
Humanitarian aid must be allowed in Gaza, immediately, and at scale. Humanitarian workers must be able to freely move in and around Gaza to distribute this aid on the basis of need and without fear of attack.
All parties to the conflict must fulfill this obligation and we call on Israel, as occupying power to lift the restrictions that prevent the aid to reach the Palestinian civilians.
We also recall that the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure is the cornerstone of international humanitarian law. Far too many Palestinian civilians have been killed. And we condemn the terrorist attacks conducted by Hamas against Israeli civilians on October 7th. We reiterate our support to the security of Israeli and Palestinian people.
Second, the dire humanitarian situation illustrates the need for an immediate sustained ceasefire in Gaza. The immediate and unconditional release of all hostages is equally essential. We are also very concerned by the high level of violence in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. We condemn the settler’s attacks against the Palestinian civilians. We reiterate the Council’s demand that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.
Third, the level of tensions reminds us everyday of the urgent need to restore a political horizon towards a two State solution. We fully support the efforts of Special Coordinator Wennesland and those of others in the region to help resume talks based on international law, relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and agreed parameters. We stand ready to support any initiative aiming at restoring a just and sustainable peace allowing Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in dignity and security.