LOC09:35
06:35 GMT
NEW YORK, July 28 (KUNA) -- On the eve of Eid El-Fitr, the Security Council on Sunday night expressed "strong" support for the call for an "immediate and unconditional" humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to allow delivery of urgently needed assistance to Gaza people.
Meeting Sunday night at midnight, the Council President Eugene-Richard Gasana of Rwanda read out a presidential statement during a Council open meeting urging all parties to "accept and fully implement" the humanitarian ceasefire into the Eid period and beyond; and commended Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Secretary of State John Kerry for their efforts in this regard.
The Council failed to agree on the draft resolution tabled by Jordan last week, but managed to issue this presidential statement instead.
It is the first Council document approved since the Council adopted resolution 1860 on Gaza in 2009. The previous press statements are never issued as Council documents.
Expressing "grave concern" at the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the loss of civilian lives and casualties, the Council called for full respect of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians; and reiterated the need to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of civilians and their protection.
The Council called on Israel and Hamas to engage in efforts to achieve a durable and fully respected ceasefire based on the Egyptian initiative.
It welcomed the efforts of international partners, including the convening of the international meeting to support the ceasefire held in Paris on Saturday and urged all concerned regional and international parties to vigorously support efforts to consolidate an agreement between the two parties.
In an indirect reference to the UNRWA school that Israel hit last week, the Council emphasized that civilian and humanitarian facilities, including those of the UN, must be respected and protected; and called on all parties to act consistently with this principle.
The Council urged the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders as envisioned in relevant Council resolutions.
The Council also called for the full implementation of resolution 1860 of 2009, and stressed the need for immediate provision of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza, including through urgent additional contribution to UNRWA, commending its "vital" role in addressing the critical humanitarian needs in Gaza.
Resolution 1860 called for "an immediate and durable ceasefire in Gaza leading to a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip; unimpeded provision through Gaza of food, fuel and medical treatment; and intensified international arrangements to prevent arms and ammunition smuggling."
All Council members voted in favor of that resolution, except the US which abstained.
Following the meeting, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters that he and other delegations would have liked the Council to adopt a resolution, not just a presidential statement.
"The Council should have adopted a resolution a long time ago to condemn this (Israeli) aggression, call for it to be stopped immediately, provide the Palestinian people with protection, call on Israel to withdraw its forces from the Strip immediately, and lift the siege against our people, including allowing our people to fish in the sea, one of their main sources of food. The status quo is not sustainable," he said.
"We are disappointed that these elements were not reflected in the presidential statement, and we thought a resolution should be in order. We will continue to pressure the Council to shoulder its responsibility in order to put an end to this aggression, and to guarantee that it will not be repeated against our people," he added.
"We hope the ceasefire will last for a long time. We will see if Israel will honor and respect this humanitarian ceasefire or continue with this aggression against our people... We will not accept that the Security Council continues to drag its feet and act as if this is a small issue," he stressed.
He thanked Kuwait, represented by Ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaitbi, the current Chairman of the Arab Group, for "pushing on behalf of all of us in the Security Council to adopt a resolution."
Saudi Ambassador Abdullah Al-Muallimi, Chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also told reporters that the presidential statement does not include all the elements enumerated by the Palestinian Ambassador, but "we welcome it as a first step towards finding a basis to continue ensuring a ceasefire and end the aggression.
Jordanian Deputy Permanent Representative Mahmoud Hmoud told reporters "we hope this statement will contribute to ending this Israeli aggression, to bring life back to Gaza, and hopefully put a conducive environment for the establishment of security and peace and eventually the creation of a Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital."
He insisted that the draft resolution is still on the Council table and is "still being deliberated. We hope the efforts in Paris meeting will bring about a durable ceasefire. We are ready, at any time, when the Council members think it is conducive for the draft resolution to contribute to the permanent ceasefire, to put it forward." (end)
sj.ibi