Oman leads GCC Ambassadors meeting with UN Secretary General

The Ambassadors of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to the United Nations in New York, lead by the Sultanate of Oman, held a meeting today with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres.

The meeting, which was held at the United Nations headquarters, reviewed the latest developments on the Palestinian issue in light of the continued Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The UN Secretary-General expressed his concern about the heavy loss of civilian life, especially women and children. He added that that the United Nations had lost many employees of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the near East).

Mr Guterres said that UNRWA is in dire need of support and donations from the states of the world in light of the humanitarian needs and the acute shortage of the materials and supplies needed, especially medical and relief materials. He called on the international community to facilitate the arrival of aid to the Gaza Strip as quickly as possible to save lives and protect civilians.

The Ambassadors of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) discussed with the UN Secretary General the resolution issued by the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit that concluded its work in Riyadh.

This resolution condemned the brutal Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and called for confronting this aggression and the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing. The Resolution also called for an end to all illegal Israeli practices that perpetuate the occupation and deprive the Palestinian people of their rights, especially their right to freedom and an independent state with sovereignty over their entire national territory.

During the meeting, the GCC Ambassadors also stressed the centrality of the Palestinian issue. They said that all Arab and Islamic countries stand united with all their energies and capabilities alongside the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle to liberate all their occupied territories and to fulfil all their inalienable rights, especially their right to self-determination and to live in an independent, sovereign state based on the borders of June 4th, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital..

The GCC Ambassadors explained their vision that a just, lasting and comprehensive peace is the only way to guarantee security and stability for all the peoples of the region and protect them from cycles of violence and war. They added that this can only be achieved by ending the Israeli occupation and resolving the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution, fulfilling the demands of the international community.

The GCC Ambassadors called for a ceasefire, the ending of the Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, and stopping any plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land. They stressed that the massacres committed by Israeli forces against the population in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank amount to war crimes and genocide.

The GCC Ambassadors told the UN Secretary General that the Arab and Islamic world will not abandon the Palestinian people and will stand by them in defending their rights and standing firm on their land against all the illegal criminal practices practiced by the Israeli occupation authorities, which have claimed the lives of more than 11,000 Palestinians.

They rejected any attempt to mislead international public opinion by characterising this war of revenge as self-defence or justifying it under any pretext.

The UN Secretary-General said that the United Nations and its specialised agencies will not stop helping the Palestinian people, indicating that the United Nations is determined to continue its role with integrity in accordance with international resolutions.

Mr Guterres denounced the killing of innocent children, the elderly and women, and the targeting of hospitals and medical staff, schools and places of worship. He said that basic services such as electricity, water and communication and Internet services must not be cut off. He also called for a stop to any plans for the forced displacement of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip and other areas in the occupied Palestinian territories.

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.