Mr. President,

We requested to hold this Emergency Special Session today because the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that calls for the protection of the Palestinian civilians. Türkiye in its capacity as the Chair of the Organization of Islamic Conference co-tabled the draft resolution the membership will now take an action upon.

Let us be clear about what this resolution is and is not.

The draft resolution that is before us is a call to all member states of the UN to alleviate human suffering, a call to look for peaceful means to deter and prevent attacks on civilians.

This draft resolution is not about taking sides.

It is about supporting de-escalation on the ground. It is about deterring further violence from taking place. It is a call to the Secretary General to come up with his recommendations on how to protect civilians from further attack. It is a call to all sides to put an end to loss of lives.

This resolution does not seek to target anyone.

It seeks collective responsibility in support of international law, including all relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. It is about choosing the side of a credible peace process. It is about keeping the hopes for peaceful coexistence alive.

This is the right time to send a convincing signal to Palestinian people that their legitimate aspirations are heard and that the international community DOES care about their suffering.

This is the right time for the General Assembly to restore the credibility of the UN, by assuming its responsibility under the UN Charter. By showing that the acquis on the Palestinian issue is MORE THAN JUST WORDS.

Mr. President,

Despite incessant international calls, the Palestinians are still deprived from their inalienable rights. Their legitimate aspirations for statehood are still not fulfilled. They are faced with the efforts to erode the established parameters for a lasting peace. Now, to top it all, their right to peaceful protest is blatantly violated.

As we gather here today, we have a common duty to prevent further erosion of international law.

We must show that we are united to uphold the principles of international law, the letter and spirit of the Charter of the UN.

Our expectation from this resolution is clear and I repeat it:

We request the Secretary General to submit a report, containing his proposals on ways and means for ensuring the protection of civilians, including recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism to prevent and deter attacks on Palestinian civilians. This represents ONLY A MODEST STEP in the right direction after weeks of violence and huge loss of life.

Asking for UN action is choosing multilateralism OVER UNILATERALISM. This is what this resolution is about.

Unilateral decisions won’t bring peace. Only a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement will.

The parameters of that settlement are well known to all of us. A negotiated settlement for two states that will lead to the establishment of an independent State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, remains the only way to lay the foundations for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace between two states, namely Palestine and Israel, living side by side.
If peace is what we all want, there is no alternative way to that.

Mr. President,

We see that one country tabled an amendment in order to create confusion among membership.

The resolution that is before us today has been carefully drafted through several rounds of negotiations at the Security Council. The FAILURE of the Security Council to act on this vital matter is the VERY reason why we are here today. You would remember that the amendments that turned into a draft resolution in the Council on 1 June 2018 were rejected.

Therefore, I ask all of you to act similarly and NOT TO SUPPORT the consideration of this or any other amendment.

As we vote for this resolution, we must stand on the RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY. We must stand for peace and dignity for all.

Thank you.