Saudi FM: UN Security Council ‘complacent’ about loss of Palestinian lives
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has condemned the UN Security Council's silence on the Palestinian issue as “unacceptable,” saying the Security Council is “complacent” about the loss of Palestinian lives. He called for measures to stop the Israeli “bloodshed” in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan made the remarks during a Tuesday high-level meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the war in Gaza. The meeting was hosted by Brazil, which holds the rotating presidency of the council this month. Attendees included UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and representatives of more than 85 nations.
Bin Farhan said his country, alongside “friendly and brotherly nations,” has made every effort to achieve those goals and end the cycle of violence.
“The Palestinian people are suffering under the blockade and the ongoing escalation of the Israeli war machine,” he said.
He warned that Israel continues to “target civilian facilities, schools, hospitals, infrastructure. They have claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, including women, children and the elderly. They have injured thousands of civilians.”
“The failure of the international community, to this very day, to end this collective punishment by the Israeli occupation forces against the residents of Gaza, and their attempts to forcibly displace them, will not bring us any closer to security and stability,” the senior Saudi diplomat stated.
“We hold this meeting under painful circumstances, following dangerous developments in the Gaza Strip that claimed the lives of thousands of civilians,” Prince Faisal said, warning of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe and dangerous repercussions for the security of the region and the world.
He said the Council’s silence on the Palestinian issue has been “ongoing for decades” and is unacceptable.
“This Council bears the responsibility of its complacency, the cost of this crisis, the losses of lives and property, and the threats to the security and stability of the region,” the Saudi foreign minister noted.
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