Annexation, Shooting Near Hebron – Daily Press Briefing – (Excerpts)

14 MAY 2020

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

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Questions and Answers

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Question:  Yes.  Thank you, Stéphane.  As you know, the US Secretary of State [Michael] Pompeo was in Israel, and he endorsed their plan to annex the land on 1 July.  That is getting now more impact on the region.  So, why the SG does not say something, as he represents the highest morality of the office?

Spokesman:  Abdelhamid, you and I are continuing our travels on parallel roads.  The Secretary‑General has expressed himself, especially through the statement delivered on his behalf to the Security Council by Nickolay Mladenov, of his deep concern for any unilateral action, especially annexation and the damage that would do for the prospect of a two‑State solution.

Question:  Sorry, Stéphane.  You know and I know that it’s different when you report to the Security Council once a month and you read the report and you bury something that in the lines and a statement issued by the Secretary‑General expressing the value…  I mean the importance of the development and the view of the Office of the Secretary‑General.  That’s two different things.

Spokesman:  I…  Abdelhamid, I don’t agree with you, because I think the…  first of all, our position on annexation is anything but buried.  It is clear.  It is available for anyone to see, and it is available for anyone to hear.  It was…  in its latest incarnation, it was delivered in a very public, open meeting of the Security Council where, at the horseshoe table, you had both the Permanent Representative of Israel and the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine.  So, I don’t think we could have been any clearer.

Sherwin?

Correspondent:  Just one more little thing.  I’m sorry.

Spokesman:  No, please.

Question:  Yesterday, a 15‑year‑old boy in the refugee camp of Fawwar near Hebron — his name is Zeid Fadl Qaisiyyia — was shot in the head by the Israeli army.  Is anybody aware of this development?

Spokesman:  I will check with Mr. Mladenov’s office.  [He later noted that UNICEF had tweeted, “UNICEF is appalled that a 17-year-old boy was killed yesterday with live ammunition in a Hebron refugee camp.”]

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For information media. Not an official record.