“The unlawful occupation of the whole Palestinian Territory must end. Now.” Palestinian Rights Committee Chair tells the Security Council

STATEMENT TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL

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H.E. MR. COLY SECK

CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

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OPEN DEBATE ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION

New York, 23 October 2025

Mr. President,

Distinguished Members of the Security Council,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I congratulate the Russian Federation on its presidency of the Security Council for the month of October. We appreciate the briefing by Mr. Ramiz Alakbarov, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Office of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.

Distinguished Members of the Council,

We are at a watershed moment.

After two years of immense human suffering, relentless bombing, destruction and man-made starvation, which reached the level of famine, perpetrated in Gaza by Israel, the occupying power, the whole world on 13 October welcomed the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh. Forging an end to this appalling war of atrocities in Gaza, the Summit signalled the start of healing, recovery and reconstruction for the Palestinian people in the aftermath of this unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. On the same day, we witnessed the first phase of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and a day of relief and joy for affected families with the release of all 20 living Israeli hostages in Gaza, together with the release of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners returning to their families, some of them after decades in captivity. We also witnessed the start of the agreed phased withdrawal from the Gaza Strip of the Israel Defence Forces.

The Committee takes this opportunity to commend the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the United States in brokering the ceasefire agreement.

However, regrettably, since the ceasefire was agreed on 10 October, at least 97 Palestinians, including children, have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza and 230 more people have been wounded. While hundreds of trucks entered Gaza bringing lifesaving food and medical supplies, severe limitations to the delivery of necessary humanitarian aid remain, putting in doubt the implementation of the agreement.

The Committee reiterates its calls for rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza, including by the UN and its agencies, with UNRWA the main pillar of UN humanitarian operations in Gaza, and for the urgent restoration of basic services for the Palestinian civilian population, including health services, water and sanitation and education for hundreds of thousands of children who must return to school.

Moreover, the Committee reiterates its calls for immediate compliance by Israel, the occupying Power, of its legal obligations, including under international humanitarian law, and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the UN, and underscores the importance of yesterday 22 October 2025 ICJ advisory opinion in this regard and calls for its scrupulous respect.

Mr. President,

The suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza must end now.

Last week we saw a “stream of humanity” with thousands of Palestinians returning to northern Gaza looking for what is left of their homes and hoping to rebuild their lives.

Both Israelis and Palestinians must be able to look ahead now with a sense of relief and hope; the ceasefire must be sustained. It is time for healing and recovery, time to end the violence and end the occupation, time to work for a just solution and lasting peace and security.

All concerned parties must abide fully by the terms of the agreement to ensure that these first steps transform into a reliable path to peace.

The ceasefire must be permanent and irreversible.

And the blockade of Gaza must be lifted, indefinitely.

I urge Member States to support all efforts to fully implement and consolidate this ceasefire, ensure accountability, and create the conditions for recovery and reconstruction.

In this dynamic, the Security Council has a fundamental role to play, including in securing peace through the planning and deployment of a peace mission, with a mandate taking into account the protection of civilians, the guarantee of a ceasefire, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip and humanitarian access, among others.

While we welcome with great relief the ceasefire in Gaza, the Israeli occupation’s violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continues to worsen. Since 7 October 2023, 1,043 Palestinians were killed by the Israel Defence Forces and settlers in the West Bank and settlement expansion continues unabated. We reiterate that settlements are illegal under international law and must be halted and dismantled, as long ago demanded by this very Council.

The unlawful occupation of the whole Palestinian Territory must end. Now.

The September 2025 deadline for the end of the Israeli occupation demanded by the International Court of Justice as contained in General Assembly resolution ES-10/24 has already passed.

We trust that this ceasefire agreement will bring about a peaceful path not just in Gaza, but in the entirety of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and thus urge the extension of the ceasefire to the West Bank.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The international community has expressed its position at the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution co-chaired by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Outcome Document of the conference – the “New York Declaration” – constitutes a roadmap to preserve the two-State solution against illegal measures aimed at altering the demography, character and status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory – such as forcible transfer of civilians and annexation- and to ensure territorial continuity of the State of Palestine.

The two-State solution remains the only viable path toward a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Following a wave of recognitions announced at the international conference, to date, 159 countries have recognized the State of Palestine, confirming the strong international consensus on the basis of international law.  The New York Declaration is therefore instrumental to any plan for peace.

Our Committee stands strong and clear in its support of the Palestinian people: now we must work collectively to advance practical steps, including ensuring the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and the realization of an independent, sovereign State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and recognized borders on the basis of pre-1967 lines, which must be realized in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions without further delay. Palestinians must be included in the negotiations on their future, their development and on the future of the State of Palestine. The conditions must be created for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace, security and prosperity.

Now is the time to look forward to a new beginning, with hope for Palestinians in the entire Occupied Palestinian Territory, but it is also the time to acknowledge the indelible stain on our collective conscience that these past two years have inflicted and to say loud and clear “never again”. There is no peace without justice and the time for accountability will come.

For now, we must start to rebuild what was lost for future generations in the entire Middle East.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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