The Maldives has today urged the UN Security Council to take firm measures to end Israel's illegal occupation, and its apartheid practices in Palestine. In a statement delivered at the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East including the Question of Palestine, Foreign Secretary Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed, stated that the UN has been a force for good for the entire humanity and helped in ending conflicts and in making peace. Foreign Secretary further stated that UN has saved millions of people from oppression, from colonialism, and from military occupation, yet, the UN has been helpless in ending Israel's subjugation of Palestinians and Israel's continued illegal occupation of Palestine epitomises a deep malaise in the international system that we have to address.
Foreign Secretary moreover stated that for decades the international community has sought the realization of a two-state solution, reaffirmed by UN resolutions, the Madrid Principles, the Oslo Accords, the Arab Peace initiative, and the Quartet Roadmap and these efforts attempt to succeed against a system of institutionalized occupation and apartheid and tries to alter the mind-sets of generations who have grown up under occupation, whose reality is one of fear, hatred and violence.
Continuing with his statement Foreign Secretary reflected on the recent violence that has broken out in Palestine and stated that it painted a bleak picture. "In the past weeks, we
have seen violence and counter-reprisals escalate sharply, old City in Jerusalem has been shut down to Palestinians is clear illustration of the gravity of this moment", said Foreign Secretary. He further stated that the sanctity of Haram-al-Sharif must be restored: granting Palestinians their rightful access as a first step to further the peace process. The Maldives also raised concerns on the thousands of Israeli settlers who move into the occupied territories of Palestine illegally each year, and stated that the combination of increasingly belligerent political rhetoric, coupled with the enforced physical and demographic changes to the occupied Palestinian territories continually reduce the chances for peace.Concluding his statement Foreign Secretary reiterated Maldives call for the community of nations to be more vigilant in addressing the issues of borders, refugees, settlements, and Jerusalem, in search for comprehensive and sustained peace. The Maldives reiterated its support for the full recognition of the State of Palestine, with its pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. "It is time that the Council demand the end of the illegal occupation and the oppression of Palestinian people. The United Nations must take the lead in steering the peace process from passive rhetoric to pragmatic action. The right to life in peace is as much a right for each and every Palestinian, as it is for each one of us here', said Foreign Secretary.
The Security Council Open Debate was held at Ministerial level and was chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain H.E. Mr. Jose Manuel, as current President to the Security Council.
