International and European calls to stop settler violence and deliver aid to Gaza

Ramez Alakbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, called for the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip and the provision of urgent needs for the sector's residents, while European countries condemned the unprecedented escalation in settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Alakbarov said in a briefing to the UN Security Council -via video- from the occupied city of Jerusalem, that "The risk of death from cold in Gaza is increasing, amid a lack of aid".

This suffering comes amid Israel's refusal to fulfill its obligations stipulated in the ceasefire agreement in effect since October 10 last year, and its humanitarian protocol, including the entry of shelter materials and 300,000 tents and mobile homes, as repeatedly confirmed by the Gaza Government Media Office.

The Israeli genocide war in Gaza, which began on October 8, 2023, with American support and lasted two years, left more than 70,000 martyrs and over 171,000 injured, most of them children and women, and destruction that affected 90% of the civilian infrastructure.

Alakbarov also warned that "The ongoing Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, fuels tensions, hinders Palestinians' access to their lands, and threatens the possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous and sovereign Palestinian state".

The UN official noted that Israel's attacks in the West Bank "Have caused large numbers of deaths and injuries among Palestinians, mass displacement, and widespread destruction, especially in refugee camps".

He also condemned settler attacks, which he said have become more "Frequent and violent", and often occur in the presence or with the support of Israeli security forces, especially during the olive harvest season.

During the same Security Council session dedicated to discussing the situation in the Middle East and the Palestinian issue, Algeria's representative Ammar Benjamaa said that the Israeli genocide war continues against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Benjamaa called on the guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire agreement to assume their responsibilities regarding Israeli violations.

He pointed out that Israeli forces "Continue to move and bomb as if the ceasefire arrangements bind everyone except the Israeli occupation".

Addressing the members of the UN Security Council, Benjamaa added "It has become clear and painful that the Israeli occupation enjoys impunity in this Council".

For his part, Palestine's permanent representative to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, accused Israel of continuing its policy of displacing and replacing the Palestinian people.

Mansour said "Settler militias work side by side with the occupation army, systematically targeting our people, with the aim of annexing the West Bank to Israel".

Since the start of the genocide war on Gaza, the Israeli army and settlers have escalated their attacks against Palestinians and their properties, killing 1,097 Palestinians in the West Bank, injuring about 11,000, in addition to arresting more than 21,000.

European Condemnation

For his part, France's representative to the UN Security Council, Jerome Bonnafont, said that "The Israeli government's approval to establish 19 new settlement outposts and the E1 settler project between Jerusalem and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement in the east, represents a blatant violation of international law and a strong blow to the two-state solution.

Bonnafont confirmed during a monthly UN Security Council session on the Palestinian issue his country's condemnation of settlement expansion and its opposition to any form of annexation of the West Bank.

Prior to the session, European countries in the Security Council condemned the unprecedented escalation in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The European statement said "We renew our commitment to the two-state solution and emphasize the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank, and we call for enabling UNRWA to continue its vital work and welcome the renewal of its mandate".

In contrast, Jennifer Lusita, Deputy US Representative to the Security Council, confirmed that Washington will not allow the annexation of the West Bank and that President Donald Trump expects an end to the violence there.

Lusita added that aid must be delivered to Gaza and the body of the last Israeli returned, and the Security Council must ensure Hamas' commitment to its pledges under President Trump's plan.