Delivered By: HE Mohamed Abushahab, Ambassador and Permanent Representative
Madam President,
I congratulate the United Kingdom on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council this month and commend Foreign Secretary Cooper for presiding over this high-level meeting.
I also thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo as well as Ms. Qasas and Mr. Tamir for their insightful briefings.
Madam President,
Today marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan – a time of reflection, of mercy, and of empathy. It also comes at a moment of guarded hope for the people of Gaza.
The United Arab Emirates welcomes the launch of the second phase of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and commends President Trump’s leadership in this regard.
We express our support for Security Council Resolution 2803, which provides a clear mandate for the Plan’s implementation.
It is essential that it is implemented in full, including the disarmament of Hamas and Israel’s full withdrawal, as laid out in the Comprehensive Plan.
The launch of the Board of Peace and the establishment of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza offer a critical opportunity to build the foundations for a sustainable peace, one that upholds the unity of Palestinian land in Gaza and the West Bank, and under a reformed Palestinian Authority, carves a pathway for the implementation of the two-State solution.
In this connection, the UAE reaffirms that the responsibility for Gaza’s governance and administration lies with the Palestinian people.
The UAE’s membership on the Board of Peace, as well as the Gaza Executive Board, reflects our commitment to the Palestinian people and to achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace.
We look forward to the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace tomorrow in Washington DC, and to the momentum it promises to generate.
However, Madam President, as we transition to the next phase of the Plan, the reality on the ground in Gaza remains one of unimaginable hardship.
Delays at crossings and restrictions on access for humanitarian personnel are preventing sufficient humanitarian assistance reaching those most in need, including children.
All parties must honor their obligations under international humanitarian law, as well as their commitments under the Comprehensive Plan.
As Gaza’s largest bilateral humanitarian aid donor, the UAE will continue collaborating with international partners to alleviate Gaza’s dire humanitarian crisis, by further scaling up the arrival and distribution of aid via land, sea and air.
Madam President,
The UAE has – jointly with the Group of Eight Arab and Islamic countries – condemned the Israeli government’s recent decision to extend Israeli law and control over the West Bank.
Any unilateral measure that aims to alter the legal and historical status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory must be rejected and condemned.
Such measures threaten the realization of the two-State solution.
The UAE is also alarmed by the continued escalation of tensions in the West Bank, including relentless settler violence, which threaten to unravel the progress made in Gaza.
It is the responsibility of the Israeli government to stop these hostile acts and hold perpetrators to account.
Madam President,
The promise provided by the Comprehensive Plan, one of reconstruction and renewal, can only be fully realized if accompanied by a political pathway that leads to the two-State solution.
A pathway that leads to the realization of a sovereign, independent Palestinian State.
A pathway where hope and opportunity replace suffering.
A pathway to a world where Palestinians and Israelis thrive, side by side, in their own independent, prosperous, and secure States.
Thank you, Madam President.