UNSC meeting on the Middle East

(21 December 2021)

Statement by Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti

Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations

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Thank you, Mr. President. I thank Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland for the briefing on the implementation of resolution 2334.

2. Resolution 2334 was adopted by this Council to reaffirm the international community’s firm commitment towards preventing the erosion of the two-State solution. It calls upon parties to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, stresses that all settlement activities must cease, and underscores the need to exert collective efforts to launch credible negotiations on all final status issues.

3. The recent developments on ground, as revealed in the Secretary-General’s report, indicate that resolution 2334  is yet to be implemented in its letter and spirit. Violent attacks against Palestinian and Israeli civilians have continued during the reporting period. So have the acts of destruction, provocation and incitement. We condemn all such acts. Prospects of possible eviction of the Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah remain high. Tension continues to prevail at the holy sites of Jerusalem. Settlement activity has resumed after a brief hiatus.

4. We call upon the parties to immediately make concrete efforts to reverse these negative trends. Unilateral actions that unduly alter the status quo on  ground pose serious challenges and undercut the viability of the two-state solution.  These must be avoided in the interest of peace and stability. Instead, parties must engage in constructive steps that create conducive conditions for the resumption of peace talks.

5. We acknowledge that some steps have recently been initiated in this regard. The Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have opened a channel of communication. Steps have been taken to stabilise the fiscal situation of the Palestinian Authority and improve the socio-economic conditions of Palestinians, including through progressive easing of restrictions in the Gaza Strip for commodities and construction materials and increasing work permits for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza. Successful conclusion of the prisoner exchange talks would help the process further. We encourage everyone to build on such measures and create more avenues of co-operation, which can help overcome the trust deficit.

Mr. President,

6. India’s support for a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict is consistent and well known. We believe that durable and long-lasting peace can be achieved between the people of Israel and Palestine only through a two-state solution which entails the establishment of a sovereign, viable and independent State of Palestine, within recognized and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace and security.

7. Both the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for Statehood and Israel’s legitimate security concerns can be fulfilled through an open and direct dialogue between Israel and Palestine based on the internationally agreed framework. We reiterate that there is no alternative to direct peace negotiations between the parties.

8. Thirty years ago, the international community helped open a channel for direct talks between Israel and Palestine through the Madrid peace conference. A similar effort is required now to overcome the present impasse. India stands ready to support all efforts aimed at resumption of direct negotiations and facilitating the peace process to achieve a two-State solution.

I thank you.

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