TEHRAN – The Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations in New York Amir Saied Iravani has addressed the UN Security Council on the situation in occupied Palestinian territories, saying that the situation there has deteriorated.

“The situation in occupied Palestine territories has deteriorated. The UN reports indicate that the year 2022 has been the deadliest year for the Palestinian people since 2006,” Iravani lamented. 

He added, “The Israeli regime has persisted with its oppressive, expansionist, and apartheid practices as well as systematic violation of the human rights of Palestinians through killing innocent people, including women and children, stealing and demolishing the property of the Palestinian people, and forcibly evicting them from their homes. Today, Gaza has become the world's largest prison, and the voice of the oppressed people of Gaza is silenced. Many people, including women, and children face severe deprivation and violations of their basic rights. This is a crime against humanity, a violation of all international laws and norms, and a serious threat to international peace and security.”
 
Ambassador Iravani continued, “For 74 years, such brutal crimes and atrocities have been committed against the Palestinian people without ceasing, and neither the occupation has ended, nor has the occupier and apartheid regime faced any consequences. Today, the Palestinian people need effective support and decisive action from Security Council to stop the aggressor and end the occupation, not its sympathy. The Israeli regime ignores and violates brazenly all UN resolutions, including the Security Council resolutions.”

The Iranian ambassador also criticized the UN body’s silence on Palestine, saying, “Due to the Security Council's silence, all UN resolutions from the past several decades have remained on paper only while we continue to witness more atrocities committed against Palestinians by such a despicable regime. This regime is fully aware that, due to consistent support and a cart de Blanche from one permanent member of the Security Council, it will not be held accountable by the international community. Members of the Security Council must consider whether any UN resolutions, particularly those urging an end to the occupation, settlement expansions, or blockade of Gaza, have been implemented.” 

He called for an end to occupation and the restoration of Palestinian sovereignty over entire Palestine. “We believe that the conflict in Palestine can only be resolved if the occupation ends and the inalienable rights of self-determination of the Palestinian people, are fully recognized, restored, and protected, resulting in the full restoration of Palestinian sovereignty over the entire Palestine,” the ambassador said, adding, “This, however, will not be achieved until the Security Council's inaction remains an option. The Council's current position has only encouraged and emboldened the Israeli regime to perpetuate its occupation and atrocities against the oppressed people of Palestine. The Islamic Republic of Iran regards it as its duty to support Palestine's legitimate rights to resistance to the oppression and aggression of this apartheid regime, in line with the right of self-determination, and this will be our principled policy until the occupation ends.”

He stated, “The representative of the Israeli regime attempted to abuse this Chamber once more, resorting to fabrications and lies and making repeated allegations by accusing Iran of hostile actions and malicious activities that this terrorist regime has conducted and is continuing against regional countries and beyond.

“Iran categorically rejects all these baseless allegations. It is obvious that the purpose of such unfounded accusations is to deflect attention from the meeting's agenda item, which focused on the atrocities committed by such Apartheid regime against the Palestinian people as well as its systematic and deliberate violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestine territories. Today, at this meeting, the representative of this rogue regime has gone beyond that, blatantly threatening a member of the UN to use force in this Chamber, in a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international law.”

Ambassador Iravani said the UN Security Council must deal with such hostile remarks.

“The Security Council must condemn strongly such reckless and belligerent statements, which can pose a threat to regional and international peace and security. We also totally reject the unjustified and unfounded claims levelled against my Country by the representative of Albania, who deviated from the Council's agenda issue.”

Iravani concluded, “Iran has already rejected these unfounded assertions and detailed its position in its letters to the Security Council dated 10 September, 19 October, and 24 October 2022 (S/2022/685- S/2022/776- S/2022/794). Given the UN Security Council's unique role and mandate in maintaining international peace and security, we believe that membership in the Security Council entails greater responsibility and more professionalism.”

Earlier, Fatemeh Arab Bafrani, the second secretary of the Iranian mission, highlighted in statement to a UN General Assembly session the grave human rights situation in Palestine.  “The Palestinian nation is experiencing escalating levels of inhuman and intolerable occupation, blockade, aggression, and expansionism under the Israeli regime. Palestinians' basic rights, including the right to life, housing, and employment, are being violated on a daily basis. Furthermore, we are witnessing a new wave of illegal settlements, forced migration, confiscation of property, destruction of farmlands, and arbitrary detentions,” she said. 

She added, “The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that ending more than seven decades of conflicts and disputes in the Middle East, and the establishment of a durable peace is only possible by resolving the Palestinian issue by ending the occupation, restoring the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, return of the refugees to their homeland and establishing a democratic mechanism through which all inhabitants of Palestine, as well as Palestinians, driven out of their homeland, could have the possibility to determine their future in a democratic and peaceful fashion.”

In a separate statement, she also said that Israel has hindered the work of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

“In the months following the inception of the CoI, the brutal Israeli Regime has resorted to a new law in order to hinder the Commission's work and its cooperation with civil society. Several Palestinian NGOs are now dubbed "Terrorists" by the Occupying Regime because they were instrumental in raising awareness and informing the world about the systematic Apartheid that Palestinians face every day,” she said, adding, “Another shameless attempt to stifle global awareness by the Israeli Regime was the murder of Shirin Abu'Akleh, a fearless woman and valiant journalist who was a victim of the cowardly Regime in its quest to perpetuate impunity.”