(Vatican Radio) The Holy See reiterated its support for a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Wednesday during a United Nations Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East.
“If Israel and Palestine do not agree to exist side-by-side, reconciled and sovereign within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders, peace will remain a distant dream and security an illusion,” said a statement by Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.
The Vatican diplomat also voiced concern about the ongoing violence in the wider region, such as in Syria and Iraq.
The cradle of civilizations and the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the Middle East has become the theater of incredible brutality,” Archbishop Auza’s statement said.
The utter disregard of international humanitarian law has reached alarming levels of inhumanity,” – he continued – “Schools, hospitals, humanitarian convoys, humanitarian workers and journalists, and entire villages and cities are no longer ‘collateral damage’: They themselves have become targets of indiscriminate attacks. The corpses under the ruins and the wandering refugees are a clear witness to this cynical contempt and trampling of international humanitarian law.”
The full statement can be found below
Statement of H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on
The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question
New York, 19 October 2016
Mr. President,
My delegation thanks the Presidency of the Russian Federation for bringing this topic of
the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question, to the floor of this Chamber and to
the attention of the entire international community.
The gradual movement away from the two-State solution proposed in 1947 by the United
Nations for what was then Palestine under the British Mandate is cause for very grave
concern. The collapse in April 2014 of the peace negotiations between the two parties has
led to negative unilateral actions and acts of violence stoked by inflammatory rhetoric from
both parties.
The straying from the Madrid peace process and the Oslo Accords of the 1990’s has served
to increase the level of frustration and desperation among the Palestinian polity. A unity
government in the West Bank and Gaza is essential to advancing the negotiations and to
bringing peace and prosperity to its people, so heavily dependent on international aid for
basic needs. Regular briefings in this Chamber inform us of the financial woes of UNRWA
(the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine), as it faces ever-growing
humanitarian needs.
My delegation would like to underline once again that, for the Holy See, the two-State
solution holds the best promise. If Israel and Palestine do not agree to exist side-by-side,
reconciled and sovereign within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders,
peace will remain a distant dream and security an illusion.
Mr. President,
While the focus of today’s debate is how to urge Israel and Palestine to stop making
unilateral decisions and taking independent actions that engender the resumption of
meaningful negotiations, the Palestinian Question cannot but be viewed as part of the
Middle East turmoil that impacts the whole region and beyond.
The cradle of civilizations and the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the
Middle East has become the theater of incredible brutality. The utter disregard of
international humanitarian law has reached alarming levels of inhumanity. Schools,
hospitals, humanitarian convoys, humanitarian workers and journalists, and entire
villages and cities are no longer “collateral damage”: They themselves have become targets
of indiscriminate attacks. The corpses under the ruins and the wandering refugees are a
clear witness to this cynical contempt and trampling of international humanitarian law.
Pope Francis has reiterated his appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Aleppo and other parts
of Syria, saying, “With a sense of urgency I renew my appeal, pleading with all my strength
to those responsible for an immediate ceasefire, which is imposed and respected at least
for the time necessary to allow the evacuation of civilians, especially children, who are still
trapped under the ferocious bombardments.”
Mr. President,
We continue to debate in this Chamber and in other United Nations fora, while the
Christians and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in the Middle East
are on the verge of total annihilation. The intentions of the terrorist and extremist groups
to banish them from the region have been unmistakably manifest since the start of this
barbaric persecution. Testimonies and traces of the historical rootedness in the region of
Christian and other ethnic and religious groups are also being wiped out, as churches,
monasteries and cultural monuments and artifacts have been reduced to dust and rubble.
In this madness beyond comprehension and belief, so many members of the majority
groups have also fallen victim.
Mr. President,
Mandated to maintain international peace and security, this Council is called to lead the
entire international community to stop the bloodshed and destruction. States supporting
client groups must stop the flow of weapons and munitions into the region. Geopolitical
differences and the noise of arms must not stop dialogue and negotiations. Madmen
preaching hatred and inciting to violence in God’s name must be stopped. All are
summoned to do their part in fostering in the region respect for fundamental human
rights, including freedom of religion and of expression. All are called to greater solidarity,
so that humanitarian assistance and specific programs for the most vulnerable could be
assured as much as possible in the context of such challenging situations.
My delegation would like to conclude with a thought of Pope Francis on the fundamental
importance of dialogue. “Dialogue,” he said, “is what creates peace. It is impossible for
peace to exist without dialogue. All the wars, all the strife, all the unsolved problems over
which we clash are due to a lack of dialogue. When there is a problem, talk: This makes
peace.”
This dialogue is still possible and must be pursued with urgency, for the sake of the people
of Syria and all the inhabitants of the region.
Thank you, Mr. President.
PS: Statement delivered in arabic by Msgr. Simon Kassas, First Secretary
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