Thank you very much indeed, Mr President, and like our German
colleague, I’ll try to be brief because I think there has been a
lot of common themes across the Council today. And while I share
people’s dismay that so many of these issues come back to us
repeatedly, I think that if there is any unity in the Council it
has been the condemnation of violence from both sides and the
need for both sides to make progress.
I think, Special Co-ordinator, you asked us to be very clear
about the condemnation of the recent rocket attacks. Dual
British-Israeli citizens were [injured] in the latest rocket
attacks so we have no hesitation in joining you and others in
condemning unreservedly what has happened and in condemning such
acts of terrorism and violence wherever they occur. And I’ll note
that there was another attack near the Ariel settlement on 17
March. We along with others support the Egyptian and UN efforts
to broker a ceasefire and restore the situation to calm.
Violence not only creates fear and a cycle of violence among the
Israeli and Palestinian populations, it also undermines the
humanitarian situation in Gaza. And we have been concerned by the
number of Palestinian deaths in the West Bank over the last few
weeks.
A number of colleagues mentioned the heightened tensions at Haram
al-Sharif/Temple Mount. We urge all parties to work together to
restore calm and to support the status quo under the
custodianship of the King of Jordan.
The protests at the Gaza perimeter fence continue and we remain
concerned about the volume of live fire that’s been used. And
this is resulting in horrific injuries and it is also resulting
in fatalities. This is not to take away one iota from Israel’s
right to self-defense. And it’s not to undermine or gainsay the
fact that Hamas operatives cynically exploit these protests but
it is worth repeating that this perpetual cycle of violence
serves no one’s interests. And as the German ambassador said: the
emphasis ought to be on what can be done to implement 2334 and
reduce the the violence that we see every day in the territories
and in Israel.
And I just want to join others who referred to the March of
Return - that anniversary will be with us shortly. We urge all
parties to demonstrate restraint and avoid future violence. We
continue to support the need for an independent and transparent
investigation into last year’s events in Gaza. And we welcome the
recent decision by the Israeli Military Advocate General to order
five criminal investigations relating to 11 separate instances of
Palestinian fatalities during the Gaza protests.
It is customary, Mr President, to turn to the issue of
settlements. Our views on settlements remain well-known. Suffice
it to say that we share the Secretary-General’s views on the
expansion of Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank
including East Jerusalem. We also remain gravely concerned by the
threatened evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East
Jerusalem and across the West Bank. And my Foreign Secretary
wrote to the Israeli Government to condemn the planned demolition
of the Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar and we continue to
press Israel to abandon these plans entirely.
Mr President, a number of Council members have referred to the
issue of the Golan Heights. For the United Kingdom, we view the
Golan Heights as territory occupied by Israel. Annexation of
territory by force is prohibited under international law and that
includes the UN Charter. The United Kingdom does not recognise
Israel’s annexation in 1981 and we have no plans to change that
position.
Before I conclude, Mr President, could I just correct something I
said earlier? Dual British-Israeli citizens were injured in the
rocket attack and not killed. I apologise for the error.
