Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Chargé
d'Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on
Palestine
For two years, the world has witnessed the terrible human cost of
the Hamas terrorist attacks of 7 October and the disastrous
conflict in Gaza that has claimed so many lives. We are now at an
important moment of hope thanks to President Trump's ceasefire
deal.
We have witnessed, with immense relief, released hostages being
reunited with their families after an unimaginable ordeal. More
humanitarian aid is now entering Gaza, and the ceasefire
provides an opportunity for the Palestinian people to begin to
build a better future free from conflict.
We commend President Trump and his team for their efforts in
reaching this historic moment. We are grateful to Qatar, Türkiye
and Egypt for the specific roles they have played.
And we also recognise the contributions of
many other countries from the region and beyond,
including France and Saudi Arabia in leading work on the NY
Declaration, which have been instrumental in getting us to this
point.
There is much more work to be done. We call on both parties to
uphold their commitments under the deal and avoid escalations
that risk undermining it. We call on Hamas to cease
violence. They must locate and hand over the final thirteen
hostages, fully sharing the information they have with the
mediators and the ICRC to help locate their remains.
We also call on Israel to ensure restrictions on aid are
permanently lifted to allow the unimpeded delivery of
humanitarian assistance at scale.
This includes supporting the UN humanitarian effort, opening all
crossings to both humanitarian and commercial goods, and ensuring
international NGOs can operate without obstruction.
As we have consistently stated, all parties must comply with
their obligations under international law.
The International Court of Justice delivered an important
Advisory Opinion yesterday on Israel's obligations in this
regard. We welcome its clear findings that Israel has an
obligation under International Humanitarian Law to ensure the
provision of aid in Gaza and that UNRWA has a critical role in
delivering the humanitarian response.
We will continue to consider the full detail of the Opinion
carefully.
We must now build on the momentum of the ceasefire.
We need urgent work to develop transitional security
arrangements, including an International Stabilisation Force.
And we need to support the reform programme for the
Palestinian Authority as it builds the Palestinian state. This
should compromise Gaza and the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem, based on 1967 lines with land swaps agreed as part of
a negotiated, peaceful settlement.
The United Kingdom is playing our part. For example, through
humanitarian assistance, a deployment of staff to the US-led
Civil Military Coordination Centre, and by working with Egypt and
others to mobilise private sector investment for Gaza's
reconstruction.
Finally, while the eyes of the world are focused on Gaza, we must
not forget what is happening in the West Bank.
Once again, we condemn attacks by extremist violent settlers on
Palestinian farmers in the West Bank during the olive harvest.
We call on Israel to take action to stop this violence, end
settlement expansion and lift its financial restrictions which
risk economic collapse in the West Bank.
We are at a historic crossroads. The way forward will not be
easy. It will require courageous leadership on all sides
and steadfast support from those of us in this room.
But if we seize the moment, we have a chance to end the cycle of
violence and achieve lasting peace for Israelis, Palestinians and
the region.
