Luanda - Angola defended on Monday, in New York, the immediate end of Israel's military intervention in the Gaza Strip, a lasting ceasefire, unconditional release of hostages and unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for the displaced.
According to a press release sent to ANGOP, the position was expressed by Angola's permanent representative to the United Nations, Francisco José da Cruz, at the 10th Special Emergency Session on “Israel's Illegal Actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the Rest of Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
During his intervention, he considered that although Israel has the right to defend itself and protect its citizens, its disproportionate reaction in the Gaza Strip has already caused more than 35,000 deaths, 78,000 injuries and 1.7 million displaced people, i.e. , 75 percent of the population.
He said these numbers are increasing rapidly as Israel moves forward with its ground invasion plans in Rafah.
“We condemn, once again, terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, regardless of its motivations or actors”, he emphasized.
The diplomat recalled that Angola co-sponsored and voted in favor of the draft resolution entitled “Admission of new members to the United Nations” to expand the rights and privileges of Palestine as a “non-member Permanent Observer State” of the UN.
According to the Angolan diplomat, the vote reflected the overwhelming support for Palestine's full membership in the UN.
In this context, he said that Angola reaffirms the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to have an independent State and calls on the Security Council to reconsider, in a favorable manner, the issue of admitting Palestine as a full member of the UN.
For Francisco José da Cruz, the crisis in the Gaza Strip represents a serious risk of spreading and transforming into a regional conflict with unpredictable consequences and dangerous implications for international peace and security.
“All parties must exercise restraint and respect the norms of international law and recognize that the only viable way to achieve lasting peace in Palestine is through dialogue and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” he stressed.
The diplomat highlighted that the role of the UN continues to be fundamental in the search for universal solutions based on the principles of its Charter, which mandates its Member States to maintain international peace and security, defend international law, collaborate in resolving problems international organizations and improve respect for human rights.
He highlighted that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is yet another test of multilateralism as a mechanism for resolving the intricate international challenges that “we face today, and demonstrates the urgent need to reform the UN system, especially its Security Council, to make it effective, representative and inclusive”.
Quoting the Angolan president, João Lourenço, during the New Year greeting ceremony for the Diplomatic Corps, he said that “the United Nations, namely its Security Council, must take concrete measures to implement its own resolutions, which reflect the expressed will by the overwhelming majority of its Member States, through the creation of the independent and sovereign State of Palestine”.
From this perspective, he stressed, this is the only way to put a definitive end to this ancient and very violent conflict, placing the two peoples and the two States of Israel and Palestine living side by side, in peace and harmony, cooperating in a normal way, as should happen between neighboring countries that share common borders.” FMA/VIC/DOJ
