New York, Feb. 19 (Petra) -- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Ayman Safadi on Wednesday evening participated in the United Nations Security Council’s monthly briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, convened by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

Addressing the Council at United Nations Security Council headquarters in New York, Safadi said that while the "massacre in Gaza has ended, the humanitarian suffering of its population persists," with widespread destruction of infrastructure and severe shortages of food and medical supplies.

He said United States President Donald Trump halted the war on Gaza after more than two years of killing, destruction, and starvation, noting that the president’s plan provides a comprehensive roadmap for reconstruction, stabilization, and progress toward peace. Safadi underlined that full implementation of the plan is essential to ending the humanitarian crisis.

He called for an end to ceasefire violations, citing more than 1,500 Israeli breaches since the agreement was announced and more than 600 Palestinian deaths during the same period. Safadi stressed the need to ensure the unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance and to launch a comprehensive reconstruction process in Gaza, which must remain linked to the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Such linkage, he said, is indispensable to realizing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on all occupied Palestinian territory, living in peace and security alongside Israel, in line with the two-state solution and international law.

Safadi said the Council can support regional stability by backing implementation of President Trump’s Gaza plan and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803, and by acting to prevent Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank. He noted that the international community rejects annexation and that President Trump has stated he would not permit such a move. However, he warned that the Israeli government is accelerating unilateral measures that risk entrenching a de facto annexation and undermining prospects for peace.

For the first time since the 1967 occupation, Safadi said, Israel approved a draft resolution enabling the seizure of Palestinian land and its registration as "state land," paving the way for the annexation of more than 60 percent of the West Bank in Area C. He added that authorities have permitted settlers to purchase land in the occupied West Bank, expanded demolition and administrative powers in Areas A and B, and enacted legislation facilitating the confiscation of Palestinian property in East Jerusalem.

He said Israel had approved 54 new settlements and established at least 86 outposts in what he described as the largest settlement expansion since the United Nations began monitoring settlement activity. According to Israeli human rights organizations, 27,941 housing units were approved in West Bank settlements last year, more than double the highest level recorded in 2023. Israel also resumed construction of 3,400 units in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, a move widely viewed as severing the territorial contiguity of the northern and southern West Bank.

Safadi added that more than 37,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in the West Bank and more than 5,000 homes and structures demolished in the occupied Palestinian territory. He also warned of daily incitement, the latest of which was a statement by an extremist Israeli minister calling for the displacement of Palestinians.

He further highlighted what he described as escalating violations of the historical and legal status quo at Islamic and Christian holy sites, including approximately 65,000 incursions into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in 2025. He said measures restricting Muslim worship during Ramadan and assaults against Christian clergy and worshippers represent serious infringements. He also cited Israeli decisions to impose taxes on church properties as an unprecedented breach that could pave the way for property confiscation and asset freezes.

Safadi said Israeli actions targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, including the raid and destruction of its headquarters and obstruction of its mandate, constitute a violation of international law, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 and the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice affirming the illegality of the occupation and the invalidity of annexation.

He warned that annexation of the West Bank would extinguish prospects for a just and comprehensive peace and plunge the region into renewed instability. Safadi reiterated that there is no alternative to the two-state solution and that peace cannot be achieved through entrenching occupation, annexation, or the denial of Palestinian rights.

He also cautioned that peace will not be secured by occupying additional Syrian land or undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty and ceasefire arrangements, stressing that regional stability requires adherence to international law and respect for sovereignty.

Safadi underscored that the Arab Peace Initiative remains a viable framework for achieving a future, guaranteeing Palestinian statehood, security, and peace alongside Israel.

On the sidelines of the session, Safadi held meetings with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad Badr Abdelatty, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono, and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

//Petra// AJ

19/02/2026 13:26:40