The Chargé d'Affaires of the Lebanese mission to the United Nations in New York, Hadi Hashem, delivered Lebanon's statement during the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly on Palestine, saying: "My country's delegation welcomes the resolution issued by the UN General Assembly calling for an immediate ceasefire, which was voted in favor of by one hundred fifty-three countries. Allow me to extend my special thanks to the Arab Republic of Egypt, serving as the president of the Arab Group this month, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, president of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the United Arab Emirates, representing the Arab group at the Security Council, for their commendable efforts and endeavors to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and mitigate the tragedy of the Palestinian people."
He added: "After more than seventy days since the onset of aggression in Gaza, the Security Council has been unable to issue any resolution to stop the fighting, despite all efforts made by all council members. We affirm that this crisis will not end, and the Arab-Israeli conflict will not be resolved unless the Palestinian issue is addressed, a matter for which multiple resolutions have been issued that Israel has failed to implement. The solution is simple, clear, and known: implementation of international resolutions and respect for the legitimacy emanating from the United Nations; otherwise, this conflict will not end, and the cycle of war will continue from generation to generation. What we witnessed in Gaza over the past two months will be repeated in five or ten years but with different names and other parties involved. The Palestinian people will neither cease their resistance against the occupation, nor will Israel stop its crimes and occupation. Sadly, we will return here with new persons, but the same essence remains. What is the meaning of issuing international resolutions that you cannot implement? What is the meaning of our presence in this hall today if Israel remains above the law? We all know the solution and understand the way forward."
He continued: "The world has stood by the Palestinian cause, and protests against Israel's actions in support of the Palestinian people have occurred in capitals such as Paris, London, and Washington. The media has played a vital role in conveying the truth and not obscuring it. Hence, Israel has deliberately targeted journalists, resulting in the deaths of more than 50 Palestinian journalists and three Lebanese journalists: Issam Abdullah, Farah Omar, and Rabee Ma'amari, while injuring many others. What happened last Friday with the targeting of the crew of Al Jazeera in Gaza is further evidence of Israel's intent to silence the voice of the free press. Therefore, I salute Wael Dahdouh and the spirit of Samer Abu Daqa. Young people around the world today are inclined toward the truth and sympathetic to this just cause; no one can distort history, distort the present, or poison the future."
He stated: "What has the aggression yielded so far? The result is more killing, more oppression, and more destruction. Is this what we want? Is this our pursuit? Congratulations to arms dealers, as we are now living in an era of purveyors of illusions. After seventy days, Israel has failed to achieve any of its declared objectives in this war, and resistance continues on one side while killing continues on the other. The unannounced goal of prolonging the war is to extend the life of the extreme Israeli government and destroy the prospects for a two-state solution. If we do not learn from the lessons of the past, we will not be able to change the future. Beware, as extremist forces have become stronger, the language of violence has become prevalent, and the concept of killing has become dominant. Meanwhile, peace lovers have become weaker, those who believe in dialogue have become irrational, and those seeking to resolve crises have become traitors."
He added: "Seventy days have passed since the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and the ongoing threats against us. Sometimes they threaten to destroy Beirut, and at other times to return Lebanon to the Stone Age, not to mention the Israeli Heritage Minister's statement about using nuclear weapons against Gaza. All these threats have been met with high responsibility and restraint from Lebanon and its government, despite the significant sacrifices made by the Lebanese people recently, as Israel continued to bombard peaceful civilians, displace residents, burn forests, use white phosphorus, target places of worship and hospitals, and assault UNIFIL forces and headquarters, in addition to targeting the Lebanese army and martyring one of its members, all in blatant and ongoing violations of international law, humanitarian law, and Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 1701."
He continued: "What happened on October 7 is a wake-up call for everyone that the situation cannot continue as it is. We need today a satisfying solution for everyone, wherein the Palestinians obtain their independent state with sovereignty over the borders of 1967. The international community must act now to push towards a two-state solution and turn this tragedy into an opportunity. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the Security Council to issue a resolution capable of resolving the conflict justly and comprehensively. It is imperative that all peoples of the region greatly benefit from this outcome, especially Lebanon, as movement in this direction today will certainly bring stability and prosperity to our region and the world."
He concluded: "Lebanon reaffirms its commitment to Resolution 1701 in all its provisions, and the Lebanese government and its president have spared no effort to prevent the war from spilling over into Lebanon. However, the Lebanese, like the Palestinians, will not give up one inch of their occupied land. Israel must cease its aggression against Lebanon and withdraw immediately from all Lebanese territories still under occupation. The outskirts of the town of Al-Mari are ours, the Kfar Shuba hills are ours, and the Shebaa Farms also belong to us. History is on our side, the truth is on our side, and justice is on our side."
