New York, October, 24th, 2023.- Cuba reiterated today before the United Nations Security Council its deep concern over the escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine and demanded an immediate ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
During his intervention in the open debate on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question", Ambassador Gerardo Peñalver Portal, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Permanent Representative of Cuba to the UN, also condemned the killings of civilians, especially women, children and humanitarian workers of the United Nations system; the indiscriminate bombing of the population in Gaza and the destruction of homes, hospitals and civil infrastructure, as well as the deprivation of basic services to this population.
"Nothing can justify such actions, which constitute collective punishment, serious violations of international humanitarian law, and war crimes and crimes against humanity," he warned
The Cuban diplomat referred to the complicity of the U.S. government in obstructing the Security Council's action on the Palestinian issue, which also undermines peace and stability in the Middle East.
Likewise, Peñalver Portal emphasized the urgent need for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the creation of two States, which would allow the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and to have an independent and sovereign State within the pre-1967 borders. with East Jerusalem as its capital and also guaranteeing the right of return of refugees.
It also reiterated its call for Israel's total and unconditional withdrawal from the Syrian Golan and all occupied Arab territories and demanded the cessation of external interference in Syria and full respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Before concluding his speech, the Permanent Representative of Cuba advocated for the preservation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, and demanded an immediate and unconditional end to the arbitrary and illegal unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States against sovereign nations in the Middle East.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations