United Nations, New York, October 15, 2026 – Cuba denounced before the Security Council the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, the military attacks in the Middle East, and the impact of coercive policies and the use of force on peace and international security. During the quarterly open debate on the situation in the region, including the Palestinian question, Cuba's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, held Israel responsible for continuing violations of the UN Charter and international law, with the complicit support of the United States, despite repeated pronouncements by the organization's main bodies.
The Cuban diplomat expressed his rejection of Israeli actions against the Palestinian population, characterized by the disproportionate use of force, the use of starvation as a method of warfare, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and obstacles to humanitarian assistance. He also denounced violations of the supposed ceasefire of 2025 and the signing of the first phase of the Gaza Peace Agreement, alongside illegal colonial policies and practices. In this context, he referred to Israeli control over 70% of the Gaza Strip and the projection of at least 1,230 settler housing units in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where an increase in terrorist attacks by settlers and the forced displacement of Palestinians has been reported compared with the previous year.
Soberón Guzmán reiterated that resolving the Palestinian question is indispensable for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. He reaffirmed Cuba's support for an independent and sovereign Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and for guaranteeing the right of return for refugees. He likewise insisted on the admission of Palestine as a full Member State of the United Nations, as well as the preservation of UNRWA's mandate against any attempt to weaken, delegitimize, or end its work.
Regarding the regional situation, the Permanent Representative condemned the Israeli attacks against southern Lebanon and demanded respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as complete and unconditional withdrawal from the Syrian Golan and all occupied Arab territories. He also rejected the US military attacks on Iran for their contribution to the escalation of tensions and their implications for regional stability. He reaffirmed Cuba's commitment to international law and international humanitarian law, to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region, including the Arab States of the Gulf, and to the settlement of disputes through dialogue, moderation, and good-neighborliness.
The Ambassador warned that doctrines based on coercion and the so-called "peace through force" exacerbate conflict and threaten international security. He stated that these policies also extend to Latin America and the Caribbean, where the US government and its corollaries to the Monroe Doctrine systematically threaten the region's status as a Zone of Peace. In particular, he denounced the multidimensional aggression against Cuba and the reinforcement of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade at extreme levels, compounded by a severe energy siege that he equated, by its effects, to a naval blockade typified in international law as an act of war. He underscored that these actions, along with extraterritorial coercive measures and threats of military aggression, constitute a policy of strangulation and collective punishment against the Cuban population, based on the false premise that Cuba represents a threat to the United States.
Finally, the Permanent Representative warned of the grave consequences that a military aggression against Cuba would have for peace, stability, and security throughout the hemisphere. He reaffirmed that our country poses no threat to any nation and ratified the Cuban people's determination to preserve their independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and right to self-determination. He insisted on the necessity of guaranteeing respect for the UN Charter and international law as a foundation of relations among states and for the preservation of international peace and security.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.