Mr. President:
We are forced to exercise the right of reply in the face of the unfounded and unacceptable accusations made by the delegation of Israel against my country.
Simply based on a matter of decency, we will avoid referring to other speeches drafted in Washington, similar to that of Israel and to the one that two other delegations have read in this hall.
It is, to say the least, shameless that the representative of Israel—whose government faces unprecedented condemnation from the international community for the genocide and the extremely serious violations of international law and international humanitarian law perpetrated against the Palestinian people—should presume to stand in criticism of Cuba.
Instead of lecturing others, the genocidal State of Israel should, first and foremost, be held accountable for the devastation, suffering, and death that its actions have caused in Palestine and other Arab territories. While the world watches in horror as cities, hospitals, schools, and refugee camps are systematically destroyed, the Israeli delegation, without a shred of morality, repeats a script written in Washington to justify the economic strangulation of my country. Their cynicism, like that of their master, seems to know no bounds.
We will never accept that those who attempt to justify the massacre of the Palestinian people should, at the same time, seek to legitimize a policy of collective punishment against the Cuban people.
Our voice will not be silenced by those who seek to replace international law with force, impunity, and double standards.
Thank you very much.
(Cubaminrex)