Madam President:
Cuba subscribes to the statement made by Venezuela on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter.
Over the past year, we have followed with great concern, dismay and shock the serious developments in the Middle East.
The current situation is the result of 76 years of Israeli practices of illegal occupation and colonization, in flagrant violation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people on their own territory, as well as of continued disregard for the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
Israel is flagrantly violating the relevant United Nations resolutions and its obligations as an occupying power.
In the midst of this humanitarian catastrophe of extreme proportions taking place in the occupied Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Cuba wishes to reiterate its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian and Arab cause.
The system of Israeli domination over the Palestinian people, the exploitation and appropriation of its resources, and the exponential denial of all the rights of the population constitute a real system of apartheid against that people.
Madam President:
After almost six decades of occupation, Israel continues to fail to comply with the Security Council resolution demanding its withdrawal from the Syrian Golan, while ignoring Security Council Resolution 497, adopted in 1981.
Cuba reiterates that any measure or action taken or to be taken by the Government of Israel in the current circumstances to alter the legal, physical and demographic conditions, as well as the institutional structure of the occupied Syrian Golan, including any measure to exercise its jurisdiction and administration in that territory, is a violation and has no legal effect.
We also reaffirm that all those measures and actions, including the illegal construction and expansion of Israeli settlements in the Syrian Golan since 1967, constitute violations of international law, international agreements, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations, including Security Council Resolution 497 (1981), in clear defiance of the international community.
Cuba will continue to advocate Israel's total and unconditional withdrawal from the Syrian Golan and all occupied Arab territories, and urges the maintenance of a constructive and respectful dialogue among the peoples of the region.
Likewise, it is still regrettable that the Security Council, the body responsible for ensuring compliance with the most sacred statutes of the Charter, particularly that of maintaining international peace and security for all, has not been able to reach an agreement that would put a definitive end to Israel's aggressions and colonizing practices against the Palestinian and Syrian peoples of the occupied Golan.
It is time for the Security Council to fulfil its responsibilities and functions and enforce its own resolutions to put an end to Israel's barbarity. The occupying power acts with total impunity, protected by the United States government, which repeatedly obstructs the Council's action and undermines international peace and security.
It is also necessary to put an immediate end to the policy of blockade which, in all its manifestations, is a strategy of pressure applied by the Powers against disadvantaged countries with the aim of breaking the will of the peoples and establishing their domination. Israel is ruthlessly applying this policy in the Gaza Strip, preventing the regular entry of humanitarian aid and basic supplies, such as fuel and food, in the midst of the disaster.
Madam President:
We once again reiterate our full support for the accession of Palestine as a full member of this organization and call on the Security Council to act with the urgency required.
Our country is committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on a two-state solution, which calls for an end to the violation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinians on their own territory, while allows them to enjoy the right to self-determination, to an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem and the pre-1967 borders; with guarantees for the safe return of refugees.
Cuba reiterates that at this difficult time for the Palestinian people, when the killing machine of the occupying power, Israel, is unleashing its fury against the civilian population of Gaza and the West Bank, every minute of silence, inaction, disregard, and double standards, will result in the loss of innocent lives.
It is imperative to stop the genocide now. We reiterate our call for an end to double standards, selectivity and political manipulation that undermine the cause of international peace and security.
Thank you