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Statement at the high-level meeting on Gaza

Statement by H.E. Ms. Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, at the open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

Thank you, Mr. President, dear Ahmed.

I want to start by thanking you, personally, for the organization of this high-level debate and for the work of your country on the Council. I also thank the Secretary-General for his remarks and his commitment.

Mr. President,

The Middle East has been swept up in a windstorm of changes that will undoubtedly transform the region. All of us sitting here today must shoulder our responsibilities and offer our support in navigating these changes. The stakes are too high for inaction.

After yesterday’s silence of the guns and first exchange if hostages and prisoners we feel a relief and a sense of hope that a different future is possible for the Middle East. Slovenia warmly welcomes the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. We urge all parties to uphold their commitments to this fragile truce. We thank the mediators who have made this outcome possible. The Council must now focus on ensuring the ceasefire evolves into a pathway toward lasting peace, built on trust, justice, and reconciliation.

The world’s most challenging problems require global response. I travelled to New York directly from Kyiv. Third year of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, much of the world is holding back. Slovenia has been at this table always vocal when it comes to unjustified wars, violations of international law, UN Charter, suffering of civilians, women and children.

Almost three years in office as a Foreign Minister, I have never spared my criticism against brutal killings of civilians. I am proud that Slovenia recognized independent and sovereign Palestine. I trust we were on the right side of history. People in Gaza deserve to live without bombs and guns. People in Israel deserve to live in security. As members of the Council it is our responsibility, indeed duty to work tirelessly towards lasting and just peace in the Middle East, in Ukraine or other conflicts around the world.

In another recent development in the Middle East, a new chapter is starting to be written in Syria – the Security Council has a clear role in supporting an inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, in line with the key principles of resolution 2254.

We also have a renewed hope for a permanent ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel – with the Security Council’s role as a custodian of the 1701 framework. Slovenia calls for strict adherence to this framework, emphasizing the importance of de-escalation along the Blue Line.

And I look forward to visit Syria and Lebanon in the very near future, both countries are on the path of a more hopeful future. And we are ready to stand with them.

Yet, the Middle East will never truly turn a new page until the suffering, the hatred and the fear persists. To stop this, we need leadership for people, leadership for peace and leadership for multilateralism.

Firstly, we need leadership for peace and for people. The plight of civilians, particularly in Gaza, that could amount to genocide, remains a heartbreaking reminder of the cost of conflict. Civilians are protected by the international humanitarian law, and under no circumstances legitimate targets of attacks.

We reiterate the vulnerable situation of children and women in this conflict, but today I also want to highlight the suffering of those that are most often overseen. Many of them lost their land decades ago, and now they have lost their homes, the generations they created and the dignity they held onto despite all the odds. After a life of hardship, older persons in Gaza are going through their worst with no food to put on the table and no doctor to ease the pain. The plight of civilians, including older persons in Gaza, is another broken promise of leaving no one behind.

I sincerely hope that the ceasefire in Gaza gives them a chance to finally, finally experience peace. It is now time to give them and the generations after them a chance to see a new Gaza. One that is rebuilt, full of hope. Gaza that is reunified with the West Bank, including East Jerusalem under the Palestinian Authority. But firstly, the ceasefire must translate into safe, direct and uninterrupted humanitarian access, and immense scaling up of aid.

Secondly, we need strong leadership for peace,in Gaza and in the region.

With vision and commitment, leadership for peace must uphold international law, particularly international humanitarian law and human rights law. This requires accountability for grave violations that have taken place through appropriate legal mechanisms. Peace cannot take root without accountability.

Leadership for peace must be built on dialogue, on cooperation and on normalization of ties. It cannot perpetuate or fuel proxy exchanges or further escalation. Unconstructive and divisive rhetoric, provocations and incitement must become a relic of the past.

Thirdly, we need leadership for multilateralism. This Organization was built on the premise that the path to peace cannot be walked alone.

In the Council, we often encounter obstacles but the hard work of diplomacy in this Chamber never stops. Slovenia remains convinced that the Security Council must also lay the ground for the two-state solution. Equally, we underline the role the whole membership should have in making peace in the region a truly lasting one, including through an international peace conference under UN auspices. I restate our willingness to host a meeting of the Global Alliance for the two-state solution.

I thank the Secretary-General for his leadership in this crisis and for the work of the UN System. This includes UNRWA, the irreplaceable backbone of humanitarian action there. In light of the responsibilities conferred on all UN Member States through the UN Charter, I once again use this opportunity to call on the Government of Israel not to implement the legislation affecting UNRWA. In this moment of hope, it is time to find ways for cooperation and rebuild lives of civilians in Palestine.

Mr. President,

Leadership is never easy. Pursuit of long-lasting solutions involves a lot of difficult decisions. Sometimes with no short-term gains in sight. It is now time to make those difficult decisions, placing peace as the collective interest of the membership of this Organization.

As we navigate these transformative times, let us remember that peace is not an unattainable dream. It is within our reach, provided we choose cooperation over conflict, justice over impunity, and hope over despair.

At the beginning of the year I assure you that Slovenia will not approach conflicts on the basis of geography but on principles. We will continue believing in solving problems, in dialogue rather than aggression. We believe in building trust and peace.

Thank you.

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