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

Thank you, Mr. President, and I thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and his personal commitment to this issue.

Mr. President,

Upon entering the UN Security Council Slovenia felt the heavy weight of responsibility of this Council to uphold international peace and security.

A weight that translates to upholding international law and rejecting double standards, choosing global benefit over national interests. Being ready for difficult conversations with partners instead of silence.

Everyone who enters this Security Council, or is a Permanent member of this body, should know that membership entails a responsibility to act.

And it does not matter whether a threat to peace and security is unfolding in Ukraine or in Gaza. In both of these conflicts, international law is disregarded blatantly and red lines crossed persistently.

Excellences,

This year we again witnessed immense numbers of deaths amongst civilians in armed conflicts, with many of them being women and children. Lives shattered by starvation and displacement.

Let us be reminded we have built a system that should prevent atrocities. We promised a “never again.”

Yet, what we saw this year was a Security Council paralyzed by disrespect of this Councils’ resolutions and disregard of decisions of international courts.

Colleagues, we should stand up to this.

When politicians facing charges for war crimes and crimes against humanity are walking free, while judges are put under sanctions, we cannot afford to remain silent without becoming complacent.

Let me be clear: when all rules and obligations of the international system we had constructed, fail, this itself is a threat to international peace and security.

Mr. President,

Gaza has become a textbook example of failure of international community.

It has become a place in which people dread the nightfall and fear what a new day will bring. Gaza has become the deadliest place for children. The deadliest place for humanitarian and medical workers. The deadliest place for journalists.

The place of first-ever proclaimed famine in the Middle East.

Marked by continuous offensives and strikes against hospitals, schools, homes, shelters and holy places, it is defined by death and despair. Where hostages suffer and civilians count heart beats left.

Gaza is a man-made catastrophe which is live-streamed across the globe and sustained by those acting in contradiction to everything we stand for.

Mr. President,

Existence of “reasonable grounds to conclude” or findings that acts “may amount to” genocide are a threat to international peace and security.

We commend the work of the judicial and investigative mechanisms – the ICJ, the ICC and the Commission of Inquiry, particularly for its latest report – for sounding the alarm. It is not on us to question their findings. It is on us to act on them.

Demands of a large majority of international community are not performative diplomacy. Calls for a ceasefire, irreversible political steps and even simple expressions of solidarity are not stage-managed acts. They paint a dark picture of international community in despair, understanding that “never again” has become a failed promise.

Mr. President,

The two-state solution is equally in a need of concrete and irreversible action. I welcome the new wave of countries recognizing the State of Palestine. I call on others to take bold steps to recognize Palestine, and normalize ties with both States.

We must step up to prevent further disintegration of this vision and to counter occupation and annexation, forced displacement, human rights violations and terrorism and extremism.

Slovenia firmly supports the role of United Nations, including UNRWA, in addressing the ongoing crisis and in paving way to the two-state solution. And of the Palestinian Authority in carrying out reform and assuming full political ownership in the State of Palestine.

I appeal to all of us: do not let the future of Israeli people be defined by terrorism and violence. Do not let the future of Palestinian people be defined by occupation and perpetual human rights violations. And I appeal to you: do not let our collective future to be defined by the stain of the Gaza genocide. Act now.

There is no bigger threat to international peace and security than the cycle of violence perpetrated by continuous fear, everlasting hate and uncertain future. The stories of children starved to death, a threat of a population displaced and a territory in fear should be all we need for us to understand that the time for the immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire is now.

Thank you.

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