Statement on the situation in Yemen
13 February 2025 – Statement by the Republic of Slovenia at the meeting on the situation in the Middle East, Yemen
Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question
Thank you, Mr. President.
On 13 October, the first evacuation order was issued in Gaza. We saw haunting photos and videos of people packing their lives and leaving the North in long lines of cars, buses, animal drawn carriages or even just on foot, supposedly to safe areas. This was followed by a number of evacuation orders to new safe areas. Over and over again.
People fled to Deir al Balah. To Khan Younis. To al-Mawasi. To Rafah. 1.7 million people fled. Many fled multiple times, for five times we heard today, in search of safety and security. Thousands of them never reached a safe area. We condemn this loss of civilian lives.
Colleagues,
Some of us have been calling for ceasefire for months. On 25 March, we finally collectively adopted resolution 2728 demanding a ceasefire. This resolution was not respected by Hamas and neither by Israel.
For the past few weeks, we have all been united in rejecting the prospect of a military operation in Rafah. Our calls are being ignored. Briefing after briefing, we are being told that there is no safe way to conduct a military operation in Rafah without killing civilians and causing huge human suffering.
We are therefore deeply disturbed that calls by all Security Council members, on top of calls from global public and on top of the ICJ order, are being ignored by Israeli leaders. And so we were confronted by new evacuation orders and the announcement of Israel of the intensification of the operation in this last safe resort in Gaza.
Slovenia condemned the start of the operation, and we continue believing this operation must stop immediately. We are alarmed by the situation in which Gazan civilians are finding themselves in again, particularly women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.
We reiterate that there is no military solution to the security of Israel.
We are concerned about the daily exacerbation of the already catastrophic humanitarian situation and a full blown famine moving from the North to the South. Obstructions of humanitarian access persist, as well as the highly dangerous operational environment for humanitarian actors, including UNRWA, the backbone, the central pillar of humanitarian response in Gaza. This also includes closures and operational constraints at and attacks on vital crossings.
We reject and condemn forced displacement. We repeat our call for full respect of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law. The provisional orders of the ICJ and resolutions of the Security Council must be respected. We underline that evacuation orders do not absolve obligations under international humanitarian law.
War crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of Israel and Palestine from at least 7 October 2023 must be prosecuted independently and impartially regardless of the perpetrators. Accountability is crucial to prevent atrocities and to guarantee peace.
Colleagues,
We wonder what is the future of this conflict. Young voices across the region and beyond are enraged and full of frustration. We are at risk of building an angry generation that will result in a loss of moderate voices in the region. Their dreams are being replaced by nightmares of violence and loss.
We have been in this Council for five months. If there is one lesson that we have learned, it is that it is a very powerful body. But only if united. For the sake of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and Israeli civilians taken hostage, the Council should return to searching for unity in order to stop the war, to return the hostages and feed starving Palestinians. So that they can all finally wake up from this manmade nightmare.
Thank you.
13 February 2025 – Statement by the Republic of Slovenia at the meeting on the situation in the Middle East, Yemen
12 February 2025 – Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the meeting on the situation in the Middle East, Syria
11 February 2025 – Statement by Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, Chargé d’ affaires, at the 63rd Session of the Commission for Social Development, Agenda item 3(a) and (b), general discussion