“It can’t just be a pause,” says the Palestinian UN representative in favor of the ceasefire
The four-day humanitarian ceasefire provided for in the agreement between Israel and Hamas “cannot be just a breach,” pleaded the Palestinian UN ambassador on Wednesday, calling for these few days to be used to prevent the “resumption of aggression.”
“Thanks to this ceasefire, hundreds of Palestinian children will not be killed. “We owe it to them and to all civilians in the Gaza Strip to finally put an end to this criminal attack against the Palestinian people,” Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour told a Security Council meeting.
He thanked Qatar and Egypt and called on everyone who contributed to the agreement to “find a way to prevent the resumption of aggression.” “This cannot be just a pause before the massacre resumes,” he stressed, while denouncing Israel’s “occupation and racial discrimination” against the Palestinians, which he described as “apartheid.” “In a few days, families will be able to hug, mourn and begin healing any wounds, including families who will find their loved ones trapped,” he noted.
Mr. Mansour reiterated that “there is no military solution to this conflict” and called for respect for the “inalienable rights of Palestinians” and against attacks on all civilians. “We do not justify the death of an Israeli civilian,” he said, asserting that “no one should tolerate atrocities based on the identity of the perpetrators.”
“We should not close our eyes to or dismiss each other’s wounds, traumas and histories. But this respect must be built on a shared vision of the future in which we can all live in peace and dignity,” he continued.
“Make no mistake, once the break is over, we will continue our efforts to achieve our goals with all our might,” Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan responded to the Security Council. “We will not stop until we have eliminated Hamas’s terrorist capabilities and are sure that it can no longer dominate Gaza and endanger the lives of Israeli civilians and the women and children of Gaza,” he added.