Addressing a UN Security Council open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on Wednesday, Amir Saied Iravani said, “Sympathy alone is not enough."
He added that the Israeli regime’s oppressive, expansionist and apartheid practices against Palestinians continued unabated in 2022, and the Palestinian people, particularly women and children, are facing severe poverty and violation of their basic rights.
The Israeli regime has committed atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territories without accountability for more than 70 years, he said, stressing the importance of fully recognizing, upholding and protecting the Palestinian nation’s right to self-determination.
But long as the Security Council remains silent, this is impossible to do so, Iravani added.
The Security Council is duty-bound to remain committed to the UN Charter and maintain international peace and security, he noted, emphasizing that it should use all legal channels to hold the Israeli regime accountable for all the crimes it is committing.
The Iranian envoy said the Israeli regime’s incursion into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound earlier this month violated the mosque’s sanctity and worship rites and was a brazen provocation of Muslim feelings.
“This illegality and recklessness have serious consequences that should not be underestimated,” he said, noting that if not properly addressed, it can further destabilize an already fragile situation and endanger regional and international peace and security.
Iravani further emphasized that the UN's silence on Tel Aviv’s crimes will only encourage the regime to continue its occupation of the Palestinian territories and intensify its brutal aggression against Palestinians.
He added that Iran is responsible to support the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to resist the oppression and violence of the racist Israeli regime in accordance with Palestinians’ right to self-determination, emphasizing that it will be Tehran’s permanent position until the end of the occupation.
MNA/PR