The fighting in the Middle East will end as soon as the Hamas militants lay down their arms and release the hostages. This was stated by Israel’s permanent representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan. Broadcast of the meeting was walking on the UN website.
“If Hamas laid down its arms tomorrow, returned all the hostages and surrendered, this war could end. Why don’t you call on Hamas to do this? Why wasn’t this part of the resolution?” – he said.
Erdan called on the Security Council to declare the group a terrorist organization and support Israel’s right to self-defense not only with words. According to Erdan, Hamas’s goal is the destruction of Israel. He added that for the country’s security, Israel “must destroy Hamas.” “There is only one solution to cure cancer. This means that all cancer cells must be destroyed,” the diplomat said.
Erdan’s speech followed a vote on a draft Russian resolution in which Moscow condemned the fighting and called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, the unimpeded supply of humanitarian aid and the creation of conditions for the evacuation of civilians. The document was not adopted by the Security Council: five countries supported the resolution, four were against it. Another six states abstained.
Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Vasily Nebenzya stated, that the vote clearly showed who really wants a truce and who is pursuing political goals. He expressed regret that the UN Security Council “once again found itself hostage to the selfish aspirations” of the West.
The situation in the Middle East escalated in early October when the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel. In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation Iron Swords, which regularly attacks hundreds of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government announced that the country had entered a state of war. According to the latest data, the death toll during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has exceeded 4,000 people, more than half of them are Palestinians.
