CAIRO- 18 June 2025: Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Osama Abdel Khalek strongly condemned on Tuesday the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip, affirming that it’s “a stain on the conscience of the international community” that must be brought to an immediate end.
Addressing the UN General Assembly, Abdel Khalek urged member states to remain steadfast in their principled support of the Palestinian cause, emphasizing the importance of establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and granting it full membership in the United Nations, describing this as the only path to peace in the region.
“There is no room for neutrality—silence is complicity, and hesitation in supporting the Palestinian right is betrayal” he said.
He added that voting in favor of any forthcoming resolution aimed at saving civilians in Palestinian territories is a legal obligation and a moral necessity.
He also criticized the most recent use of the veto in the UN Security Council, stating it disregarded international responsibility and allowed Israel to persist in its brutal aggression against unarmed civilians in Gaza.
He stressed that such repeated actions highlight the urgent need for comprehensive reform of the UNSC—chief among them, addressing the structural flaw in the veto system once and for all.
He continued, this latest veto does not change two glaring facts.
First, Israel is systematically committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, orchestrated by far-right Israeli leadership and top officials—who must be held accountable, he said.
Second, there is clear and overwhelming international consensus demanding an immediate end to this unjust war and the protection of the Palestinian people, as reflected by the sweeping support for the resolution adopted on June 12, he added.
In his speech before the UNGA, Abdel Khalek said the international community has a legal and moral obligation that cannot be evaded—to reject such use of the veto and to refuse to let it serve as a political or legal cover for the continuation of war.
The right of veto does not supersede international law, nor does it rise above human nature that refuses the killing of children and innocent people in Gaza, he explained.
“All members of the international community must exert every possible pressure on Israel to stop its aggression, lift the blockade and starvation policies, allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza without conditions, and implement relevant UN resolutions, including the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).”
He called for the development of international humanitarian law terminology to address the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza, saying the Palestinian people have the right to have their suffering recognized and the crimes committed against them acknowledged—crimes that have persisted for decades.
The Palestinians are the only people enduring war crimes and unprecedented atrocities broadcast live to the world, with no end in sight, he noted.
Mreover, he stressed that Egypt is committed to its mediation efforts, in cooperation with Qatar and the United States, to reach a permanent ceasefire and end the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
Wed, Jun. 18, 2025
