Embassy of the State of Palestine

NEW YORK, September 28, 2026

Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, His Excellency Minister Riyad Mansour, addressed the UN Security Council meeting on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question" at the end of UN High-Level week.

Following is the full transcript of the statement.

Mr. President.

Allow me at the outset to thank France for its leadership in the pursuit of just peace, including in its capacity as chair of the International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, together with Saudi Arabia. That leadership was evident in France's recognition of the State of Palestine, and the dynamic it created, with many countries joining this movement.

We noticed that some [have] expressed outrage for a mistake in the choice of words in President Macron's speech at the UN General Assembly. For the most part, they are the ones who are responsible for horrific crimes, or they are advocates trying to distract attention away from the worldwide condemnation of Israel's actions.

The New York Declaration embodies a clear vision for a future of freedom, justice, peace, and shared security and prosperity in the Middle East for all states and all peoples. It is those obstructing that horizon which are cause for outrage, and who must be held accountable.

Allow me also to thank Acting Special Coordinator Alakbarov for presenting the Secretary-General's report pursuant to resolution 2334, which reflects the existential threat faced by the Palestinian people.

Allow me, Mr. President, also to thank Aziz and Maoz [Co-Executive Director of InterAct and Co-Authors of The Future Is Peace] for their testimonies and for their struggle for shared humanity and peace. The way they have transformed their loss not into a call for blind vengeance, but for true justice and peace, is an inspiration for all of us all. I thank you very much for being with us, and we salute your courage and commitment to humanity and peace. You are the great example that should inspire everyone for action, especially the Security Council.

 

Mr. President,

As this high-level week comes to an end, the voice that was supposed to be silenced resonated everywhere.

Palestine was everywhere.

It was the biggest elephant in the UN building, and maybe throughout the city of New York.

An attempt was made to exclude Palestine. And yet, Palestine was here.

152 states voted to ensure it: rejecting the denial of visas for the Palestinian delegation as a violation of the obligations of the host country, and ensuring [Palestine's] participation on equal footing with other states.

The Palestinian people were seen, and their rights reaffirmed by so many leaders from across the globe. And the Israeli Prime Minister, who was able to attend despite being subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, faced a walkout and his government's policies faced rejection from countries across the world.

Palestine remains a North Star for all those who believe in humanity, freedom, international law, and justice.

 

Mr. President,

Nearly ten years have passed since this council adopted resolution 2334. Its provisions could not be clearer.

It reaffirms the inadmissibility of the acquisition of land by force.

It condemns all measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character, and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.

It reaffirms that Israeli settlements have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law.

It demands an end to all settlement activities.

It reminds states of their obligations in this regard.

Yet, report after report, we are confronted with developments moving in precisely the opposite direction:

Settlements expanding; 

Palestinian land confiscated;

Homes demolished;

Communities forcibly displaced;

Settler terror continuing; and

Annexation measures accelerating.

We must be clear: annexation is not simply a future threat.

It is being advanced on the ground, piece by piece, through violence, settlements, infrastructure displacement, land seizures. Now faster than ever.

This is true in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in the Gaza Strip.

The E1 plan, is a culmination of this plan. 

Its aim is clear, as spelled out by Israeli leaders: Kill the Palestinian state and, with it, any prospect for peace.

The Secretary General himself has rightly described E1 as an existential threat to the two-State solution.

E1 must be stopped.

I repeat, E1 must be stopped.

In parallel, Israel is seeking the collapse of the Palestinian Authority (PA), as that would provide a unique opportunity to push forward the last stages of its plan for forcible displacement and replacement of our people, and annexation of our land.

Our principles must therefore remain unequivocal:

Upholding the ceasefire.

No occupation.

No annexation.

No forcible displacement.

Reunification of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under the Palestinian Authority.

Fulfillment of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and realization of the independence of the State of Palestine.

Respect for the rights of all peoples, and the sovereignty and security of all states.

These principles are enshrined in international law and reflected in the New York Declaration and the Comprehensive Plan, and enjoy worldwide support. They must be implemented.

While Palestine, Arab and Muslim countries, the international community, and the UN are doing their part in advancing such implementation, Israel continues not only obstructing progress, but violating the ceasefire and its obligations and commitments, including in relation to annexation.

The whole world is in one direction, and Israel is rebelling and rejecting the position of the whole world.

 

Mr. President,

Resolution 2334 was not adopted merely to express concern.

Security Council resolutions cannot become optional; implemented by some, ignored by others, and remembered only every three months when this council meets to document their violation.

International law cannot operate according to the identity of the violator.

Accountability cannot depend upon political convenience.

And Palestinian rights cannot remain perpetually contingent upon the will and whims of the occupying Power.

For decades, the international community has condemned settlements. Yet settlements have continued to expand.

Condemnation without consequences has not produced compliance.

The time has come to move from statements to measures, from condemnation to accountability, from declarations of solidarity to implementation.

This means accountability consistent with international law for those responsible for settler violence, forced displacement, and illegal settlement expansion.

It means disarming settlers in line with UN Security Council Resolution 904.

It means stopping E1, including by holding accountable government officials, businesses, and banks, and by making clear that further annexation measures will have consequences.

It means protecting the Palestinian civilians and communities facing displacement and violence.

And it means strengthening Palestinian steadfastness and institutions through sustained political and financial support, as well as providing support for UNRWA and the wider United Nations humanitarian system.

 

Mr. President,

There is an additional legal reality this Council cannot ignore.

In its advisory opinion of 19th July 2024, the International Court of Justice found that Israel's continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful.

The court also addressed the responsibilities of third states – all of you.

All states are under an obligation not to recognise as legal the situation arising from Israel's unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining that situation. That is an obligation on you, articulated by the court.

[Third states] must also distinguish in their dealings between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. They must uphold the Geneva Conventions.

Those findings must have meaning in practice.

No state should assist in maintaining an illegal situation created through occupation, settlement, or annexation.

No commercial relationship, financial flow, or other form of assistance should contribute to the perpetuation of illegal settlements.

And all states must support the realization of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.

In short: no money, no trade, and no arms to prolong the unlawful occupation – but sanctions and measures to bring it to an end.

We welcome the measures taken by states including the United Kingdom.

I was in meetings listening to the Prime Minister of the UK, President Macron, Prime Minister of Canada, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, and dozens of prime ministers, vice prime ministers, in celebrating the one-year anniversary of the New York Declaration.

They all are supporting this courageous position of sanctions to bring Israel into compliance with its obligations and the will of the international community and international law.

We welcome the measures taken by states including the United Kingdom, as I have said, and call for amplifying this movement that is indispensable to stopping the attempts to liquidate the Palestinian question and destroy the two-State solution.

 

Mr. President,

The Palestinian people do not need another decade of reports documenting the disappearance of their land.

They need protection.

They need institutions sustained.

They need the ceasefire upheld, humanitarian aid to flow in Gaza, and to rebuild Gaza.

They need East Jerusalem and its Muslim and Christian holy sites protected.

They need settlement and annexation stopped.

They need accountability.

And above all, they need freedom and the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence.

This high-level week demonstrated that Palestine cannot be erased, cannot be ignored, [one] cannot act as if Palestine does not exist.

We are the giants in this building, in the house of peace and justice: the United Nations.

Palestine's people cannot be rendered invisible, and their rights cannot be extinguished by genocide, occupation, settlement, or annexation.

So the question before us is no longer whether the international community has spoken. It has.

The question is whether our words will finally have consequences.

That is the difference between life and death, freedom and oppression, peace and war.

That is what will determine what the future will reserve for a new generation of Palestinians and Israelis, and for our region.

A free Palestine is the gateway towards a peaceful Middle East.

A free Palestine is the gateway to peace for all of us, including our neighbours the Israelis.

Thank you very much.