76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
UN Security Council meeting on Middle East
Statement by Ambassador Sven Jürgenson
October 19, New York
I thank Special Coordinator Wennesland for his briefing. I also thank Mr Levy and Ms Ashrawi for their insightful statements.
Estonia remains committed to finding a long lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the two state solution, international law and relevant Security Council resolutions. We continue to support all efforts to create favourable conditions for the resumption of direct meaningful negotiations on all final status issues.
We welcome the recent engagement between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders and encourage them to expand this dialogue further. We also urge the parties to engage in more practical cooperation including in economic, financial and other areas which would serve as confidence-building measures and would be in the interest of the people of both sides.
Regarding Gaza, it is vital to continue stabilizing the fragile situation. We support the international and regional efforts aimed at reducing tensions and holding the ceasefire in Gaza. We call upon Hamas and other terrorist organizations to refrain from firing rockets and incendiary devices into Israel and urge Israel to use its right to defend itself proportionally, protecting the civilian population.
It is also essential that international and regional efforts for reconstruction continue, with the aim of improving the dire humanitarian and socio-economic situation on the Strip. In this context, we welcome the recent proposals to advance economy and improve the socio-economic situation of the Palestinians.
Turning to the West Bank, we are worried about continued incidents of violence, including the clashes between the Palestinians and the Israeli security forces. We call on all parties to refrain from violence, incitement and acts of provocation.
The demolitions and evictions of Palestinian property by Israel is worrying. We call upon Israel to refrain from these activities as well as from advancing any settlement plans, as such acts are contrary to international law. We also reiterate that the status quo of the Holy Sites must be fully respected.
Finally, I would like to stress the important role of UNRWA in providing help to the Palestinian refugees and stabilizing the region, including through humanitarian response and reconstruction in Gaza. The upcoming conference hosted by Sweden and Jordan is an important opportunity to find ways towards more sustainable funding of the Agency.