I thank Special Coordinator Wennesland, Commissioner-General Lazzarini and Professor Khalidi for their briefings.
We were following with deep concern the latest round of escalation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory and the loss of civilian lives resulting from the violence, especially children.
We strongly condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas and other militant groups, while stressing the need for the parties to abide by international humanitarian law.
Estonia welcomes the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It is vital that the parties respect and fully observe the ceasefire and do their utmost to avoid further tensions and violence.
We commend the important role the United Nations, the United States, Egypt and Qatar and other international partners played in this regard.
The ceasefire creates space to address urgent humanitarian needs. We support the Secretary-General’s call for a robust package of support for reconstruction and recovery in Gaza. Estonia is planning additional funding for UNRWA to address the tremendous humanitarian consequences of the recent conflict.
Considering the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip, it is vital to grant unhindered and sustained humanitarian access to all those in need and work for the sustainable reconstruction and recovery.
It is also important to calm the volatile situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including around the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. All acts of provocation, incitement, violence and destruction must end. The status quo of the holy sites must be respected.
We also call on Israel to halt the continued settlement expansion, evictions and demolitions in the occupied Palestinian Territories, including in East Jerusalem, as they are contrary to international law.
We call all parties to refrain from unilateral actions that would further increase tensions and undermine the viability of the two-state solution.
The solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be achieved through meaningful negotiations. We call upon the international community, including the Middle East Quartet, to create conditions for resuming direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, with the aim of achieving a two-state solution, based on international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.
