The Palestinian representative has told the UN Security Council that Israel has “crossed the Rubicon” towards full-scale annexation, referring to a phrase meaning taking an irreversible step beyond the point of no return.
“They do not care that annexation kills any prospect for peace in our region,” Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s permanent observer to the UN, told the Security Council on Wednesday.
He argued that the publication of tenders for the E1 area, a strategic corridor designed to connect East Jerusalem with the occupied West Bank, is a direct “act of war” against Palestinian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Mansour accused the Israeli government of intentionally undermining the 20-point peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump and reflected in a relevant UN resolution.
He asserted that the current Israeli leadership seeks to “derail” the implementation of the comprehensive plan, which affirms a policy rejecting annexation.
Mansour characterised the attempt to address the regional crisis through the “annihilation” of the Palestinian national project as “madness.”
Culture of impunity
Mansour dismissed Israel’s internal legal processes as a sham. He claimed that “Israeli investigations and Israeli courts are designed to foster and ensure such impunity” rather than provide justice for victims.
He demanded that the Palestinian people receive “international protection” without delay until a sovereign and independent state is established.
Mansour concluded by expressing his belief in a Middle East where sovereign states enjoy “shared peace, shared security, and shared prosperity.”
He issued a final warning to the 15-member council, saying the world must act now in accordance with agreed laws or the current tragedies would serve as a “prelude for more horrors to come.”
“A different future is possible if we act together today.”
