Jordan

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Madam President, Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies,

Another year, and once again the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly convene, and another forum in which I stand before you to speak about the same issue: the conflict in the Middle East.

This is not the first time that developments on the ground have driven me to question the ability of words to influence and adequately express the magnitude of this crisis, yet silence may mean accepting the current situation and abandoning our humanity, which is something I cannot do.

The United Nations General Assembly was founded 80 years ago, and pledged to learn from the lessons of history. And the whole world swore not to repeat the mistakes of the past. But, despite that, Palestinians have since then been living in a harsh cycle due to the repetition of those mistakes.

The random bombing that targets Palestinians continues, again and again.

Palestinians are martyred and injured and their bodies mutilated, again and again.

They are displaced and stripped of everything, again and again.

They are deprived of their basic rights and human dignity, again and again.

And here I must ask: until when?

When will we find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? A solution that protects the rights of all parties, and provides a normal life for the families living at the heart of this conflict.

When will I speak before you about opportunities, prosperity and potential, in my region, rather than about suffering and destruction?

Unfortunately, this is not the only conflict in our world, and some may say there are other devastating wars. But the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains different:

• It is the oldest ongoing conflict in the world.
• It is an illegal occupation of a people stripped of their will, by a state that claims to be a democracy.
• It is a flagrant violation of repeated UN resolutions, international law, and human rights conventions, and this is a failure that should have provoked outrage and spurred firm action, especially from the major democratic states, yet it has been met with decades of complacency and abandonment.

My friends,

The war on Gaza is one of the darkest events in the history of this organization, and although we are living this horror in our era, the injustice extends back many decades, as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has remained on the agenda of the United Nations for eight decades.

Until when will we content ourselves with issuing condemnation after condemnation without any tangible decision following it?

When it comes to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, what happens in political decision-making centers seems to have no connection to the suffering happening on the ground.

Over the decades, we have witnessed several attempts to reach a solution through interim agreements and temporary measures, none of which succeeded in achieving the final goal. Many may see these measures as a means of diverting attention while Israel was seizing more land, expanding illegal settlements, demolishing homes, and displacing entire neighborhoods. The holy sites in Jerusalem have been subjected to vandalism and desecration by those who enjoy government protection.

And throughout all these years, Israeli families also have not been able to live in real safety, because military operations cannot provide them with the security they need.

All this is clearly manifest in Gaza, where more than 60,000 Palestinians have been martyred, and 50,000 children have been martyred or injured — miles of land turned to smoldering rubble — neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, farms and even mosques and churches destroyed, and famine has spread.

What we are seeing is merely a glimpse, for never before in modern history have international media lenses been prevented in this way from conveying reality as it is.

And after nearly two years, the brutality of this aggression continues without pause.

Moreover, the provocative calls of the current Israeli government advocating for so-called "Greater Israel" cannot be achieved except through a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighboring countries, and this is unacceptable. I cannot but wonder: would the world have responded with such indifference had an Arab leader made a similar call?

The international community must stop clinging to the delusional belief that this Israeli government is a willing partner for peace. On the contrary, its actions on the ground demolish the foundations upon which peace could be built, and deliberately bury the idea of establishing a Palestinian state.

It has clearly shown that it pays no heed to the sovereignty of other states, as we have seen in Lebanon, Iran, Syria and Tunisia, and now also in Qatar.

Its hostile rhetoric calling for targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque could ignite a religious war that extends beyond the borders of the region and leads to a comprehensive conflict that no state would be spared from.

When will we apply the same standards to all states?

When will we recognize Palestinians as a people with the same aspirations we aspire to, and act accordingly?

When will we realize that the establishment of a Palestinian state is not something Palestinians must prove their right to obtain? It is not a reward, but an indisputable right.

We in Jordan are keen to work for a world in which everyone lives safely in their homes, and is able to practice their religious beliefs and live and prosper with dignity.

And as custodians of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, we confront any acts that violate the historical and legal status of the city of Jerusalem, for tampering with the sensitive status of the holy city would trigger a global conflict.

Jordan represents the main hub of the international humanitarian response in Gaza, and works by all possible means to provide vital supplies of aid and food. We appreciate our regional and international partners, and I am extremely proud of the Jordanians, of the members of the Jordanian Armed Forces — the Arab Army — who lead these efforts, which include land convoys, aircraft crews, doctors, nurses, and mobile medical teams who work, even under fire, to provide relief to the people of the Strip.

These efforts, and many others, are part of Jordan's history rich in compassion and generosity toward those most in need of help.

My friends,

Amid this deep darkness, there is a glimmer of hope, for we are witnessing more countries raising their voices in support of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, one that ensures the release of all hostages, the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, and support for the Palestinian people in reconstruction.

We all know that force is not a foundation for achieving security, but rather a prelude to greater violence, for repeated wars teach generations of Palestinians and Israelis that weapons are their only refuge.

Security will not be achieved except when Palestine and Israel begin to live side by side. This is the two-state solution, in accordance with international law and UN resolutions, which calls for the establishment of an independent, viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside a secure Israeli state living in peace with its neighbors.

For nearly a quarter of a century, this was the promise offered by the Arab Peace Initiative, through which Arab and Muslim partners from around the world extended their hand to achieve peace.

My friends,

Over the past two years, we have finally seen the world's conscience stirring. We have seen peoples from every corner of the world courageously affirming with one voice that the time has come.

The United Nations must echo this call: the time has come.

And the United Nations must answer this call, so that peace becomes reality.

Thank you.