PA FM declares Gaza Strip part of 'State of Palestine' at UNSC

Palestinian FM Aghabekian at UN: Gaza is integral to "State of Palestine," rejecting land division and displacement.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 21, 2025 13:20

Varsen Aghabekian, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine, addresses the Security Council. January 20, 2025. (photo credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe)

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian said the Gaza Strip was part of the "State of Palestine" in a speech at the United Nations Security Council on Monday. 

"We reaffirm in this context that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and that the State of Palestine holds the legal and political jurisdiction over the Strip and all occupied Palestinian territories since 1967, including East Jerusalem," she said. 

"We reiterate our categorical rejection of any attempts to cut off parts of our land or displace our people, which clearly violates international law and the prohibitions established by international legitimacy."

"We reiterate the inevitability of adhering to our legitimate rights and our national identity that unites our people everywhere in the world, which requires the unity of our land and our people under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and the commitment of all to its political program and international obligations, and working under one system, one law, and one legitimate weapon," Aghabekian concluded.

The statement was made at a session named "Security Council OPEN DEBATE: The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question."

“ونؤكد في هذا الإطار أن قطاع غزة جزء لا يتجزأ من الأرض الفلسطينية المحتلة، وأن دولة فلسطين هي صاحبة الولاية القانونية والسياسية على القطاع وكافة الأرض الفلسطينية المحتلة منذ العام 1967 بما فيها القدس الشرقية، مجددين رفضنا القاطع لأية محاولات لاقتطاع أجزاء من أرضنا أو تهجير أبناء… pic.twitter.com/VydgsWKUmF

— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) January 20, 2025

The session was convened as the signature event of Algeria's presidency of the council for the month of January. Countries in attendance included Israel, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Qatar and Lebanon.

Israel speaks

At the session, Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly, the political coordinator at Israel's UN mission in New York, talked about the ongoing war and the future of Hamas in Gaza.

The Security Council must confront an uncomfortable truth: it called for the release of the hostages, but those calls were ignored by Hamas. And yet, it was Israel that was scrutinized in this room, while no measures against the kidnapers of babies & the elderly were adopted. pic.twitter.com/46wwrctmfI

— Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly (@ReutSBN) January 21, 2025

"The Security Council must confront an uncomfortable truth. It called for the release of the hostages, but those calls were ignored by Hamas. And yet, it was Israel that was scrutinized in this room, while no measures against the kidnappers of babies and the elderly were adopted," she said.