Joint statement by the elected members of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East

NEW YORK (UNITED NATIONS) – The ten (10) elected members of the Security Council, including Algeria, expressed Thursday in a joint declaration their deep concern about the resurgence of tensions in the Middle East, denouncing the spiral of current violence.

In their joint statement, the ten elected members of the Security Council called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and for all parties to respect their commitments under international law. They reaffirmed, in this regard, that the diplomatic solution was the only way to move forward in the dispute settlement process, urging all parties to favor dialogue and diplomacy while ensuring the protection of civilians.

Furthermore, members expressed their full support for the Secretary-General (SG) of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, and the UN, in the face of the fierce campaign of which he is the victim because of his positions of solidarity with the Palestinian people, in particular after the decision of the Zionist occupation authorities to declare him persona non grata and to prohibit him from entering the occupied Palestinian territories.

This declaration, read by the coordinator of the elected members, the permanent representative of Guyana, during a press conference held Thursday morning, comes in a context of deterioration of the situation in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon and in the territories occupied Palestinians, following the multiple assassinations committed by the Zionist occupying forces in Lebanon and their continued attacks against populated areas in flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law.

The UN Security Council gave its full support to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a statement on Thursday evening. The members of the Security Council had stressed “the need for all Member States to have a productive and functioning relationship with the Secretary-General and to refrain from any action that undermines his work and that of his services”, adding that “any decision that does not involve the UN Secretary General or the United Nations is counterproductive.”

APS