UNSC|Attaf Presides Over an Open Discussion Session on the Situation in the Middle East, Including the Palestinian Issue.

New York (United Nations) – By the mandate of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Mr. Ahmed Attaf, will preside over an open ministerial debate at the United Nations Security Council on Monday regarding the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue.

This meeting, which marks the opening of the quarterly discussion in the Security Council on the Middle East situation, will feature the participation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is expected to deliver a speech during the debate.

The recently implemented ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli entity, which took effect yesterday, will be a central focus of the meeting.

Mr. Guterres and Security Council members are anticipated to welcome the ceasefire agreement during the open discussion and urge both parties to commit, in good faith, to its full and swift implementation.

Algeria, having tirelessly worked within the Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for a permanent and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, which has endured months of brutal Israeli aggression, is expected to reiterate its call for the full implementation of the agreement and emphasize the necessity of moving towards a lasting ceasefire.

Additionally, Algeria will highlight the importance of lifting all restrictions and obstacles to delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinian populations in Gaza, and it will demand the complete withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Palestinian territories.

While Algeria expressed its “satisfaction” with the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, it considered that “this step, which has been the focus of Algeria’s efforts and initiatives since its membership in the Security Council, represents a partial response to the aspirations of the Palestinian people, and it needs to be complemented by further steps towards reconstruction, unifying Palestinian territories, and opening actual prospects for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state as a fair, permanent, and final solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and as an essential condition for restoring security and stability in the entire Middle East region.”

In a speech to the nation before Parliament at the end of December, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune affirmed that Algeria “will not abandon Palestine until it achieves its independence and its capital is Jerusalem.”

Today’s meeting will be an opportunity for Algeria, which is presiding over the Security Council in January, to call for an end to the occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

By the mandate of the President, Mr. Attaf arrived yesterday in New York City to oversee a series of meetings and activities as part of Algeria’s periodic presidency of the UN Security Council this January.

On this occasion, the Minister of State will chair high-level meetings that Algeria has initiated at the Security Council to highlight the key issues concerning the Arab world and the African continent, particularly regarding developments related to the Palestinian issue, combating terrorism in Africa, and cooperation between the United Nations and the Arab League.

APS