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"Today, we urgently need decisions backed by a robust follow-up and accountability mechanism. This is why Algeria reaffirms its belief that for those who reject peace, for those who don’t believe in peace, peace must be imposed upon them," said Ambassador Bendjama in his speech during the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian cause.

After calling for "a serious and clear stand to be taken against the deteriorating situation in the region", Bendjama recalled that "the primary task of the Security Council is the maintenance of international peace and security (...)", adding that "the gravity of the situation in the Middle East requires more than rhetoric and that everyone present here must recognize that the region is on the edge  of the abyss (...)". "We must heed the lessons of history, to prevent the worst of an all-out regional war," he warned.

The Permanent Representative of Algeria denounced the segregation policies carried out by the Zionist entity and its attempts to carry out plans for ethnic cleansing in Gaza and to push the West Bank to the brink of chaos. "The occupying power is also creating new fait accompli on the ground, this year alone we have witnessed unprecedented levels of settlement, of expansion and of annexation of land in violation of Resolution 2334."

Bendjama said that the Israeli occupier acts with impunity, expressing his indignation over its disengagement from previous agreements and its consistent violations of international law which is the very foundation of civilized societies.

"If we are serious about protecting future generations from the scourge of war as we pledged in the UN Charter, the solution is clear: there can be no peace in the Middle East without the establishment of an independent Palestinian State," he stressed.

In this regard, the ambassador referred to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice delivered on July 19 of this year addressed to the UN General Assembly and the Security Council stipulating that "the precise modalities for ending Israel’s unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory are matters for both the General Assembly and the Security Council to address.”

"The General Assembly adopted yesterday a resolution to this effect, will this Council continue to disregard the principles that underpin the United Nations? What will remain to this Council if it does not respond to the order of its highest judicial body?" questioned  Bendjama.

Bendjama also referred to the deteriorating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories as highlighted by the briefing of Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, illustrating "the terror endured by the Palestinians, including children,” deploring "the double standard and contempt for the lives of Palestinians against a backdrop of odious racism that the international community has constantly condemned".

“For us Palestinian lives also matter,” he said, adding “today the human right principles seem to have been monopolized by one group at the expense of another.” 

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