New York, 11 May 2024 (TDI): Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour pleaded for peace and recognition through an impassioned address to the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
“I stand before you as more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, 80,000 have been maimed, two million have been displaced, and everything has been destroyed,” he initiated his address.
‘Israel’s plan has not changed: destroy and displace’
“The world is barely beginning to grasp the cruel and extensive nature of the actions against the Palestinian people,” he said.
“I stand before you as the Israeli Prime Minister is ready to kill thousands more to ensure his political survival,” the Ambassador alarmed the members.
“Israel’s plan has not changed: destroy and displace,” he mentioned.
Moreover, he indicated that “as we speak, 1.4 million Palestinians in Rafah wonder if they will survive today and where they will go next. There is nowhere left to go.”
‘If you do not support our freedom, you do not support peace’
“Your vote today, of course, says a lot about your solidarity with Palestine but also about who you are and what you stand for,” Ambassador Mansour urged the members.
Furthermore, “it matters and I know an overwhelming majority of you will stand again with the Palestinian people in their hour of need. And, you will stand for just and lasting peace for the benefit of all,” he reiterated.
The Ambassador Riyad reminded the members of UNGA that “we did not write the UN Charter. We did not enact international laws. We just demanded to see them applied to us and have until now been denied their protection.”
Also Read: UNGA Session: Ambassador Mansour addresses Israel-Palestine Crisis
More importantly, he asserted that “a yes vote is a vote for Palestinian existence. It not against any state, but it is against the attempts to deprive us of our State. That is why the Israeli government is so opposed to it, because they oppose our independence and the Two-State solution altogether.”
Lastly, “in simple words, voting “Yes” is the right thing to do. And, I can assure you, you and your country for years to come will be proud to have stood for freedom, justice and peace in this darkest hour.”
“As everyone is saying, Free Palestine, Free Palestine and peace for all, and I repeat, free Palestine and vote “Yes” for the resolution,” he vehemently concluded.
