Attaf: Middle East Security Cannot Be Hostage to Zionist Whims

On Wednesday evening in New York, Algerian Foreign Minister and National Community Abroad, Ahmed Attaf, asserted that it is time for the United Nations Security Council to acknowledge that the issue of security in the Middle East cannot remain captive to the whims of the Zionist entity. He characterized the impunity it enjoys as a green light for the escalation of its crimes.

During his address at the emergency meeting of the Security Council concerning the situation in Lebanon, Attaf emphasized that the unjust and barbaric aggression once again inflicted upon this nation—equivalent in atrocity and scale to the suffering endured by the populations of Gaza—is “an integral part of the policy of escalation adopted by the Israeli colonial occupation, which has made it a preferred approach and a strategy employed across multiple fronts in the Middle East.”

The minister further noted that the Zionist entity is no longer confined to waging a genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank; it is “actively working to incite successive crises and broaden the scope of its crimes by imposing its tyranny on all neighboring countries, including Yemen, Syria, Iran, and, currently, Lebanon.”

In this context, Attaf expressed his solidarity with the Lebanese people amid this cowardly and brutal Zionist aggression, emphasizing that this “demands from us and our Council a clear condemnation, a firm denunciation, and an outright rejection, alongside urgent action to put an end to it and hold those responsible accountable.”

“The violations faced by Lebanon regarding its sovereignty and stability complement the structure of crimes committed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza,” the minister stated.

He further remarked that these acts constitute “crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, and genocidal acts; in other words, they aim to transform Lebanon into another Gaza.” He highlighted that both the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples, along with regional populations, are paying with their lives “for the Security Council’s failure to halt the ongoing genocide against Gaza,” recalling that “the strategy of escalation began initially in Gaza before spreading throughout the region, as the occupier seeks to demonstrate its belief that its security depends on depriving its neighbors.”

In this regard, the minister asserted that “it is time for the Security Council to recognize that the question of security and stability in the Middle East cannot be held hostage to the whims and illusions of the Israeli occupier, which operates freely regarding the future of this region.” He emphasized that the Zionist entity has proven that “it does not believe in peace, rejects it, and considers itself unconcerned with the rules and principles that bind us within our organization.”

Consequently, Attaf added, “Algeria reiterates that efforts to halt the escalation are the least we can expect from our Council at this moment, as the Middle East region, now more than ever, requires everyone’s actions to avert the horrors of a looming global war.”

He concluded: “My country asserts that these efforts must primarily focus on ending the suffering imposed on the Palestinian people in Gaza and target the aggressor, not the victim—against the Israeli occupier and not against the Palestinians, Lebanese, or other peoples of the region who have become victims of the multifaceted Israeli crimes and have endured the arrogance and tyranny of the occupier.”

Algeria, the minister asserts, is firmly convinced that restoring security and stability in the Middle East depends on the Security Council’s capacity to eliminate the obstacles impeding its mission. “This is crucial for ensuring full respect for Lebanon’s integrity and sovereignty, which involves implementing decisions for a ceasefire in Gaza and putting an end to the systematic Israeli escalation in the region. Additionally, it necessitates an end to the occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state as a just, sustainable, and definitive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict”.