UNSC: Algeria Calls for an ‘Immediate’ Ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon
On Thursday evening, Algeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amar Bendjama, advocated for an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, underscoring the urgent need to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
“The first step to reaching a comprehensive calm in the region is an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and in Lebanon,” he stated before Security Council members convened to address the situation in Lebanon. He reiterated that Algeria maintains that “the only path to ensuring stability in Lebanon and peace in the broader region is the full and immediate implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
This resolution, he continued, “includes the deployment of the Lebanese Army over all Lebanese territory within internationally recognized borders. That means the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese lands”.
Bendjama recalled Algeria’s previous warnings that the military actions of the Zionist occupation would not be limited to Gaza and the West Bank, asserting once again that “the aggression will not stop at Lebanon.”
According to Ambassador Bendjama, “The true and enduring threat to the Middle East is the continued Israeli occupation of Arab lands, in Palestine, in Lebanon and in Syria.” He emphasized that “failure to address this root cause, and focusing merely on the symptoms, will only ensure that the tragedy will repeat itself.”
“The occupation must end now before we are once again faced with an irreversible catastrophe,” he urged.
Highlighting the “alarming deterioration” of the situation in Lebanon and the “dangerous escalation” that severely threatens the lives of civilians and UN peacekeepers, Ambassador Bendjama cautioned against the Security Council’s inaction.
“The persistence of this invasion and the violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity without serious reaction from our Council only emboldens further violations of international law and further instability in the whole region,” he emphasized.
He added that “as long as Israel continues to enjoy impunity, from our Council, it will perpetuate the cycle of violence, employing the same egregious tactics of mass destruction and targeting of innocent civilian lives.”
In this context, he questioned, “When this Council will assume its responsibilities of maintaining international peace and security? When this Council will impose sanctions on the Israeli authorities for the atrocities and violations they are committing?”
The permanent representative of Algeria to the United Nations condemned the actions of the Zionist occupying forces in Lebanon, which “disregards all legal restraints, treating the country’s sky, sea, and lands as free reign for its aggression.”
“The figures speak volumes: over 1.2 million people have been displaced within Lebanon, with hundreds of thousands more forced into neighboring Syria. Thousands have been killed or injured, and Lebanon’s infrastructure lies in ruins,” he lamented, reaffirming Algeria’s solidarity and support for Lebanon in the face of this “barbaric aggression.”
On this occasion, Ambassador Bendjama commended the “pivotal role” of UNIFIL in safeguarding regional stability, expressing his “deep concern” regarding the establishment of a gathering zone by the Israeli occupying forces near the UNIFIL position in the city of Maroun al-Ras.
“And we condemn Israeli forces for firing on three positions used by UNIFIL, injuring two of our peacekeepers, he added.
