UNITED NATIONS (Dispatches) – Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has strongly criticized UN silence on the occupying regime of Israel’s crimes, saying the world body must act immediately to support the Palestinian people.
Saeid Iravani made the remarks while addressing a UN Security Council open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. “Sympathy alone is not enough,” he said.
The Zionist regime’s oppressive, expansionist and apartheid practices against Palestinians continued unabated in 2022, and the Palestinian people, particularly women and children, are facing severe poverty and violation of their basic rights, he said.
The occupying regime has committed atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territories without accountability for more than 70 years, he said, stressing the importance of fully recognizing, upholding and protecting the Palestinian nation’s right to self-determination.
But long as the Security Council remains silent, this is impossible to do so, Iravani added.
The Security Council is duty-bound to remain committed to the UN Charter and maintain international peace and security, he said, emphasizing that it should use all legal channels to hold the Zionist regime accountable for all the crimes it is committing.
The Iranian envoy said the Israeli incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound earlier this month violated the mosque’s sanctity and worship rites and was a brazen provocation of Muslim feelings.
“This illegality and recklessness have serious consequences that should not be underestimated,” he said, noting that if not properly addressed, it can further destabilize an already fragile situation and endanger regional and international peace and security.
On January 3, far-right Zionist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque through the Moroccan Gate, also known as the Mughrabi Gate, sparking widespread condemnation.
Hardline Israeli legislators and extremist settlers regularly storm the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied city, a provocative move that infuriates Palestinians. Such mass settler break-ins almost always take place at the behest of Tel Aviv-backed temple groups and under the auspices of the Israeli police in Al-Quds.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Iravani said the UN silence on Tel Aviv’s crimes will only encourage the regime to continue its occupation of the Palestinian territories and intensify its brutal aggression against Palestinians.
He said Iran is responsible to support the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to resist the oppression and violence of the racist Israeli regime in accordance with Palestinians’ right to self-determination, adding it will be Tehran’s permanent position until the end of the occupation.