This is a rare example of a very direct message delivered by one government to another at the United Nations.
Samuel Moncada, Venezuela’s ambassador to the U.N., addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday.
Mr. President, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela robustly condemns the Israeli aggression against the civilian population in the occupied Palestinian territories. This is an operation of mass expulsion of an entire people in order to annex their territory by the occupying power. It’s a new cycle of expansionist terror, of so much that has been suffered by the Palestinian people over 75 years of occupation.
Over the last eight weeks we have seen an escalation of the crimes perpetrated by the Israeli regime against the Palestinian people. Almost 15,000 innocent civilians have been murdered by the occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, mainly women and children in an operation of ethnic cleansing which has not even spared the staff of the United Nations who have also been massacred.
It is repugnant to see how, despite the cruelty of the facts that on view to the world, the government of the United States of America and its satellites aim to justify the unjustifiable:
That the occupying power is carrying out a genocide against the Palestinian people as defined in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court. We ask ourselves where are those who in other cases rush to apply the responsibility to protect but now are ignoring the human rights of Palestinians submitted to the Israeli occupation?
Where are the activists on the code of conduct of the Security Council against genocide or those advocating for a reduction in the right of veto in the Security Council when mass atrocities are being committed? Their silence makes them an accomplice in these crimes.
We call for a condemnation in the firmest terms of the criminal policies of Israel against the civilian population. The United Nations must act with determination including the Secretariat that has a crucial role to play in preserving the right to life of millions of innocent people. We cannot allow now that our actions and our omissions make us jointly responsible for the annihilation of an entire people.
Mr. President, Israel has no intention of putting an end to the occupation. On the contrary it aims to wrest control of the entire occupied Palestinian territory while it alters the demographic situation, repressing Palestinians and privileging Israeli settlers. This is a case of the imposition of a system of apartheid on this reality.
We must add the destruction of tens of thousands of dwellings, the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, as well as the deliberate attacks against vital infrastructure. Mr. President, today we must make progress as a matter of urgency in at least three critical areas.
Firstly we must put an end to the cycle of impunity. Israel must be held accountable by International Justice for the crimes against humanity and war crimes that it has been committing over years, as well as for the genocide underway today. The international impunity provided to it by a government of one of its main partners that is a permanent member of the Security Council, this encourages the crimes committed daily by Israel.
Secondly whilst the occupying power continues with its policies of shoot to kill, bombing schools, hospitals, housing, refugee centers or food storage facilities as well as the systemic violence on the part of Israeli settlers against the innocent civilian population. We must apply provisional measures under international humanitarian law that will guarantee the international protection of the Palestinian people.
And thirdly, an end must be put to the illegal settlement policy, the evictions and demolition of homes, the expropriation of Palestinian land, to the arbitrary detentions of innocent Palestinian civilians and the persecution of civil society Palestinian organizations. We must repudiate those who call for the use of weapons of mass destruction against the Palestinian people and that encourage fanatical groups to commit hate crimes or attack religious sites.
Mr. President, on the other hand we insist on our rejection of the lack of compliance with the provisions of resolution 497 of the Security Council, which for more than 40 years now has demanded the withdrawal of Israel from the Syrian Golan and we also reject any actions taken by the occupying power to change the demographic or legal situation of the occupied Syrian Golan. We reject any measures that use force to exercise jurisdiction and administration in this territory.
The time has come for this General Assembly to demand concrete action and that’s why we urge a vote in favor of all of the draft resolutions tabled today under items 39 and 40 of the program of work.
Finally we reaffirm our solidarity with the Palestinian people as well as our support for self-determination and a Palestinian state that is independent and sovereign within in the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and as a full member of the United Nations.
Thank you very much Mr. President.
We must go much further. We must demand that Israel, the US, UK, France, and all other governments rebuild Gaza and be subject to lawsuits for the death, injuries, and destruction. Israeli society must be made to pay to the extent it has no reserves for not much else, with much of its military assets sold in the process.
I realize this wouldn’t be fair to the Israeli Arabs, and I’m not sure how to remedy that.
I agree.
Perfectly stated, thank you so very much for sharing this! Now, it’s time to push them to act immediately and end this illegal, immoral atrocity. Thanks to CN and as others mentioned in comments… sanctions, civil disobedience en masse must grow to stop these monsters it must come to an end now! The US Empire along with Israel… etc… is falling.
The Venezuelan diplomat’s description of Israel’s intent and actions are fine. But he says nothing about the atrocity committed by the Hamas troops or the racist hateful pronouncements Hamas and its ilk spews. Hamas did just what Netanyahu and his cronies wanted them to do, which is why the reactionary Israelis greased Hamas’s rise to prominence.. Most Palestinians don’t want to live under Hamas control.
For several hundred years Europeans have claimed to be world leaders in ethics and morality. This UNGA vote and Mr Moncada’s words expose the truth.
We must all act. Refuse to vote for politicians who will not condemn these people. If none condemn, then refuse to vote.
Boycott Israeli products, boycott those who deal with Israel. Sanctions do not require government directions, make the choice yourself.
For hundreds of years Europeans invaded, raped, enslaved and slaughtered hundreds of millions of people in their colonial exploits. Their claim of moral and ethical superiority was just psychopathic hyperbole. The US has picked up where the old European empires left off – hence the illegal State of Israel. And the colonizers continue on . . .
Wonderful, only a country the US is attempting to crush, a country declared enemy of US, A country the US has attempted to deprive of connection with the international community, a country we have deprived ot their own money throwing Venezuela into poverty.
I willing to speak up so honestly and powerfully on behalf of the downtrodden, oppressed, and now being forced in mass off what little land they have left in their own land.
Bravo Macada bravo Venezuela Brave CN
The emperor has no clothes
Israel is a criminal state—but it appears that America is too. Nothing Israel seems to do that is negative toward others seems to matter to Biden, nor many in Congress. America came to the new land and Native Americans were murdered. Nowadays, Israel does the same. WHY do we support this heinous behavior, America?
Israel has been murdering Palestinians since 1948—and sadly breaks rules of humanity by murdering men, women and children who are Palestinian.
WHY do you support Israel in this horrendous debacle, America? After WW 2 you seemed to be a nation helping those less pros[erous—but sadly GREED has raised its ugly head and beginning with George Bush and his horror war lies, the Middle East suffered immensely. And now America, you join Israel in the elimination and murder of Palestinians?
America and Israel—what a disappointment both nations are. Well that is that old saying, ” live by the sword, die by the sword…” nothing good d will come from this act of INhummanity toward others. : (
Thank you, Venezuela, for laying it out clean and clear. May the UNITED Nations heed this truth, despite cowardly opposition.
ZIONAZIS should be shunned world-wide!!! The Western hypocrisy is totally sickening. The deafening silence totally conptemptible. Is this ‘humanity’ at its best or worst???
THANKS TO CN
It’s extremely difficult if not impossible to get texts of any statements by a nation that does not
accept the US and western narrative. Mysteriously, there are many statements by the US. Original
documents are rarely given out. (What did the Russian representative actually say???…not reported.)
(Of course, statements by Russia or China are blocked except as referred to in secondary media sources.)
Well said Ambassador Moncada!!! This is what all the United Nations of our planet need to say to Israel. If Israel does not stop it’s land grabbing apartheid and genocide then sanctions must be imposed. A worldwide total and complete boycott of all Israeli products and trade is called for. Furthermore, Every single nation needs to address it’s internal Zionist influence problem. Pass laws to outlaw Zionist influence! Get these Neocon/Zionists out of all our governments!! My country, America, needs to lead the way. If America won’t lead then let’s follow Venezuela. When we do this we will truly turn towards a united and respectful World.
Well said Eric. The Biden administration and the U. S. Congress are supporting genocide for one reason – to placate the the America’s Jewish lobby, AIPAC, and wealthy Jewish donors of Dark Money.
Bravo to Venezuela for calling out the United States for it’s crimes.
“Where are the activists on the code of conduct of the Security Council against genocide or those advocating for a reduction in the right of veto in the Security Council when mass atrocities are being committed? Their silence makes them an accomplice in these crimes.””
There it is in a nutshell – when one of the States with veto power in the SC is also one of the States accused of committing genocide, there will be no condemnation of it coming out of the SC …
In such a case, a vote from the General Assembly (GA) should be the deciding factor in stating the “official” position of the UN …
In any case, considering that certain States don’t really give a flying f… what the UN says, as they have shown over and over, the fact that there is no enforcement mechanism behind such resolutions diminishes their value considerably – but they may put some spine in the backs of individual countries who back such resolutions to take whatever steps they can to do so – embargoes, sanctions, etc. ….
Bravo! Bravo! Viva Venezuela
Ditto, Ditto.
Excellent exposition of an endangered concept. Verity.
Thank you, sir. About time common sense and humanity prevailed.
Yes!
Bravo Samuel Moncada, that was very uplifting to listen to.
Now your government should invoke the Genocide convention at the ICJ as outlined in Sam Husseini’s excellent and thought provoking article published in CN a few days ago.
We live in hope that you or someone does this sooner rather than later.
Exactly, that is the next, crucial step!
Bravo Venezuela for speaking truth!
We hegemonists gotta hate when you can’t impugn a single word of such forceful statements coming from “autocracies” we despise.
All trade with genocidal Israel must be stopped immediately.
If only we could have human beings like that in our government.
Thank you, Venezuela.
The spirit of Bolivar, Hugo Chavez, and the millions of Venzeulan freedom fighters of present and past generations will shine for eternity!
Wild cheering, whistling, clapping. Somebody telling it like it is. Sadly….
The UN, a wholly owned subsidiary of the US state department, will do nothing and,
all the colonial powers of Europe and the US will do nothing and
nobody will pay a price.
Sorry, I’m a cynic or, if you prefer, a realist.
Amen
This is the kind of speech that an American ambassador could give should. Provided that we actually had values.
Telling it like it is. Israel sense of entitlement from the holocaust and U.S. running interference for them is so bloated that they think it literally doesn’t matter what they do, they are used to getting away with anything.
But they’ve miscalculated. Genocide against 2.5 million people and incinerating thousands of children appears to be too far and their sense of being untouchable is finally backfiring on them.
Maybe this was all calculated by Hamas, knowing that things have to get worse before getting better, they wanted to force israel’s hand. We will be looking back on this soon as Israel playing right into the hands of Hamas.
I hope. And I’m 100% Jewish.
Well said, and I agree absolutely.
Yes! This is about right vs. wrong or good vs. evil; much more than Jews vs. Muslims! Why do so few see the truth?! I’m beyond disgusted and horrified with Israel, and the U.S. supporting and financing such atrocities.
Yes, this is about right vs. wrong, but it has nothing to do with Jews or Muslims. It is simply a land grab by Zionists. Keep in mind, Zionism is a political movement seeking political power. It is not a religion and has nothing to do with Judaism.
I’m with you, Deb. I’m almost 81 years old, and I’m sick and tired of the mass murder perpetrated by my country. But, it’s not ‘Jews vs. Muslims’, it’s ‘Zionists vs. the indigenous population”. Many Jews see this clearly, and many of them do NOT support genocide. In fact, many of the loudest anti-Zionist voices (JVP, Code Pink, Democracy Now, etc.) are led by Americans who are also Jews, and they aren’t against treating Muslims as kin.
Couldn’t agree more with every word.