In his address during Tuesday's resumed 10th Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly, Ambassador Abdel-Khalek underscored that the emergency session resumed after a previous draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war was blocked in the UNSC due to a US veto.
"In response to this unilateral position, we turned to the UNGA, where all members of the international community sit equally, without the privilege of the veto," he said.
On 12 June, the assembly adopted, with an overwhelming majority, a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war,which Abdel-Khalek described as a baseline of justice and a minimal humanitarian response.
He said the resolution had reflected the broad international consensus to end the ongoing war in Gaza and was supported by the remaining 14 Council members.
It sought to halt Israel’s “horrific crimes” against civilians, especially women and children, and to end the “brutal blockade” imposed on the Gaza Strip, he added.
“This resolution aimed to rescue the Palestinian people from war crimes broadcast live to the world for over a year and a half — crimes the international community has consistently failed to stop,” Abdel-Khalek expressed.
“History will record this in shame — a chapter future generations will struggle to understand or accept,” he continued.
Veto shield enabling continued aggression in Gaza
Ambassador Abdel-Khalek criticized the repeated use of the veto by permanent members of the Security Council, arguing that it undermines the core principles of the UN Charter.
He emphasized that the charter grants the veto to the council’s permanent members as “guarantors of the spirit, purposes, and principles of the UN Charter — to preserve international peace and security.”
However, he added, its recent and repeated use has “completely undermined these commitments, allowing Israel to continue its brutal aggression against unarmed civilians in Gaza.”
Abdel-Khalek stated that the persistent misuse of the veto justifies Egypt’s long-standing position, shared by many member states, demanding urgent and comprehensive reform of the Security Council — “especially a fundamental correction of the defect inherent in the veto system, once and for all.”
Truths that veto cannot erase
Abdel-Khalek underscored what he described as “two glaring truths” that the latest veto cannot erase.
“First, that Israel has committed, and continues to commit, systematic war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, driven by the Israeli far-right and its top leadership,” he stated.
He stressed that such crimes “necessitate accountability and justice.”
The second truth, he continued, is the existence of a “clear and unequivocal international consensus on the urgent need to stop this unjust war, save the Palestinian people, and halt the grave violations being committed against civilians in Gaza.”
Mediation, ceasefire efforts
Ambassador Abdel-Khalek reaffirmed Egypt’s active commitment to continuing mediation efforts. He said it continues to work with Qatar and the US to reach a permanent ceasefire and secure an end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
He emphasized that “mediation efforts do not conflict with the United Nations’ role in ending aggression and saving innocent lives.”
Additionally, Abdel-Khalek warned against the dangerous escalation of Israeli actions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
He called for an immediate halt to attacks on Palestinian cities, a stop to settlement expansion, and the punishment of settler violence.
He also underscored the importance of ensuring that Palestinians can move freely and access their own resources without restriction.
In addition, Abdel-Khalek demanded an end to violations of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, called for the preservation of the city’s status quo, and urged the removal of all restrictions on UNRWA’s operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Updating humanitarian legal discourse
In a pointed appeal, Abdel-Khalek called for modernizing the international humanitarian legal language, urging it to reflect the magnitude of Israeli violations in Gaza.
He said the Palestinian people must be recognized for the decades of suffering they endured under the occupation and supported in their transition toward “dignity, independence, and the right to self-determination.”
“Palestinians are the only people living under ongoing war crimes broadcast live to the world, with no end in sight,” he continued.
Moral obligations, urgent call for statehood
Ambassador Abdel-Khalek described the ongoing violence in Gaza as a “stain on the conscience of the entire international community — it must end immediately.”
“We all bear a legal and moral duty that cannot be ignored,” he stated.
“The veto must not be allowed to serve as a political or legal cover for continued war. The veto does not override international law — nor human nature, which inherently rejects the killing of children and innocents in Gaza,” he said.
He further called on the international community, both collectively and individually, to use every available means to pressure Israel to end its aggression, lift the blockade, stop the use of starvation as a weapon, and ensure the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid.
Abdel-Khalek also urged all states to support the full implementation of UN resolutions and the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Moreover, he strongly appealed to the UNGA to maintain their support for Palestinian rights, urging member states to endorse the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and to grant it full UN membership.
“This is the only path to peace in the region — there is no alternative,” he said. “Silence is complicity. Hesitating to support Palestinian rights is betrayal.”
He said, conversely, voting in favor of any future resolutions aimed at protecting civilians in Palestine is both a legal obligation and a moral necessity.
Iran
Abdel-Khalek also condemned Israeli attacks on Iran, warning that such actions violate international law, the UN Charter, and principles of sovereignty and peaceful conflict resolution.
He expressed grave concern over the escalation’s potential consequences for Middle East security and reiterated Egypt’s longstanding position advocating for a nuclear-weapon-free Middle East.
Abdel-Khalek also called on all states in the region to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to eliminate weapons of mass destruction without selectivity or exceptions.
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