On Thursday, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, called on the United Nations Security Council to adopt resolutions for a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave. At a time of mass crimes against the civilian population, the right of veto is no longer legitimate, said the President, who demanded “that the Security Council call a ceasefire in Gaza!” But Hamas has consistently refused a ceasefire.
President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, said she is appalled to see that “the international community has failed the test of humanitarianism and humanity. The killings we see daily in pictures and words in various parts of the world are becoming a new normal” and that Slovenia, “as a democratic country committed to the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms, cannot tolerate this.”
Pirc Musar also said that “the dead, the wounded, the sick, and even children dying of hunger are not a matter of politics and national interests, alliances and inter-state support or self-defence. They are simply a crime and a denial of any true humanity”.
That is all true, but it is also true of the Israeli hostages and of the Ukrainian civilians who die daily in Russian missile and drone strikes.
The President pointed out she regrets that the Security Council had been the victim of national interests, especially of those countries with veto power, since its inception. Millions of people around the world have died because of these interests. “Membership of the Security Council is not intended for the narrow interests of states, but to be there and act on behalf of humanity,” said President Pirc Musar, adding that “the massacre of members of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas will not be forgotten, nor will Israel’s policy of collective punishment of the Palestinians.”
“At a time of mass crimes against the civilian population, the right of veto is simply no longer legitimate! Immediate action by the Security Council is needed, with a resolution that sends a clear message to Israel: what is happening in Gaza and also in the West Bank is contrary to the UN Charter. The latter gives the right of self-defence, but only to nations that are under threat. Only one nation is now threatened in this war. Palestine. And it is in immediate need of peace and humanitarian aid. Now!” she added.
Hamas has rejected all offers of a truce
The Slovenian President is demanding a virtually unilateral ceasefire as Hamas rejects all Israeli offers, and so Hamas also rejected the latest Israeli offer on Wednesday for a temporary ceasefire, which would include a deal on the Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas and the release of Palestinian prisoners, while mediators are expected to start working towards a short-term cessation of fighting of a few days to build confidence between the two sides.
Negotiators from Egypt, Qatar and the USA began their fourth day of talks on Wednesday to reach an agreement ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts early next week. The mediators proposed a short-term ceasefire lasting only a few days to buy time and build confidence between Israel and Hamas as efforts for a wider six-week cessation of hostilities have stalled, the Wall Street Journal reported this week. According to the newspaper, both the USA and the Arab sides were in favour of the idea at the Cairo talks. On Thursday, however, news emerged that Hamas representatives had walked out of the Cairo talks and left the city.
This has made Israelis increasingly pessimistic about the likelihood of a hostage and ceasefire agreement being reached before Ramadan, as it shows that the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, does not want to achieve a temporary ceasefire in the coming days, but wants to escalate the violence even further during Ramadan.
In her appeal to the UN Security Council, President Pirc Musar forgot to add another demand, namely that the UN Security Council should order the Russian army to stop killing civilians in Ukraine, to withdraw from Ukraine and to return all Ukrainian prisoners of war and Ukrainian children whom it has unjustly taken into its territory …
D. P.
