NEW YORK: The Maldives has called for an immediate end to Israel’s military operations in Gaza and urged the international community to ensure accountability for violations of international law.
Addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Vice President of the Maldives said Israel’s actions against Palestinians were not confined to Gaza, alleging that Israeli military attacks across the region had also violated the sovereignty of other states.
“No state should be shielded from accountability by its power or political alliances,” the Maldivian Vice President said, stressing that condemnation alone was not enough to address the ongoing violence.
The Vice President said every UN member state should examine what it had done to help end the violence, adding that the United Nations should ask itself the same question.
“The problem is not a lack of law. The rules are clear. What is absent is equal application,” the Vice President said, calling for international humanitarian law to be applied consistently without exceptions.
The Maldives called for an end to what it described as Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories, and illegal settlements.
The Maldivian Vice President also urged the international community to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches Palestinians safely, rapidly and at the required scale.
The Maldives further called for international courts’ decisions and UN resolutions to be respected and implemented.
Addressing the future of the Palestinian people, the Vice President said a sovereign Palestinian state should guarantee freedom, dignity, self-determination and the right to live securely.
The Maldives reiterated its support for the recognition of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Vice President also called for Palestine to be granted full membership of the United Nations, saying this would be an important step toward restoring trust in the international organization and ensuring equal treatment for all.