Middle East (Resolution 2334 Implementation): Kenya's Final Statement Before Term End

Thank you, Madam President.

I also thank Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland for the presentation of the Secretary-General's Report and your continued engagement with both Israeli and Palestinian officials.

My delegation has taken note of the Report's summation of efforts by the parties and the international community to advance peace efforts. We welcome all the affirmative steps at the grassroots and regional level aimed at improving the current conditions in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

Nevertheless, we can all agree there is much more that needs to be done to bridge the gap between the current engagement and the situation on the ground. Much more needs to be done to bring closer this Council's narratives and paradigms to the aspiration of "Two States for Two Peoples."

In recognition of a missing genuine Israeli-Palestine peace process underpinned by direct dialogue, the urgency and continued engagement, commitment, and focus on the Israel-Palestine issue, must be sustained.

Efforts to create conducive conditions to negotiate all final status issues in a manner that takes into account the legitimate concerns of both Palestinian and Israeli sides must become more robust.

The Report, as in previous reports over the past decades, points to the lack of meaningful progress in the implementation of resolution 2334. Its implementation requires beyond rhetoric, the political will of both the Israeli and Palestinian Authorities to operationalise the commitments if it is to succeed.

This is the only way to bring immediate-not futuristic political traction on the ground.

My delegation continues to urge that Reporting from the good offices of the Secretary-General be undergirded by Operating Paragraph 11 of the resolution, which calls for the presentation of clear objectives, timelines, and feasible solutions to resolving pending issues in a way that the Council will be better positioned to "examine practical ways and means to secure the full implementation of its relevant resolutions" to end this protracted conflict.

This Council must remain seized and urgently action on the objectives of Resolution 2334. They speak to the urgency of stabilising the situation and reversing the negative trends on the ground, which are undermining the prospects of a Two-State solution along the 1967 lines, with an independent and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel.

Madam President, it is appalling that children, young girls and boys continue to be victims of violence. The statistics stemming from violent incidents, arrests, and fatalities reflected in barely three months of the reporting period are alarming and unacceptable. All effort must be expended to ensure the protection of children.

We are cognisant of the fact that as we repeatedly express concern and rightfully condemn all acts of violence, and terrorism, such acts are a common phenomenon in the daily lives of Palestinians and Israelis.

In line with 2334, there is need for strengthened efforts to prevent, hold accountable, and address violence against civilians including acts of terrorism perpetrated by Hamas, the Palestinian Jihad and other militant groups in Israel.

The indiscriminate launching of rockets, including from residential neighborhoods in Gaza to Israeli population centers are condemnable and must stop.

My delegation is concerned about the report of the presence of a man-made cavity underneath the grounds of an UNRWA school in Gaza. This poses great security and safety risks to the children and staff and is indeed a serious violation of the Agency's neutrality and a breach of international law. The neutrality and inviolability of UN premises must be protected.

The Report also indicates that settlements as well as demolitions including the recent demolition of the school in Masafer Yatta and evictions, continue to increase in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including East Jerusalem in violation of International Law.

Kenya also calls on all concerned parties including communal political and religious leaders, to stop inflammatory rhetoric in the interest of the promotion of peace and security. They should speak up against incitement and support the daily dividends of constructive grassroots efforts in mitigating the cycles of conflict.

In conclusion and considering that this is Kenya's last engagement on this file before the end of our two-year tenure in the Security Council, I wish to thank the Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland and his team for your continued tireless engagements with both Israeli and Palestinian officials.

You can continue to count on Kenya's support. We are optimistic that despite the protracted nature of this matter, parties will see reason to exert collective efforts and demonstrate a political commitment to the desirable and obtainable objectives of resolution 2334. I reaffirm once again, Kenya's commitment to the Two-State solution.

I thank you for your attention.