Syrian Minister denounces Israel for its ‘seven-decade-long criminal record’

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria, Bassam Sabbagh, on Monday said the world was at a critical juncture, marked by widespread conflict, economic hardship and environmental degradation.

All of these, he told the UN General Assembly, are exacerbated by failures of multilateral diplomacy and the failure of the United Nations to achieve its founding objectives.

“While we previously sought to promote preventive diplomacy and the peaceful settlement of disputes, we are witnessing today more direct wars and proxy wars waged using terrorist tools,” he said.

“Instead of investing efforts and resources in achieving sustainable development for all, some are flagrantly draining the resources of other countries, stealing from their people, and imposing unilateral coercive measures that impoverish and destroy nations.”

Stating that Syria has experienced unparalleled suffering for over a decade, he alleged that billions of dollars were spent to erode its development progress, undermine security and stability, spread chaos, and fuel displacement.

“All that has happened has revealed the true intentions of the collective West, which completely contradict the principles and purposes that formed the pillars of foundation and function of this Organization,” he said.

The Syrian Minister also condemned Israel for its ongoing occupation of Arab territories since 1967, as well as what he described as its “genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity”. He added that by its actions since 7 October last year, Israel added “another chapter to its seven-decade-long criminal record.”

“[Syria] strongly condemns the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and renew its solidarity with its legitimate struggle to liberate their occupied land and establish their independent state on their entire national territory, with Jerusalem as its capital, while ensuring the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions,” he said.

He also denounced Israel’s “heinous crimes” against his country’s people in the occupied Syrian Golan, as well as its “unprecedented crime” against Lebanon.

“We stress the need to hold Israel accountable for the war crimes it is committing, including the deliberate targeting of more than 200 personnel working for UNRWA [the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees] and other UN and humanitarian agencies.”

Minister Sabbagh reiterated Syria’s demand for full restoration of the occupied Golan Heights and called for an end to unilateral sanctions imposed by Western countries on Syria and its allies.

In closing, he urged all nations to “summon the courage and make the right choice” to guarantee a better present and better future for the current and future generations, and to save humanity from the scourge of all-out wars looming on the horizon.

He underscored the need for adherence to the UN Charter, respect for international law and multilateral diplomacy, and granting developing countries equal opportunities to advance their societies and achieve well-being, prosperity and sustainable development for their peoples.