The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday night to discuss the Gaza “ceasefire” and Israel’s plans to expand its control of the West Bank.
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The United Nations Security Council has rescheduled a meeting on Israel and Palestine to take place before President Donald Trump’s Peace Commission convenes in Washington on the same issue.
The UN Security Council meeting in New York was originally scheduled for Thursday, but will now be held on Wednesday afternoon local time. Its focus is on the ongoing “ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip and renewed Israeli efforts to deepen its control and settler presence in the occupied West Bank.
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President Trump’s peace commission will meet in Washington on Thursday.
The UN Security Council changed the meeting time to accommodate diplomats who were scheduled to attend both events, the Associated Press reported.
The overlap is a sign of potential conflicting agendas between the U.N.’s most powerful body and the council, which President Trump has named indefinitely as chair. He envisions the council having influence “far beyond Gaza,” an ambition that has fueled concerns that he is seeking to sideline the United Nations to pursue his own “imperial agenda.”
“Stop illegal annexation”
Wednesday’s U.N. Security Council meeting will be attended by the foreign ministers of Britain, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Indonesia, among others, ahead of a meeting of President Trump’s peace committee, where many Arab and Muslim countries are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and response to Israel’s new illegal settlement plans.
Asked what he expected from this week’s series of events, Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour said: “We hope that the international community, whether in Washington or New York, will deter Israel and stop its illegal efforts to oppose annexation.”
The Security Council will meet a day after nearly all 15 member states, excluding the United States, and dozens of other diplomats joined Mansour in reading a statement on behalf of 80 countries and several organizations condemning Israel’s recent actions in the occupied West Bank, demanding their immediate withdrawal and stressing “strong opposition to annexation in any form.”
On February 8, Israel’s Security Cabinet greenlit measures to make it easier for Israelis to seize Palestinian land and directly purchase real estate in the occupied West Bank, while expanding Israel’s military control in the occupied West Bank. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said this amounted to “de facto sovereignty” that would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also vowed to “encourage” the “migration” of Palestinians outside the territory.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, empowered by this law, continue to harass and attack Palestinian communities. On Wednesday, an attack by settlers in Mukhmas, near occupied East Jerusalem, wounded four Palestinians, two of whom were carrying live ammunition.
Palestinians, Arab states and human rights groups are furious that Israel’s move in the West Bank is an attempt to illegally annex part of the territory, home to some 3.4 million Palestinians who seek statehood.
The United Nations conference is also expected to delve into the “ceasefire” agreement in the Gaza Strip that was brokered by the United States and took effect on October 10.
While progress has been made on aspects of the agreement, including the release of all prisoners held by Hamas and an increase in the amount of humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza, the United Nations says it is still insufficient. A new technical committee was appointed to manage day-to-day operations in Gaza.
But the most difficult steps lie ahead, including deploying international security forces, disarming Hamas, and rebuilding Gaza, which Israel continues to attack despite a so-called ceasefire.
President Trump announced this week that members of his peace committee would pledge $5 billion to rebuild Gaza and bring thousands of troops to international stabilization and police forces in the region. The Indonesian military has announced that up to 8,000 troops will be ready by the end of June for a possible deployment to Gaza as part of a humanitarian and peace mission.
