Vietnam opposes attacks on civilians in Israel-Palestine conflict

An Israeli air strike in Gaza City (Photo: AFP)

In his speech given at the third emergency meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on May 16 aimed at discussing escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine, Ambassador Quy said the nation condemns attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.

He stressed that while striving to seek solutions to the root causes of the conflict, acts of violence must be immediately ended and all the relevant parties must exercise self-restraint whilst not further complicating the situation.

The nation has therefore asked that all parties, particularly Israel, respect international humanitarian law and exercise maximum self-restraint in order to minimise damage, including to essential infrastructure, whilst also avoiding civilian casualties in line with the UNSC’s Resolution 2573.

The local diplomat underlined the nation’s appeal to Israel to immediately halt the use of excessive force and any other unilateral acts which may serve to further complicate the situation.

Furthermore, he also pointed out the rapidly worsening humanitarian situation occurring in the Gaza Strip, thereby voicing his serious concerns about the exhaustion of fuel needed for power plants which may lead to a severe crisis for both the healthcare and water supply sectors.

With regard to solutions and efforts made by the international community, he called on all members of the international and regional communities which have influence on any relevant parties to augment efforts and strive to avoid the risks of a war like in 2014.

The Vietnamese Ambassador also underlined the need to resolve the conflict by peaceful means, adding that over the long run, the only sustainable path for peace on this issue is to implement a two-state solution.

Moreover, the Vietnamese diplomat also emphasized the necessity of the UNSC having a strong and unanimous voice in this regard.

Participants at the meeting went on to hail the efforts made by the UN, countries, and international organisations as they try to persuade parties to reach a ceasefire and resume negotiations. They also reiterated their stance on supporting the two-state solution and appealed for an end to the conflict.

Many states have also called for the conflict’s root causes to be addressed, while highlighting the role of the UN, including the Special Coordinator, the Quartet on the Middle East, as well as states both in and outside the region which are influential among the relevant parties to settle he current issue.

This emergency meeting was held at the request of 10 UNSC member states, including China, Estonia, France, Ireland, Norway, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, the UK, and Vietnam.