'Gifts To Hamas': Deputy UN Rep Dorothy Shea Swipes Canada, UK, & France Palestine Recognition Plans

Forbes Breaking News

During a United Nations Security Council meeting on Tuesday, the United States's Deputy United Nations Representative Dorothy Shea spoke about plans to recognize a Palestinian state, speaking in reference to the United Kingdom, France, and Canada's promise to do so by September.

Transcript

00:00I thank the representative of Somalia for the statement and I now give the floor to the

00:07representative of the United States. Thank you Mr. President and thank you Assistant Secretary

00:14General Miroslav Yenche for your briefing and I welcome the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs

00:20at this meeting and I thank you Eli David for your courage and sharing your story.

00:28The pain and grief that you and other families of hostages have faced at the

00:33hands of Hamas is unfathomable and the United States stands with you and will

00:38continue to work to free all of the remaining hostages living and deceased.

00:45Colleagues, the horrific videos of hostages Evyatar, David and Rome

00:52Braslewski filmed by the terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad should

01:00shock and appall the world. The footage of these two young men, tormented, starved,

01:07emaciated, is not only a reminder of the evil that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad represent.

01:14It also makes more clear than ever that the Security Council and the international community must

01:22stop pressuring Israel and instead impose maximum pressure on Hamas to immediately release all 50

01:29hostages that they continue to hold captive. The hostages abducted on October 7 have now suffered for

01:37668 days. These videos show Evyatar David, a 24-year-old kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova Music Festival with an

01:50appearance his own family described as a living skeleton buried alive, being forced by

01:56his terrorist captors to dig his own grave. Rome Braslewski, a 21-year-old abducted from the

02:04Nova Festival is pictured in similarly dire conditions. The United States has made clear that freeing the

02:13hostages is our priority, along with ensuring Hamas disarms and no longer rules Gaza. President Trump,

02:21Special Envoy Whitcoff, and Secretary Rubio continue to work tirelessly to end the war, release the

02:29hostages, including Itai Chen and Omer Nutra, the two Americans still held by Hamas, and bring peace to

02:38Gaza and give it a future free of Hamas. As President Trump said last week, the fastest way to end the

02:47humanitarian crisis in Gaza is for Hamas to surrender and release the hostages. Yet Hamas has refused to do so.

02:56While Israel has accepted the terms of the ceasefire proposal, Hamas has consistently rejected them.

03:04That is emblematic of the bad faith we see from Hamas. Unfortunately, at a time when pressure on

03:12Hamas is more necessary than ever to free the hostages and end the war, some have instead taken

03:19steps that emboldened Hamas and undermined the negotiators' efforts. We must be clear that

03:25unproductive publicity stunts, like last week's Two-State Solution Conference and unilateral announcements

03:32regarding recognition of a Palestinian state, undercut the efforts of mediators and prolong the war.

03:40These gifts to Hamas not only imperil the hostages, they also hurt the civilians of Gaza, who continue

03:48to suffer what President Trump has recognized as real starvation.

03:53Colleagues, no one wants to see Palestinians, civilians in Gaza go hungry and thirsty. The United States

04:03supports getting assistance to civilians in Gaza and has been actively working to support the secure

04:10delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. As President Trump has said, the United States is

04:17going to be even more involved in these efforts. On Friday, Special Envoy Whitcoff and Ambassador Huckabee

04:25traveled to Gaza, where they met with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and other agencies and visited GHF

04:33aid distribution sites. The GHF recently announced reaching the milestone of delivering more than 100 million

04:41meals directly to civilians in Gaza. On Sunday alone, the GHF reported delivering more than 1.5 million meals

04:50at its distribution sites. We recognize the important actions Israel has taken to facilitate the increased

04:58flow of aid into Gaza. Those who have professed concern about the reported risk of famine should join the United States

05:08in supporting the GHF's work in securely delivering food to civilians in Gaza. It is essential that our humanitarian

05:17response help those civilians without benefiting Hamas. Mr. President, countries, including the members of this

05:26council, face a choice. Whether to continue with actions that reward and encourage Hamas, or whether to hold the

05:34terrorist organization responsible for its actions. We should all be able to agree that the hostages must be freed

05:42without further delay, and that Hamas can no longer rule Gaza and must disarm. The hostages must be returned home,

05:51and Palestinians in Gaza must be allowed to begin a new chapter free of Hamas.

05:56President, we have once again heard members here make allegations of genocide. These allegations are

06:07politically motivated and categorically false. They are part of a deliberate, cynical propaganda campaign as

06:14Hamas attempts to win symbolic victories to compensate for total defeat in war. The United States refutes these

06:24allegations entirely. The United States fully supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas' terrorism.

06:33Israel has taken numerous measures to limit harm to civilians and to address humanitarian needs.

06:40The loss of civilian life in Gaza is tragic, but the responsibility for this rests with Hamas, which could

06:48stop the fighting today by agreeing to the ceasefire already accepted by Israel.

06:55And with respect to recent reports of deaths of Palestinians near GHF aid distribution sites,

07:03I would say that the GHF has stated that recent reports of deaths near their distribution sites are false.

07:10The most recent tragedy occurred near UN convoys after they passed through the Zakeem crossing.

07:19The UN continues to turn down the GHF's offers to collaborate and coordinate efforts.

07:27We mourn the loss of all innocent lives and agree that more assistance needs to safely reach those in need.

07:33And we encourage all to support the GHF's efforts.

07:40President, in closing, the United States calls upon all countries to join together

07:45and say with one clear voice that Hamas must immediately surrender, release all the hostages,

07:52both those living and those who have already been murdered at the hands of Hamas,

07:56and allow this war to end. I thank you.

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