Khaberni - The Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations, who is the head of the Arab Group for the current month, Ambassador Walid Obeidat, emphasized the necessity of Israel adhering to the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip reached in October 2025, implementing the agreement in all its stages and provisions, and halting its violations.
Obeidat stressed during the routine meeting held by the Security Council concerning the situation in the Middle East, the importance of initiating the second phase of the agreement culminating in the full implementation of the American President Donald Trump's plan which includes 20 items; and the complete adherence to UNSC Resolution 2803.
He stated that the future of the Gaza Strip should be based on its unity and connection with the West Bank, and that the Palestinian National Authority, as the legitimate authority, should govern the region, ensuring its unity with the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and the independence of their state.
Obeidat appreciated the role played by the American president in reaching the ceasefire agreement, as well as the efforts exerted by Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, highlighting the importance of launching early recovery efforts and reconstruction across the Gaza Strip.
He condemned, on behalf of the Arab Group, all Israeli military, political, legislative, and financial measures aimed at undermining the Palestinian Authority, urging the international community to confront these measures.
He also emphasized that the establishment of the Peace Council and the Palestinian National Committee to manage the Gaza Strip, as temporary transitional bodies established under UNSC Resolution 2803, must lead to stabilizing the permanent ceasefire, preventing displacement and annexation, complete Israeli withdrawal from the sector, supporting the reconstruction of Gaza, and advancing towards a political horizon leading to the independence of the Palestinian state along the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
"The Arab Group confirms the necessity of compelling Israel to lift all restrictions and obstacles to the entry of humanitarian aid, and to open all crossings without selectivity or delay, ensuring their reach across the Gaza Strip, in compliance with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions," stated Ambassador Obeidat.
He condemned the illegal Israeli policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory, including settlement activities, home demolitions, land confiscation, and settler terrorism in the West Bank, asserting that Israel has no sovereignty over any part of the occupied Palestinian territory, while valuing the affirmation of the American president to prevent Israel from annexing the West Bank.
He stressed that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory, over which Israel has no sovereignty, emphasizing the necessity to respect the historic and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy sites, and that the management of Jerusalem’s endowments and the affairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments, is the legally competent authority exclusively managing the affairs of the Noble Sanctuary, within the framework of the Hashemite custodianship.
He affirmed the indispensable role of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in providing services to more than 5.5 million refugees, reminding of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice issued in October 2025, which confirmed Israel’s obligation to ensure the inviolability of UN premises and immunity, calling for political and financial support for the agency.
He also condemned the Israeli aggressions on Syria, considering them a blatant breach of international law and an aggression on its sovereignty, demanding a halt to the aggression and withdrawal from occupied Syrian territories, affirming that the Golan is occupied Syrian territory.
The group welcomed the efforts of the Lebanese government and the announcement by the Lebanese army of completing the first phase of the plan to demilitarize weapons, condemned Israeli violations of Lebanon's sovereignty and Resolution 1701, demanding immediate withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories and the release of Lebanese prisoners.
The Arab Group reaffirmed that just, comprehensive, and lasting peace remains an Arab strategic choice, and that the only way to achieve it is through the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
