The situation in the Middle East - Security Council, 10183rd meeting

I declare the 10,183rd meeting of the Security Council is called to order. The provisional agenda for this meeting is the situation in the Middle East. The agenda is adopted. In accordance with Rule 37 of the Council's Provisional Rules of Procedure, I invite the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to participate in this meeting. It is so decided. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item 2 of the agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2026/458, the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. Members of the Council have before them document S/2026/514, the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America and the Russian Federation. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. Will those in favor of the draft resolution contained in document S/2026/514 please raise their hand? The result of the voting is as follows. The draft resolution received 15 votes in favor. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as Resolution 2824 of the year 2026. I now give the floor to the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic.

Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to start with a quote. 'While Syria and the entire world were celebrating on December 8th the fall of the barbaric regime, we could not do so.' Mr. President, these were the words I heard repeatedly during my visits to areas into which Israel later advanced, areas that belong to the Syrian people. On December 8th, 2024, while Syrians everywhere, including, by the way, members of the Syrian Jewish community who have since returned back to Damascus and Aleppo, were celebrating the ends of decades of oppression, the residents of Quneitra and the surrounding communities experienced a very different reality: foreign military incursions, interference in their daily lives, abductions, and a growing erosion of their sense of security. Even while being here in New York, I continue to receive messages from mothers and fathers. I stand before you today carrying the responsibility to convey their voices to this chamber. Distinguished colleagues, you have been told that the Israeli presence is temporary and justified by the changes in Syria. That justification was never valid, and today it is no— it no longer even holds pretense. Syria today is amongst the most stable countries in the region, as you note in your own speeches here in this chamber. We are engaged in reconstruction, restoring our institutions, strengthening relations with members of this Council and beyond, attracting investment, and cooperating with international partners on counter-terrorism, compliance with chemical weapons obligations, and the promotion of regional security. Let me be clear, Mr. President. The change in Syria that Israel appears to have feared is precisely this: the disappearance of a regime that practiced torture and deployed chemical weapons against its own people. Can the Syrian people then conclude that Israel's continued presence in Syria suggests it preferred the status quo under the brutal Assad regime? Is it not more logical to see this as an opportunism, an attempt to seize land, for imagined political gains? Time itself is already providing all of us with the answer. Mr. President, the simple fact that Syria is calling for increased funding for ONUWRO speaks volumes. A state seeking conflict does not call for more observers, more reporting, or stricter monitoring of a disengagement regime. The reality is already clearly documented in the reports submitted to this very Council. Israel is in violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. In this regard, I wish to express my appreciation to the Security Council, and I will personally make sure that this message of appreciation is conveyed back to the Syrian people. It is important that they know that the Council has reaffirmed the validity of the 1974 agreement today, the necessity of fully respecting it, and the prohibition of any military presence in the area of separation. These are not matters that are open to interpretations. These are binding obligations that you passed today, obligations that Israel continues to violate openly, which is deeply concerning. And as Ondov has clearly stated, increases even the financial cost of maintaining peace in the region at a time when all of us here are trying to reduce it. This concern is only reinforced by recent statements from the Israeli side declaring that it will never withdraw from Syrian territory. This comes at a time when the United States, under the leadership of President Trump, is facilitating mediation between Syria and Israel—talks that for the very first time have been conducted Publicly, we are very grateful to these efforts and sincerely hope for their success. Mr. President, in conclusion, for more than 50 years, text after text, resolution after resolution, this issue, this meeting was uneventful until the Syrian people chose to liberate themselves from the Assad regime. Is this the reward then for the Syrian people for ridding the world of the evils of that regime? Colleagues, this meeting is every 6 months, and I sincerely hope that at the next session I will not need to raise this issue again, or even attend. Not because it will be ignored, for we will never ignore it, but because it has been resolved and stability restored. Today, the Council has made its position crystal clear. Syria is fulfilling its responsibilities. The time is now for Israel to fulfill theirs. Thank you, Mr. President.

I thank the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic for his statement. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The meeting is adjourned.