Israel has been using peace negotiations to mislead the international community and hide its true intentions in Gaza, Russia’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, has said.
Speaking at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Polyansky accused West Jerusalem of “stubbornly seeking a military solution to the problem, while attempting to ignore the decisions of the UNSC.”
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“The Security Council is united in the understanding that the rescue of the remaining Israelis and foreigners by military methods is impossible and that there is no alternative to negotiations. Israeli society understands and recognizes this as well,” he said.
“However, the Israeli leadership, unfortunately, continues to treat the negotiations only as a ‘smokescreen’ designed to distract the international community.”
Israel requested the UNSC meeting after the bodies of six hostages abducted by Hamas were discovered in a tunnel in southern Gaza. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Palestinian militants executed the hostages several days before Israeli troops entered the tunnel. A Russian national, Aleksandr Lobanov, was among those killed.
While condemning the deaths of the hostages, Polyansky argued that “the captives have fewer chances of survival while the Israeli operation in Gaza is ongoing.”
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“Today we mourn not only the slain Israelis, but all people who died in Gaza, be they Israelis, Palestinians, or citizens of other countries.”
In June, the Security Council passed Resolution 2735, which called for “an immediate, full, and complete ceasefire with the release of hostages.” Negotiations have since broken down several times, with both sides accusing each other of making unrealistic demands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Hamas for the failure of peace talks, saying the militants have “rejected everything.” He stressed that Israel is not planning to give up control of the Philadelphi Corridor – a strip of land in southern Gaza near the border with Egypt – arguing that the presence of the IDF is necessary to prevent further Hamas attacks.
“People said: this will kill the deal. And I say: such a deal will kill us,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday, as quoted by the BBC.
The US has continued efforts to mediate between Israel and Hamas, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveling to the Middle East this month. Netanyahu, however, rejected US President Joe Biden’s claim that he was not “doing enough” to achieve a peace deal. “Hamas has to make concessions,” he said.
Addressing the Security Council on Wednesday, UN officials reaffirmed their calls for the release of all hostages and an immediate ceasefire.