Zionist regime source of ME crises: Iran UN envoy

Eshaq Al-Habib said in the United Nations Security Council meeting (UNSC) held on the Middle East and Palestine that Zionists' policies, occupation, repeated invasion of Palestinians and other countries' rights, and expansionism, has been going on for decades and now with overt supports of the United States the Zionists have intensifies them.

Stressing that the Zionist occupation of Palestine is the source of all the crises in the Middle East, he added any attempt to justify the occupation is an attempt to distort the truth.

Al-Habib said since 1948, the Zionist regime has invaded its neighbors 14 times and suppressed the Palestinians violently with the support of the US; the recent prohibition on Palestinians entry to al-Aqsa Mosque is an instance of illegal measures taken by the Zionists.

Referring to violation of many UN resolutions by the Zionists, Al-Habib said there is a lot of evidence concerning Zionists' aggressive policies, apartheid, and war crimes in the reports of the United Nations.

He said that settlement construction for the Zionists in the Occupied Territories is violation of Geneva's Fourth Convention, adding the routine of the Zionist regime shows that it has never been looking for peace and has participated in the negotiations to buy time to follow its expansionism and aggression.

The UNSC opposed the settlement construction on 23 December 2016 (Resolution 2334), but the Zionist regime rejected it and announced that it will go on with the reconstructions.

UNSC Resolution 2334 concerns the Israeli settlements in 'Palestinian territories occupied since 1967', including East Quds. The resolution passed in a 14–0 vote by members of the UNSC. Four members with UNSC with veto power, i.e. China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom, voted for the resolution, but the United States abstained.

The resolution explicitly says that Israel's settlement activity constitutes a 'flagrant violation' of international law and has 'no legal validity'. It demands that Israel stop such activity and fulfill its obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

In another part of his speech, Al-Habib said that US adventurism and aggression in the Middle East, e.g. flooding the region with weaponry, destabilizes the region and creates crises.

He said as seen in the history, the US has repeatedly attacked the region with baseless and never-proved excuses, like existence of weapons of mass destruction there, which has resulted in the creation of extremism and reinforcement of terrorist groups.

Iran's Deputy Permanent Envoy to the United Nations asked when the UN intends to fulfill its responsibility against the supporters of the terrorist groups, such as Taleban, al-Qaeda, and Daesh (ISIS).

The US and its allies imposed sanctions on war-torn Yemen and even don’t let humanitarian aids enter the suffering country, while the Yemenis are being bombarded with cluster bombs, whose use banned in Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM).

CCM is an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster bombs. The convention was adopted on 30 May 2008 in Dublin, and was opened for signature on 3 December 2008 in Oslo. It entered into force on 1 August 2010, six months after it was ratified by 30 states. As of July 2017, 108 states have signed the treaty and 102 have ratified it or acceded to it.

Al-Habib congratulated the freedom of Mosul from terrorism to the Iraqi people and government, and stated that the victory strengthened the anti-terrorism spirit not only in Iraq but also in the whole Middle East.

9417**1771