(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Kuwait said that the international community's "silence" on Israel's offensive on Gaza encouraged it to continue its "barbaric" aggression on the Palestinian people and called on the Security Council to put a stop to the Israeli government's "arrogance which has exceeded all norms." "The time has come to for the international community to take a strict stance in the face of the illegal policies and actions of the Israeli government, and for it to send a clear message - no more killing and no more destruction," Kuwait's Permanent Representative to the UN Mansour Al-Otaibi said.
He made the comments in a speech at a General Assembly session, held at his request to discuss the matter.
The Kuwaiti envoy, in his capacity as rotating head of the Arab Group of states at the UN for July, said that the Security Council should carry its responsibilities, taking whatever actions are needed in order to offer international protection for the Palestinian people, and to make sure that attacks like these are not repeated.
The Security Council must act to continue working towards achieving permanent comprehensive and just peace on the Palestinian issue according to legitimate international resolutions, the principle of land for peace, the roadmap and the Arab Peace Initiative.
This would lead to an end to occupation, the granting of the complete legitimate political rights of the Palestinian people - most importantly their right to self-determination - and the establishment of an independent state with a capital of East Jerusalem, he added.
"Without putting an end to occupation - which is the root cause of the crisis - the circle of violence will not stop and the Middle East will not benefit from the security, safety and stability it has been missing for decades," he said.
Kuwaiti envoy Al-Otaibi criticised the international community, which he said "watched over in apparent silence" the obscene massacres committed by Israel on civilians, and its criminal destruction of these people's possessions and civil institutions, namely schools, mosques, hospitals, and economic and social structures.
This silence has "assisted in providing a cover for the continuation of this aggression, the increasing of casualties including children, women and the elderly - which figures suggest have exceeded 11,000 (80pct of them civilian) - and the large-scale destruction of homes and infrastructure of a people that have been besieged for more than seven years now," he further emphasised.
"It is unfortunate and painful to describe the situation as a war, and to sympathize with the Israeli government's misleading narration of events - that it is protecting itself in order to ensure the security of its people.
"However, facts and figures released by international agencies and organisations reveal that this is a blatant assault on defenseless peoples," he underlined.
Israel's excessive use of force, which does not measure whatsoever to the resistance it faced, and its deliberate targeting of residential areas is a "flagrant violation" of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention (relative to the protection of civilians in times of war) and to all other related international agreements, charters and norms, he said.
Al-Otaibi reiterated his call on the international community - represented by the Security Council - to save the Palestinian people from Israeli actions, which he said have exceeded all norms as UN reports clearly demonstrate that 30pct of Palestinians killed in the conflict are children, and that a quarter of Gaza's 1.8 million population have been displaced.
He added that UNRWA, which is responsible for the welfare of the Palestinian people, had condemned Israel's violent crimes on its compounds and its staff, which led to the killing of many civilians whom had sought refuge in these shelters.
Furthermore, the Kuwaiti and Arab representative referred to the Arab draft resolution on the affair currently being presented at the Security Council, expressing hope that it would be backed as a step towards achieving calm, an end to aggression and the resumption of the peace process.
He also praised the Egyptian government's efforts which resulted in a temporary ceasefire, which he hoped would lead to a "permanent ceasefire and the lifting of the seige placed (by Israel) on Gaza." The close to seven-decade old UN is "faced with a true legal, moral and human challenge," he said, of addressing "war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity," and should hold Israeli officials responsible for these acts accountable.
The absence of scrutiny and punishment has allowed Israel to continue its violations and breaching of international law as if it were above the rule of law.
Israel's attacks and military offensives, settlement building, illegal land confiscation, besiegement, the restriction of free mobility for people and goods and arbitrary arrests continue relentlessly on occupied land, he said.
This has contributed to the aggravation of the suffering and the deterioration of the living standards of the Palestinian people over the past six decades, he said.
He described their humanitarian condition as being "extremely tragic," and their environment as "disaster-hit" suffering from an acute shortage of basic commodities and health services.
On this, he mentioned Kuwait's contribution of USD 10 million as aid meant to ease the suffering caused as a result of the human catastrophe, and thus called on the international community to mirror these humanitarian efforts and support rebuilding efforts after the damage and destruction caused by the heavy Israeli bombardment.
He also hailed the efforts and courage of UNRWA and its staff in maintaining their role under difficult security circumstances.
Al-Otaibi concluded by commending the resistance of the Palestinian people in the face of occupation, and their insistence on gaining their legitimate rights, and pledged Kuwait's commitment, as the current Arab League session chair, to supporting Palestinian demands for an end to occupation, the lifting of the siege on Gaza and the international protection of its people.
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