For generations, the Palestinian people have waited for justice, statehood, and dignity. They cannot be asked to wait indefinitely for rights that are already theirs.

In Gaza, the scale of human suffering and destruction is intolerable. Civilians, including far too many children, continue to bear the heaviest costs. Medics, journalists, humanitarian workers, and United Nations personnel have also lost their lives while carrying out their duties. This suffering cannot become normal.

In the West Bank, Palestinians continue to endure occupation, expanding illegal settlements, settler violence, and displacement from their homes and land within the West Bank.

These are not merely numbers; these are human lives, and their suffering exposes a fundamental truth: international law and the principles of the Charter must apply equally to everyone. There cannot be one standard for some and another for others.

A just and lasting peace, therefore, requires more than managing the consequences of conflict. It requires addressing its root cause and realizing the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to self-determination and an independent state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Without justice for the Palestinian people, there can be no lasting peace.