The Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter called today at the United Nations for urgent and decisive action to achieve a just and lasting peace in Palestine.

Speaking at the International High-Level Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the Alternate Permanent Representative of Venezuela, Joaquín Pérez, addressed the assembly on behalf of the bloc of countries.

The diplomat emphasized the need for concrete steps to end colonization, occupation, and systematic violence against the Palestinian people, with the goal of securing peace through justice, according to Foreign Minister Yván Gil’s post on Telegram.

The social media message, accompanied by a video excerpt of Pérez’s speech, stressed that to ensure peace with justice, it is essential to demand that the United States cease its complicity with Israel.

This complicity is reflected in the use of veto power in United Nations bodies and the direct provision of weapons and financial resources that perpetuate the illegal occupation of Palestine, Pérez stated.

On behalf of the Group of Friends, Pérez reaffirmed the commitment to resolving one of the most painful conflicts of our time.

He also reiterated full support for the Palestinian cause and unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for self-determination and freedom, including the independence of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

All of this, he said, is in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the two-state solution.

Pérez called for the urgent achievement of an immediate, unconditional, permanent, and fully respected ceasefire, as well as the halting of arms, ammunition, and equipment supplies to Israel, which he considered crucial to facilitating humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.

He also reiterated the call for the release of all hostages and detainees, including the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

The Venezuelan Alternate Permanent Representative to the UN proposed four principles to guide the collective vision on the Palestinian issue, which he described as a deep stain on the conscience of the international community and the credibility of its system.

He advocated for peace through justice rather than force, the sovereignty and self-determination of the Palestinian people, narratives of peace, dignity, and coexistence, and international responsibility and action.

In this regard, the ambassador urged the Security Council to act concertedly to fully exercise its responsibilities, not only to address the current crisis but also to resolve this conflict once and for all.