Iranian FM to Guterres: Int'l community should stop Rafah carnage
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Amir-Abdollahian urges the United Nations to request that all of its members refrain from participating in the Zionist dictatorship.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 13, 2023. (AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian issued a letter to Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, urging nations to stop cooperation with "Israel" to pressure the occupation and coerce it to end its aggression in Gaza.
The United Nations should request that all of its members refrain from participating with the Zionist dictatorship, Amir-Abdollahian said in his letter on Monday, amid the Zionist Israeli attempt to strike the overcrowded Gazan city of Rafah.
The Iranian Foreign Minister called on the international community to stop such a massacre from happening, detailing that "any military attack on Rafah will no doubt be another stage of the genocide of the Palestinian people."
He called it "necessary" for the UN system to perform its "duties at this critical juncture and prevent more widespread crimes against the Palestinians who have taken refuge in Rafah."
The Iranian Foreign Minister reiterated the position of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) under the General Assembly, which warned that any invasion of Rafah would endanger 600,000 children and women who have been displaced numerous times.
He also urged unity among UN member states to stand together in the face of Israeli aggression, stating that "all governments are legally and morally committed to doing something to stop and prevent the genocide of the Palestinian nation."
"The United Nations must call on all its member states to avoid cooperating with the occupying aggressor regime, otherwise they will be a complicit in committing the most serious international crimes...," he added.
Israeli war cabinet Minister, Benny Gantz, issued a warning on Sunday, stating that if Israeli captives are not released, there is a threat of an invasion of Rafah city during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
“I say this very clearly: Hamas has a choice. They can surrender, release the hostages, and this way, the citizens of Gaza can celebrate the holy holiday of Ramadan,” Gantz said during a news conference in al-Quds.
Former Security Minister Benny Gantz mentioned that the potential invasion of Rafah would be coordinated with "our American and Egyptian partners to minimize civilian casualties," as reported by The Times of Israel.
Washington must end hypocrisy on Israeli operation in Rafah: Iran FM
Amir-Abdollahian earlier warned the US on Monday from pursuing its hypocritical behavior, which involves talks about a ceasefire, on the one hand, and encouraging the Israeli occupation to attack Rafah, on the other.
Mehr News Agency reported that Amir-Abdollahian, during a meeting with a government delegation, addressed the ongoing war crimes perpetrated by the occupation against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lamented on Friday the situation in Rafah and warned that any plans for an offensive on Rafah would be devastating for the area that now holds 1.5 million people displaced from elsewhere in Gaza.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry participated on Saturday with his Saudi and Belgian counterparts in a discussion session entitled "Towards Stability and Peace in the Middle East," where they spoke on the challenges of reducing escalations in the Gaza Strip, which was held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Shoukry issued a stark warning about the severe consequences of any Israeli ground invasion in the city of Rafah. He emphasized that Rafah serves as the last refuge for approximately 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, and any such operations would surpass all boundaries of humanitarian principles and international laws.
He further highlighted that the unfolding of such a scenario would have profound implications for Egyptian national security and jeopardize peace in the Middle East.
Over the last week, numerous world leaders have expressed worry over "Israel's" impending attack on Rafah.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albar warned Monday that expanding Israeli aggression into Rafah will result in a complete "catastrophe".
US' double standards
It is noteworthy that a few days ago, Biden told Netanyahu that any military operation in Rafah should proceed only with a credible and executable plan to safeguard and support civilians. This indicates that Biden doesn't oppose the notion of a military operation in Rafah per se, but rather emphasizes the necessity of a viable plan. This stance appears contradictory to his previous statements advocating for the protection of civilians in Gaza and the provision of aid to them.
At the same time, The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is preparing to send an urgent shipment of bombs and missiles to "Israel".
In a related context, US officials recently refuted claims that the US President's administration had intentions of imposing punitive measures on "Israel" if it proceeded with its aggression against Rafah. This suggests that Israeli forces could potentially enter Rafah and endanger civilians without facing repercussions from the United States.
