US Ambassador: The impact of Iran's regional actions and nuclear ambitions cannot be ignored
Linda Thomas Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, called on the Security Council on Tuesday to hold more meetings on the Islamic Republic, citing Iran's nuclear ambitions and "malign" actions in the region.
The main focus of Ms. Linda Thomas-Greenfield's speech at the Security Council meeting on the "Middle East" focused on the issue of peace in the region.
The US ambassador to the UN initially referred to his trip to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan earlier this month, saying that the trip was a reaffirmation of the United States' support for the two-state solution, a solution that we still strongly believe is workable – one in which (citizens) live in a democratic Jewish Israel, alongside an independent and viable Palestinian state.
Ms. Linda Thomas-Greenfield also said that she had witnessed the serious security situation in Israel. Israel is regularly attacked by “terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which are funded by Iran.”
The US ambassador emphasized that the impact of Iran's malign actions in the region, its nuclear ambitions, and its hatred of Israel cannot be ignored.
Ms. Linda Thomas-Greenfield says that during her trip to Israel, Israeli citizens also shared with her their concerns about the United Nations' unilateral focus on Israel.
He added that the Security Council's monthly meetings on the situation in the Middle East focus almost exclusively on Israel.
The US Ambassador to the UN further emphasized that the UN Security Council's attention should reflect all areas that threaten international peace and security, and we should have public meetings on Lebanon and more regular meetings on Iran.
The revelations come as the Axios news website reported on Monday that Israeli officials have said that the Islamic Republic is seeking to enrich uranium to 90 percent. Highly enriched uranium is used to make nuclear weapons.
According to the report, Israel also believes that this incident could lead Tehran to further increase attacks against US forces and interests in the region through its forces in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.
The situation of the Palestinians
Ms. Linda Thomas-Greenfield also said that during her recent trip, she also heard the concerns of Palestinian citizens.
He stated: “I heard stories about Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians, looting homes and destroying property in the West Bank, and this is an issue that I discussed extensively with Israeli counterparts.”
The US ambassador to the UN continued, saying, "I was told that Palestinian families fear being forced to leave their homes because with the expansion of the settlements, it is almost impossible (for Palestinians) to obtain building permits."
Ms. Linda Thomas Greenfield clarified that the United States' opposition to settlement expansion goes back decades. This is nothing new to us. But this practice has reached a critical stage and now undermines even the viability of a negotiated two-state solution.
The Israeli Supreme Council of Ministers, which reviews construction plans in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, approved the construction of 1,355 new homes in seven settlements on November 2nd and published the relevant construction tender.
This was the first construction project since the beginning of the Naftali Bennett government and also the first settlement development project in the ten months of the Joe Biden government in the United States.
Israeli media have called the current US government's announcement of strong opposition to the construction plan "the end of the honeymoon" in the relations between Joe Biden's administration and Naftali Bennett's government.
The "two-state, two-nation" solution emphasizes the establishment of an independent Palestinian state (based on the pre-1967 borders in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem) alongside Israel.
Source: Radio Farda
