Madame President,
Italy has abstained in the voting on draft resolution A/ES-10/L.31/Rev.1
We fully recognize the consultative competence of the International Court of Justice to make legal determinations on matters of international law with regard to questions posed to it by the General Assembly. Our abstention in no way represents a challenge to the authority of the Court.
At the same time, while recognizing the improvements that the approved draft contains as compared to the first draft circulated by the State of Palestine, the resolution still goes beyond, in some respects, the determinations of the Court, such as, for example, the imposition of sanctions and the indication of deadlines for the withdrawal of Israel’s presence in the OPTs.
More in general, in order for the Court’s legal determinations to be implemented on the ground, we must create the conditions under which such implementation becomes possible and real. Let us not forget that the need to create the conditions for the respect of international law is stated in the very preamble of the Charter and it is one of the key functions of the United Nations.
We believe that for the International Community and for the UN there is no “shortcut” to a two-State negotiated solution, in which both Israel and Palestine, and their peoples, live side-by-side in full security, within mutually agreed recognized borders in line with the relevant Security Council Resolution and International Law.
Given these considerations, Italy firmly believes that all efforts must now focus on facilitating renewed negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, aimed at rebuilding trust and fostering dialogue. These are the key parties responsible for driving the peace process forward. The international community must remain steadfast in supporting this effort, with the clear objective of achieving a political and security framework that will bring a lasting end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and lay down a viable roadmap toward a two-State solution.
There is no more urgent moment than now – indeed, we are already behind.
Italy stands ready to take concrete steps and dedicate its resources to ensuring that the two-State solution evolves from a long-standing aspiration into a practical and achievable outcome.
I thank you.
