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Türkiye's deputy envoy to the United Nations called on the Security Council Thursday to take timely action on Palestine's admission as a full UN member, citing a "new horizon" opened by the Gaza ceasefire and accelerating international recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Asli Guven, Türkiye's deputy permanent representative to the UN, told the Security Council that formal statements recognizing Palestine as a state from the presidents and heads of state of 11 UN member nations during a September 22 high-level international conference on Palestine had "undoubtedly prepared the ground" for Palestinian statehood recognition.
Speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states during a Security Council session on "The situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian question," Guven expressed satisfaction with "global support" for resolving the Palestinian issue.
"Türkiye welcomes the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza and calls for the full and immediate implementation of the ceasefire agreement," Guven noted, adding that the "foremost priority, as the international community, must be to preserve this long-overdue and hard-achieved ceasefire at all costs."
"It is imperative to prevent ceasefire violations and settler violence in the West Bank," she said, noting that "attacks and destabilizing policies towards Lebanon, Syria, and the broader region must stop."
Guven highlighted the overwhelming passage on September 12 of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Solution of the Palestinian Question and the Two-State Solution by the UN General Assembly.
"The global support given to the existence and independence of the State of Palestine within the 1967 borders has been underscored," she said.
The high-level international conference held September 22 saw formal recognition statements from the presidents and heads of state of 11 UN member nations.
"These formal statements on the recognition of the State of Palestine undoubtedly prepared the ground for the official recognition of the State of Palestine," Guven said.
The OIC, through Guven's statement, reiterated its call for Palestine's acceptance as a full UN member. Guven emphasized Türkiye's role as the current chair of the OIC in delivering these remarks on behalf of the organization's member states.
Guven expressed satisfaction with the Gaza ceasefire agreement signed earlier this month through the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump.
"This agreement provided the urgently needed relief to the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza in the face of mass displacement, hunger and famine," she said.
The ceasefire, according to Guven, opened "a new horizon" in global initiatives for lasting peace in the Middle East.
She noted that OIC member states appreciated the organization of the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit and welcomed "with satisfaction" the Presidential Trump Permanent Peace and Prosperity Declaration signed by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the United States.
Guven called on the Security Council to support and sustain "the current momentum" toward restoring lasting peace in Gaza and across all occupied Palestinian territories, including through "concrete efforts to end Israel's illegal occupation."
"In this context, we call upon the Council to take timely action on the acceptance of Palestine as a full-fledged member of the United Nations," Guven said.
Guven affirmed support for the commitments outlined in the New York Declaration regarding international support for the Palestinian Authority on all police and security-related matters. She also expressed support for the Palestinian Authority's "Single State, Single Government, Single Law, Single Weapon" policy.
Guven urged the immediate implementation of the Arab-OIC Reconstruction Plan to enable early recovery and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip. She stressed that achieving peace in the Middle East requires Israel to withdraw from Arab territories in Syria and Lebanon in addition to Palestine.
"The Middle East cannot have lasting peace if Israel does not withdraw from Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese Arab lands," Guven said, speaking on behalf of OIC member states.
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