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Syria tells UN General Assembly Israel’s actions amount to ‘genocide’ and demands lifting of unilateral measures
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Summary
Syria’s foreign minister told the General Assembly that Israel’s operations since Oct. 7 have killed ‘‘more than 42,000 Palestinians,’’ mostly women and children, and urged member states to lift unilateral coercive measures that, he said, punish civilian populations and impede humanitarian relief.
His Excellency Basam Saba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic, told the United Nations General Assembly that Syria has endured a decade of what he described as ‘‘unparalleled suffering’’ and condemned what he called Israeli ‘‘genocide’’ in Gaza. ‘‘Since the 10/07/2023, the Israeli occupation has continued to commit bloody and terrorist crimes…which has claimed the lives of more than 42,000 Palestinians, most of whom are children and women,’’ he said.
Saba accused ‘‘certain western countries’’ and the United States in particular of preventing the Security Council from holding Israel accountable, and said that the same states have imposed ‘‘unilateral coercive measures’’ that have inflicted widespread hardship across sectors from health to agriculture. He called for ‘‘the immediate full and unconditional lifting of unilateral coercive measures’’ on Syria and other listed states and said these measures amount to ‘‘collective punishment’’ and violate the UN Charter.
The minister described recent cross‑border incidents affecting Syria, including an attack he said struck the occupied Syrian Golan and a strike on the town of Bridal Shams that he said killed 12 children. He also appealed for protection of UN and humanitarian personnel, noting alleged direct targeting of ‘‘more than 200 personnel working for UN and humanitarian agencies’’.
Syria’s speech combined recounting of wartime damage, an itemized list of national measures the government says it has taken (amnesty decrees, authorizations for humanitarian crossing points, and engagement in political talks such as Astana), and a diplomatic appeal for a multilateral order reframed to limit what the minister called ‘‘hegemonic’’ interference.
The minister closed by reiterating Syria’s formal positions: restoration of Syrian sovereignty over the Golan Heights, accountability for attacks on civilians and humanitarian staff, and the lifting of sanctions and coercive economic measures. The General Assembly president thanked the minister after the address; no vote or formal action on the minister’s demands was recorded during this plenary.
The matter remains one of political positions and appeals to member states and United Nations bodies; any change in sanctions or Security Council action would require further measures outside of this general debate.
