No lasting peace without Palestinian justice, Brunei tells UN

Brunei's Foreign Minister Prince Abdul Mateen told the 81st UN General Assembly that lasting peace remains impossible without justice for Palestinians, warning that the conflict has become a definitive test of the United Nations' credibility. Speaking during the session in New York, Mateen emphasized that the Palestinian people have awaited justice, statehood and dignity for generations. "They cannot be asked to wait indefinitely for rights that are already theirs," he said.

Gaza and West Bank suffering

Mateen highlighted the intolerable scale of human suffering in Gaza, noting that civilians including "far too many children" continue to bear the heaviest cost of the violence. He said medics, journalists, humanitarian workers and UN personnel have also lost their lives while carrying out their duties, adding, "This suffering cannot become normal." Turning to the occupied West Bank, he noted that Palestinians endure ongoing occupation, illegal settlement expansion, settler violence and displacement from their homes.

Double standards and statehood

The foreign minister stressed that international law must apply equally to all parties in the Palestinian territories, stating, "There cannot be one standard for some and another for others." He argued that a just peace requires addressing root causes rather than managing symptoms, which means realizing the Palestinian people's "legitimate right to self-determination" and establishing an independent state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. "Without justice for the Palestinian people, there can be no lasting peace," Mateen said, calling the situation a defining test for the UN Security Council.

Regional spillover and accountability

Mateen warned that the conflict's consequences have spread beyond Palestine to Lebanon, where UN peacekeepers have also lost their lives, noting that Brunei co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 2823 to strengthen accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. "Those who serve under the United Nations flag must be protected," he said, adding that accountability cannot be "episodic." He concluded, "The protection of those who serve peace and the protection of innocent lives, especially children, must remain at the heart of this organization," as the 81st General Assembly session continued its deliberations.