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NEW YORK CITY: �������� on Monday reaffirmed its long-standing support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as it called on the UN Security Council to take decisive action to end Israeli settlement activity, lift the blockade on Gaza, and protect holy sites in Jerusalem.

Speaking during a meeting of the council on the latest developments in the Middle East, ��������’s permanent representative to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, said the Kingdom “reiterates its firm position towards the Palestinian people and their just cause,” and asked for renewed efforts to achieve a comprehensive and just peace.

“My country has been working for years to find a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question,” he said.

“As a result of the unprecedented suffering to which the Palestinian people have been subjected in the Gaza Strip, the Kingdom has intensified its efforts to restore normalcy, begin reconstruction, and enable the people to live in dignity in their land.”

He highlighted recent diplomatic initiatives by ��������, including the joint Saudi-French conference on the implementation of a two-state solution that took place at the UN in September, which resulted in the New York Declaration. The envoy said that declaration had encouraged several additional countries to officially recognize the State of Palestine.

Alwasil also announced the launch of an Emergency Coalition for Financial Sustainability of the Palestinian Authority, a joint initiative by �������� and several friendly countries to help address what he described as an “unprecedented financial crisis.”

The fund, he said, “aims to stabilize the financial condition of the Palestinian Authority and ensure its ability to govern, provide services and maintain security.”

The ambassador expressed his appreciation for mediation efforts by Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye, as well as the active role of the US president, Donald Trump, in the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the creation of “a comprehensive and just path towards peace.”

He said these efforts were critical to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians, secure a full Israeli withdrawal, and restore stability.

“The Kingdom condemns the Israeli Knesset’s preliminary approval of two bills that aim to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and to legalize Israeli sovereignty over an illegal colonial settlement,” Alwasil continued.

He reaffirmed ��������’s “complete rejection of all settlement and expansionist violations adopted by the Israeli occupation authorities.”

He urged the Security Council to “assume its responsibility for the implementation of relevant resolutions” to help “end settlement activity, lift the blockade on Gaza, ensure full protection of the holy sites in Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and prevent any unilateral actions aimed at altering the identity of Palestinian territory.”

Alwasil also asked council members to advance efforts to create an independent Palestinian state in line with international resolutions and the steps outlined in the New York Declaration.

“The Kingdom calls on this esteemed council to work towards the establishment of a Palestinian state in accordance with the relevant resolutions,” he added.

JERUSALEM: The United Nations and France on Monday condemned Israeli fire near UN peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon, after an incident during which peacekeepers neutralized an Israeli reconnaissance drone.
“We are very concerned about the incident that occurred on Sunday in which an Israeli drone dropped a grenade in the vicinity of a UNIFIL patrol, and subsequently an Israeli tank fired a shot at the peacekeepers in Kfar Kila in the UNIFIL area of operations,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, referring to the incident in southern Lebanon.
“Our colleagues at UNIFIL are in touch with the IDF to protest vehemently what has happened. It’s not the first time that we feel we’ve been targeted in different ways by the IDF (including) pointing lasers or warning shots. It’s very, very dangerous,” he said.
The UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL works with the Lebanese army to enforce the ceasefire agreement that ended more than a year of conflict between Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel.
According to a French diplomatic source, the UNIFIL troops involved in Sunday’s incident were French.
“France condemns the Israeli fire that targeted a UNIFIL detachment on October 26, 2025,” the French foreign ministry said in a separate statement.
It said that “these incidents follow those observed on October 1, 2, and 11, when the Israeli army had already targeted UNIFIL positions.”
On Sunday, UNIFIL said an Israeli drone flew over its patrol in an “aggressive manner.”
“The peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralize the drone,” it said in a statement.
The incident “shows disregard for safety and security of the peacekeepers implementing Security Council mandated tasks in southern Lebanon,” it said.
UNIFIL later said another Israeli drone came close to its patrol operating near Kfar Kila and dropped a grenade.
“Moments later, an Israeli tank fired a shot toward the peacekeepers. Fortunately, no injury or damage was caused to the UNIFIL peacekeepers and assets,” the statement added.

Drone ‘deliberately’ shot down

The Israeli army still occupies five positions in southern Lebanon, along the border with northern Israel, and despite the ceasefire continues to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory, claiming to target Hezbollah.
Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said on X earlier on Monday that “an intelligence-gathering drone was downed in the area of Kfar Kila.”
“An initial inquiry suggests that UNIFIL forces stationed nearby deliberately fired at the drone and downed it. The drone’s activity did not pose a threat to UNIFIL forces,” Shoshani wrote.
As part of last year’s ceasefire deal, Israeli troops were to withdraw from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River and dismantle any military infrastructure in the south.
According to the agreement, only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL are to be deployed in the south of the country.
Under US pressure and fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government has moved to begin disarming Hezbollah, a plan the movement and its allies oppose.
Despite the terms of the truce, Israel has kept troops deployed in five border points it deems strategic.
Israel has also intensified strikes in recent weeks, with several deadly attacks launched over the past few days.