NEW YORK, September 26, 2026 (WAFA) — The general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly continued for a fifth day today at UN Headquarters in New York, with several speakers addressing the situation in Palestine and calling for an end to the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people.

Brunei Darussalam's Minister of Foreign Affairs Erywan Pehin Yusof said the UN Charter must remain the common foundation of the international system and that its principles must be applied consistently if the organization is to preserve its legitimacy and credibility.

He said the Palestinian issue exemplifies the consequences of failing to uphold those principles, stressing that generations of Palestinians have waited for justice, statehood and dignity and cannot be expected to wait indefinitely for rights to which they are entitled.

Addressing the situation in Gaza, he said the scale of humanitarian suffering and destruction had reached intolerable levels, with civilians, particularly children, bearing the greatest burden. He also referred to the deaths of medical workers, journalists, humanitarian personnel and UN staff while carrying out their duties.

"This suffering cannot become normalized," he said.

Yusof also referred to conditions in the occupied West Bank, including the continued occupation, expansion of illegal settlements, settler violence and the displacement of Palestinians from their homes and land.

He stressed that Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are not merely statistics, but human beings whose suffering demonstrates the need for international law and the principles of the UN Charter to be applied without double standards.

He said a just and lasting peace requires addressing the root causes of the conflict, including ensuring the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

"Without justice for the Palestinian people, there can be no lasting peace," he said, describing the Palestinian issue as a critical test of the credibility of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council.

Saudi Arabia rejects forced displacement

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan reiterated his country's categorical rejection of any attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians or alter the legal and historical status quo in the occupied territories.

He said a just and lasting peace in the Middle East can only be achieved through implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent Palestinian state.

Bin Farhan said the continued suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, Israeli attacks on civilians, restrictions on humanitarian aid, attempts at forced displacement and continued settlement expansion constitute serious violations of international law and international humanitarian law.

He reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's rejection of efforts to displace Palestinians or change the realities on the ground, stressing that lasting peace requires the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Lavrov calls for establishment of Palestinian state

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it was time to resolve what he described as the central issue in the Middle East by ensuring the establishment of a Palestinian state.

He reiterated Russia's support for a political settlement based on international law and the relevant UN resolutions, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lavrov said the UN Security Council had adopted a peace plan for the Gaza Strip nearly a year ago, but peace had yet to be achieved.

He said the humanitarian situation remained extremely grave, with elderly people, women and children continuing to be killed, while the situation in the occupied West Bank was also deteriorating amid Israel's expansion of settlement activity and settlements.

"If this continues, it will be impossible to establish a Palestinian state, because there will be no place left for it," Lavrov warned, adding that Israel's own security would consequently be put at risk, as experts have also pointed out.

Lavrov called on the United Nations and all its member states to take urgent steps to reverse what he described as negative trends in the Middle East and surrounding areas.

He stressed that resolving the Palestinian issue requires ensuring the Palestinian people's right to establish their own state, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions.

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