NEW YORK (VINnews) — Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar participated on Wednesday night in a United Nations Security Council debate held at the ministerial level on the Middle East. The discussion was convened at the initiative of the British Foreign Secretary, who is serving as the rotating president of the UN Security Council.

During the debate, Foreign Minister Sa’ar clashed with Britain’s Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who presided over the session and criticized decisions made by the Israeli government regarding Judea and Samaria, referred to “settler violence,” and argued that Palestinian leadership should be strengthened.

Addressing the British Foreign Secretary, Sa’ar said:
“In 1917, the British government issued the historic Balfour Declaration in order to re-establish a national home for the Jewish people in our land. The very places in the heart of our ancient homeland where you claim Jews must not live, and which you allege violate international law — you yourselves recognized as belonging to the national home of the Jewish people. I would like to present a map of the British Mandate. This is the map of the British Mandate. Here is the ‘West Bank,’ as you call it.”

“In 1921, Winston Churchill said during his visit to the Land of Israel: ‘It is evident that the Jews should have a national home. And where else could that be if not in this land, to which they have been intimately and profoundly connected for more than 3,000 years?’ In 1922, the League of Nations, the predecessor of the UN, entrusted Britain with the mission of re-establishing the Jewish national home. Madam President, what remains for you of the noble historical legacy of Balfour and Churchill?”

“The claims raised in this debate — one of many — are yet another example of the hypocritical obsession against Jewish presence in the heart of our small country. The claim that Israelis cannot live in Judea and Samaria not only contradicts international law and Britain’s own Balfour Declaration, it is morally distorted. How can Jews live in London, Paris, or New York, yet be forbidden from living in the cradle of our civilization: Shiloh, Hebron, and Beit El? This is our land — not 13,000 kilometers away like the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the ‘Malvinas.’”

Later in the debate, Sa’ar also attacked Russia’s ambassador to the UN:
“It was amusing to hear the representative of the Russian Federation speak about law and international law, about occupation, annexation of territory, and resolving conflicts peacefully. I restrained myself from laughing out loud during his remarks.”

Sa’ar further presented evidence of the Jewish people’s connection to the land throughout history. He displayed a coin from the time of the Great Revolt bearing the inscription “Freedom for Zion,” as well as the handle of a clay jar from the Kingdom of Judah dating back 2,700 years.

He also presented an “incitement map” seized at a school in Hebron, showing skulls in place of Israeli communities. In addition, he highlighted what he described as actions carried out under the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria — from damage to archaeological sites on Mount Ebal to air pollution near Israeli communities.