​​Madam President,

At the outset please allow me to congratulate you, Ambassador Janjua, upon the assumption of the Presidency of the Fifth Review Conference of the CCW and express our delegation's full cooperation and support in the discharge of your duties. 

Madam President,

Israel values the CCW and recognizes its uniqueness as the only forum which includes all the most relevant actors. This renders the CCW's achievements as those which have the greatest practical effect on the ground. This forum's strength lies in its commitment and ability to strike the appropriate balance between military and humanitarian considerations, and it must maintain this strength in all future efforts.

A Review conference is a good opportunity to take stock of the work which has been done during the past five years and try to shape future efforts. We trust and hope that all of us will be entering the next five-year cycle with renewed commitment and support for the CCW's goals and objectives.

Madam President,

With 123 high contracting parties, we must strive to exact greater efforts at increasing the universalization of the convention. In some areas of the world, the lack of adoption of the CCW is more apparent than in others, and requires the direction of focused efforts. Such is the case in the Middle East, our own region, where very few states have expressed their consent to be bound by the CCW. The growing instability in our region, where the Law of Armed Conflict is challenged on a daily basis, makes this issue ever more pressing.

Madam President,

Israel thinks that more attention should be dedicated to the promotion of the universalization of the Amended Protocol II, and in this regard, calls upon the Parties to the original protocol to accede to the amended protocol.  

Madam President,

MANPADS and IEDs are long standing issues of concern in international fora, including at the CCW. The wide proliferation of these weapons and the widespread phenomenon of terrorist activities necessitate addressing measures to limit the threats posed by them. While these weapons may be used as legitimate means of warfare, they pose a threat to humanitarian interests when used unlawfully by various actors. Another long standing issue is MOTAPM. Israel joins other delegations aspiring to deepen our discussion on this issue. We would elaborate further on these issues later during this week.

 

Madam President,

Undoubtedly the greatest task facing our deliberations during this Review Conference is the decision regarding the best path for advancing our understanding of LAWS. We wish to thank Ambassador Biontino of Germany for his continuous efforts during the last two years. We welcome Ambassador Ulianovschi, the Chair of Main Committee II, and wish him success in his efforts to reach consensus. We look forward to further discussions on this issue in the framework of the CCW. Israel will continue to play an active role in any future discussion of LAWS.

Madam President,

The CCW's financial situation has kept us all busy and concerned during the last several weeks. We are pleased to have this issue resolved positively. However, we must ensure that similar situation will not reoccur in the future and therefore support the initiative to add 'Financial Issues' as a standing agenda item. Under this new agenda item, Israel would propose to also consider the current structure of employment of the ISU's staff with an aim to guarantee stability and continuity.    

I thank you Madam President and I wish all of us a constructive and fruitful week.