ukraine to help determine what brought down the malaysian jetliner with 298 people aboard, including an american. the president is calling for an immediate cease-fire in the area and says the evidence so far indicates the malaysia airlines flight 17 was shot down by a surface to air missile from a part of ukraine controlled by russian backed separatists. he also spoke about the current israeli-palestinian conflict. after his remarks, the president also took questions. this is about 20 minutes. >> good morning, everybody. yesterday, malaysian airlines flight mh 17 took off from amsterdam. and was shot down over the ukraine-russian border. nearly 300 innocent lives were taken, men, women, children, infants, who had nothing to do with the crisis in ukraine. their deaths are an outrage of unspeakable proportions. we know at least one american citizen, quinn lucas schansman, was killed. yesterday, i spoke with ukraine, malaysia, and the netherlands, and i told them that our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families and that the american people stand together with them in this difficult time. later today, i will be speaking with prime minister abbot of australia, which also suffered a terrible loss. by far, the country that lost the most people on board the plane was the netherlands. from the days of our founding, the dutch have been close friends and allies. i want the dutch people to know that we stand with you shoulder to shoulder in our grief and in our absolute determination to get to the bottom of what happened. here is what we know so far. evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile launched from an area that is controlled by russian backed separatists inside of ukraine. we also know that this is not the first time a plane has been shot down in eastern ukraine. over the last several weeks, russian backed separatist have shot down a ukrainian transport plane and a ukrainian helicopter, and they claimed responsibility for shooting down a ukrainian fighter jet. moreover, we know that the separatists have received a steady flow of support from russia. this includes arms and training. it includes heavy weapons. and it includes antiaircraft weapons. here is what must happen now. this was a global tragedy. an asian airliner was destroyed in european skies filled with citizens from many countries. there has to be a credible international investigation into what happened. the un security council has endorsed this investigation and we will hold all its members, including russia, to their word in order to facilitate that investigation. russia, pro-russian separatist, and ukraine must adhere to an immediate cease-fire. evidence must not be tampered with. investigators need to access the crash site and returning what was lost to their loved ones must start in this -- immediately. we have already offered the support of the fbi and the national transportation safety board, which has experience with working with international partners on these types of investigations, they are on their way, personnel from the fbi and the ntsb. i will be in close contact with leaders around the world as we respond to this catastrophe. our immediate focus will be on recovering those who were lost, investigating exactly what happened, and putting forward the facts. i want to point out there will likely be misinformation as well. i think it is very important for folks to sift through what is factually based and what is simply speculation. no one can deny the truth in the awful images that we've seen. the eyes of the world are on eastern ukraine. we will make sure the truth is out. more broadly, i think it is important for us to recognize that this outrageous event underscores that it is time for peace and security to be restored in ukraine. for months, we have supported a pathway to peace and the ukrainian government has reached out to all ukrainians, put forward a peace plan, and we have done a cease-fire despite -- lived up to a cease-fire despite the violations by separatists, violations that took the lives of ukrainian soldiers and personnel. moreover, time and again, russia has refused to take the concrete steps necessary to de-escalate the situation. i spoke to president putin yesterday in the wake of additional sanctions that we had imposed. he said he was not happy with them, and i told him that we have been very clear from the outset that we want russia to take the path that would result in peace in ukraine, but so far at least, russia has failed to take that path. instead, it has continued to violate ukrainian sovereignty, and to support violent separatist. it has also failed to force the separatist to abide by a cease-fire. that is why we have imposed more sanctions on russia. it is time for all of us to step back and take a hard look at what happened. violence and conflict inevitably lead to unforeseen consequences. russia, the separatists, and ukraine all have the capacity to put an end to the fighting. meanwhile, the u.s. is going to continue to lead efforts within the world community to de-escalate the situation, to stand up for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine, and to support the people of ukraine as they courageously worked to strengthen their democracy and make their own decisions about how they should move forward. before i take just a couple of questions, let me remark on one other issue. this morning, i spoke with prime minister netanyahu about the situation in israel and gaza. we discussed israel's military operation, including efforts to stop military operations, including tunnels into israel. i reaffirmed my strong support for israel's right to defend itself. no nation should accept rockets being fired into its borders, or terrorists settling into its territory. in fact, while i was having a conversation with mr. netanyahu, the sirens went off in tel aviv. i also made clear that the united states and our friends and allies are deeply concerned about the risks of further escalation and the loss of more innocent life. that is why we have indicated them although we support military efforts by the israelis to make sure that rockets are not being fired into their territory, we have also said that our understanding of current military ground operations are designed to deal with the tunnels. we are hopeful that is where israel will continue to approach this process, in a way that minimizes civilian casualties. and all of us are working hard to return to the cease-fire that was reached in november of 2012. secretary kerry supports that. john is prepared to travel the region following additional consultations. let me close by making one additional comment. on board the flight there were nearly 100 researchers and advocates traveling to a conference in australia to a conference dedicated to combating aids and hiv. these are men and women a dedicated their own lives to saving the lives of others, and they were taken from us in a senseless act of violence. in this world today, we should not forget in the midst of conflict and killing, there are people like these, people focused on what can be built rather than destroyed. people who define themselves not by what makes them different, but by the humanity that we hold in common. it is important to lift them up and to affirm their lives, and heed their example. the united states of america will continue to stand for the basic principle that people have the right to live as they choose, determine their own destiny, and the international community stands on the side of truth. let me take a couple of questions. >> on a technical matter, does the u.s. believe this passenger jet was targeted or the people shot it down might have been going after a military aircraft, and more broadly, the incident seems to escalate the crisis in the ukraine to a level we have not seen before. does that change your calculus in terms of what europe -- in terms of what the u.s. is asking europe to be doing? >> i think it is too early to be able to guess what the intentions of those that might have launched the missile might have had. i think we will see additional information surfacing over the next 24 hours, the next week, the next month. what we know right now, what we have confidence in saying right now, is that a surface-to-air missile was fired and that is what brought the jet down. we know, or have confidence in saying that shot was taken within a territory controlled by the russian separatists. but i think it is very important for us to make sure that we do not get out ahead of the facts, and at this point, in terms of identifying specifically what individual or group of individuals or personnel ordered the strike, how would came about -- those are things that will be subject to additional information that we will be gathering, and we are working with the entire international community to make sure the focus is on getting to the bottom of this thing and being truthful. my concern is, obviously, that there has been a lot of misinformation generated in eastern ukraine generally. this should snap everybody's heads to attention, and make sure we do not have time for propaganda, games. we need to know exactly what happened, and everyone is to -- needs to make sure we are holding accountable those who committed this outrage. with respect to the second question, as you are aware, before this terrible incident happened, we had already ratcheted up sanctions against russia, and, i think, the concern, not just of russian officials, but of the markets, about the impact this could have on the russian economy is there for all to see. i made clear to president putin that our preferred path is to resolve this diplomatically, but that means that he and the russian government had to make a strategic decision. are they going to continue to support violent separatists whose intent is to undermine the government of ukraine, or are they prepared to work with government of ukraine -- the government of ukraine to arrive at a cease-fire and a peace that takes to account the interest of all ukrainians? there has been some improved language at times over the last month coming from the kremlin and coming from president putin, but we have not seen an actual transition and different action that would give us confidence that that is the direction that they want to take. we will continue to make clear that as russia, you know, engages in actions that are supporting the separatists, that we have the capacity to increase the costs that we impose on them, and we will do so, not because we are interested in hurting russia for the sake of hurting russia, but he does we believe in standing up for the basic principle that a country sovereignty and territorial eternity needs to be respected. it is not the united states, or russia, or germany, or any other country that should be deciding what happens in that country. >> at this point, do you see any u.s. military role that could be effective? >> we do not see a u.s. military role beyond what we have already been doing in working with our nato partners and some of the baltic states, giving them reassurances that we are prepared to do whatever is required to meet our alliance obligations. >> how much blame for this do you put on president putin and do you view this incident as a push to stronger action for europe? >> we do not know what happened yet, and as i said before, i do not want to get out ahead of the facts. but what i do know is we have seen a ticking off of violence -- ticking up of violence in eastern ukraine, that despite the efforts of the ukrainian government to abide by a cease-fire, and to reach out and agree to negotiations, including with the separatists, that has been rebuffed by the separatists. we know they are heavily armed and they are trained, and that is not an accident. that is happening because of russian support. it is not possible for the separatists to function the way they function, to have the equipment that they have, set aside what has happened with respect to the malaysian airline -- a group of separatists can not shoot down military planes, or as they claim, fighter jets, without sophisticated equipment and training, and that is coming from russia. so, we do not yet know exactly what happened despite to the malaysian airline, but obviously we are drawing some conclusions given the nature of the shop that was fired. -- the shot that was fired. there are only certain types of antiaircraft missiles that can reach up 30,000 feet and shoot down passenger jets. we have increasing confidence that it came from areas controlled by the separatists, but without having a definitive judgment on those issues yet, what we do know is that the violence that is taking place there is facilitated, in part, in large part, because of russian support. they have the ability to move those separatists in a different direction. if mr. putin makes the decision that we are not going to allow heavy armaments and the flow of fighters into ukraine across the ukrainian-russian border, then it will stop. if it stops, then the separatists will still have the capacity to enter into negotiations and try to arrive at the sort of political accommodations and mr. putin himself says he wants to see -- that mr. putin himself says he wants to see. he has the most control over that situation, and so far at least he has not exercised it. >> sanctions in europe, will you push -- >> i think this will certainly be a wake up call for europe and the world that there are consequences to an escalating conflict in eastern ukraine, that it is not going to be localized. it is not going to be contained. what we have seen here is just in one country alone, our great allies, the dutch, 150 or more of their citizens being killed. that, i think, sadly brings home the degree to which the stakes are high for europe, not simply for the ukrainian people. we have to be firm in our resolve and making sure that we are supporting the ukraine and efforts to bring about a just cease-fire and that we can move toward a political question -- solution. this is the last question. >> do we know about americans on board, and how do you prevent shocks to the global economy? >> we have been pretty methodical over the last 24 hours in working through the flight manifest, and identifying which passengers might have had a u.s. passport. at this point, the individual that i mentioned is the sole person we can definitively say was a u.s. or dual citizen. because events are moving so quickly, i do not want to say with absolute certainty that there might not be additional americans, but at this stage, having worked through the list, been in contact with the malaysian government, which processed the passports as folks were boarding, this is our best assessment of the americans that were killed. obviously, that does nothing to lessen our outrage about all of those families. regardless of nationality, it is a heartbreaking event. with the respect to the effect of sanctions on the economy, we have consistently try to tailor the sanctions in ways that would have an impact on russia, there economy, institutions, or individuals that are aiding and abetting in the activities taking place in eastern ukraine, while minimizing the middle -- the impact on not only the u.s. economy, but the global economy. it is a relevant consideration that we have to keep in mind. the world economy is integrated. russia is a large economy. there is a lot of financial flows between russia and the rest of the world, but we feel confident that at this point the sanctions that we put in place are imposing a cost on russia and that their overall impact on the global economy is minimal. it is something we have to obviously pay close attention to, but contractual to -- treasury, in consultation with european partners have done a good job so far. all right? [captioning performed by the national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> the un security council held an emergency meeting to discuss the malaysian airliner that was shot down in ukraine. u.s. ambassador to the u.n. samantha power said there were separatists in the area who boasted about shooting down the plane. the russian ambassador to the u.n. blamed the u.s. for accelerating tension in ukraine and said ukraine should have alerted the aviation industry about the dangers of the area. other speakers at the session included the malaysian and ukrainian representatives. this portion is about 40 minutes. >> yesterday we were all shocked about the downing of malaysian airlines flight 17. 15 crew weres and killed. as we stared at the passenger list yesterday, we saw next to three of the passenger's names a capital "i." the letter "i" stands for infant. to the families and friends of the victims, it is impossible to find words to express our condolences. we can only commit to you that we will not rest until we find out what happened. credible, and unimpeded international investigation must begin immediately. the perpetrators must be brought to justice. let me share with you our assessment of the evidence so far. we assessed malaysia airlines 298ht 17 carrying these people from amsterdam to kuala lumpur was likely downed by a sa-11,e to air missile, from a separate test location in eastern ukraine. the airliner was traveling at 33,000 feet and its speed was typical. itsflight was transmitting assigned transponder code corresponding with its flight plan and flight tracking data was publicly available on the internet. threatening orng provocative about mh-17. systemsperational located near the border, only sa-22-11, sa-20, and systems are capable of hitting an aircraft at this flight's altitude of 33,000 feet. range rule out shorter systems which are not capable of hitting an aircraft at this altitude. early thursday, and sa-11 system a westerned by reporter and separatists were spotted hours before the incident with an sa-11 system at a location close to the site where the plane came down. initially claimed responsibility for shooting down a military transport plane and posted videos that are now being connected to the malaysian airlines crash. separatist leaders boasted on social media about shooting down a plane, but later deleted these messages. because of the technical complexity of the sa-11, it is unlikely the separatists could effectively operate the system without assistance from knowledgeable personnel. we cannot roll -- rule out technical assistance from russian personnel. the ukrainians do have sa-11 systems in their inventory. however, we are not aware of any ukrainian systems in the area of the shootdown, and since the beginning of this crisis, ukrainian air defenses have not fired a single missile despite several alleged violations of their airspace by russian this also follows a pattern of actions by russian backed separatists. on june 13, separatists shot down the ukrainian transport plane carrying 40 para troopers and nine crew. 24, we received word the separatists down to the ukrainian helicopter, killing all nine on board. on july 14, separatists claimed credit for the downing of the ukrainian military cargo planes. on july 16, they claimed credit for the downing of a ukrainian fighter jet. if indeed russian backed separatists were behind this attack on a civilian airliner, they and their backers would have good reason to cover up evidence of their crime. is extremely important that investigation be commenced immediately. in the first instance, the osce special monitoring mission should act as the first responder laying the foundation for efforts by other international organizations and individual nations, including those citizens who are victims of this tragedy. yesterday president obama ofured the president assistance. the president has invited the independent and credible international civil aviation organization to join in the investigation. international investigators must be granted immediate, full, and unfettered access to the crash site. should agreecerned to support an immediate cease-fire to facilitate access by international investigators. in this regard, we look to the snm to reach agreement with separatists and others in the region to make this possible. all evidence must remain undisturbed and any evidence removed from the site by the russian backed separatists should be promptly returned and handed over. russia needs to help make this happen. some timeay take us to firmly establish who shot down a plane filled with innocence, most council members and members of the international community have been warning for months about the devastation that would come if russia did not stop what it started, if it did not rain in what it unleashed. in what it unleashed. the context is clear. russia says it seeks peace in ukraine. but we have repeatedly provided this counselor with evidence of russia's continued support to the separatists. time after time we have called on the russian government to de-escalate the situation by stopping the flow of fighters and weapons into ukraine, pressing separatists to agree to a cease-fire and release all hostages and support a roadmap for negotiations. time after time president putin has committed towards working towards peace. in berlin earlier this month -- every single time he has broken that commitment. here is what we know. in the last few weeks, russia has increased the number of tanks, armored vehicles and rocket launchers in south west russia. more air defense systems have also arrived. moscow has recently transformed tanks and artillery to the separatists and several military vehicles cross the border. severalcapturing ukrainian cities last weekend, ukrainian officials discovered weapons long associated with russian stockpiles, including mines, grenades, vehicles, and a pontoon bridge. ukrainian forces have discovered large amounts of other russian equipment,litary including accompanying documentation verifying the russian origin in the areas they have liberated from separatists in recent days. recruiting efforts for separatist fighters are expanding inside russia and separatists have openly said they are looking for volunteers with experience operating heavy weapons such as tanks and air defenses. russia has allowed officials from the people's republic to establish a recruiting office in moscow. ukrainian pilot who has long had a distinguished career in the ukrainian military was taken by separatists in mid-june. she is now being held in a prison in russia. according to the ukrainian government, she was transferred to russia by separatists. russia continues to redeploying new forces extremely close to the ukrainian border. this past monday, a ukrainian air force cargo plane was shot down in ukrainian airspace and on wednesday, a ukrainian fighter jet was also shot down in ukrainian airspace great in both instances, the ukrainian government believes these lanes were fired on from russian territory. russian actions that the united states impose sanction on the defense, energy, and financial sectors of the russian economy. these measures include freezing the assets of russian defense companies and blocking new financing of some of russia's most important banks and energy companies. the sanctions are significant, but they are also targeted, designed to had the maximum impact on the russian calculus while limiting the impact on the russian people and limiting any spillover effects on our interests or those of our allies. the european union has announced expanded sanctions against russia this week. the message is unified and clear. if president putin continues to choose escalation over de-escalation, the international community will continue to impose costs on russia. this is not what any of us want. we and our allies remain committed to a diplomatic solution, as are the ukrainian government and ukrainian people, who has seen their neighbors, friends and family members killed in a needless conflict. hasident porchenko consistently backed up his words with action. he proposed a comprehensive peace plan, which was cynically rejected by the illegal armed groups and their backers in moscow. his plan offered amnesty to separatists who laid down their arms fallen terribly and who were not guilty of capital voluntarily and who were not guilty of capital crimes. he established a job creation program for the affected areas, including ed -- an offer of broad decentralization, and granted increased local control over language holidays and customs. reached out to the residents of eastern ukraine and is pursuing constitutional reform which will give local regions more authority to choose their regional leaders and protect locally spoken languages. he has said he will meet with separatists at any safe location inside or outside of ukraine. the united states's goal consistent,as been to support a stable and democratic ukraine. we will not be satisfied with a temporary halt to violence. russia must stop destabilizing ukraine and allow all the people of ukraine to decide the country's future. as we sit here, the remains of nearly 300 people, innocent infants, children, women, and men are strewn across the smoldering landscape in ukraine. from polices came nine different nations. they could just as easily have come from any of ours. we must treat all of them as our own victims. we have a duty to each and every one of those individuals, their families, and their countries to determine why that jet fell out of the sky and to hold the perpetrators accountable. we must stop at nothing to bring those responsible to justice. appalling attack occurred in the context of a crisis that had been fueled by russian support for separatists through arms and training, and the russian failure to follow through on its commitments, and failure to adhere to fundamental principles of the u.n. charter. this tragedy only underscores the urgency and determination with which we insist that russia immediately take concrete steps to de-escalate the situation in ukraine, support a sustainable cease-fire, and follow the path towards peace that the ukrainian government has consistently offered. this war can be ended. russia can end this war. russia must end this war. thank you. we would like to express our hartford -- heartfelt condolences to the members of the malaysian flight which crashed, as well as the governments of those countries. [inaudible] it is a difficult situation. we think it would be right to create an international commission. first and foremost, the question would arise, why would ukrainian aviation dispatcher sent a flight to an area of military crashes, an area used for carrying out strikes? and where there were .ntiaircraft [inaudible] in line with international standards. in the territory where the flight is being turned out, they must provide aviation information ensuring security. international law provides for the closures, but it would seem that there would need to be investigation. and did everything necessary to ensure that the military campaign of kiev would prevent this from occurring. today, kiev declared a full closure of the airspace. why couldn't this have been that -- been done earlier? [inaudible] well, here is that restraint now. .rtillery tanks and fire the punitive operation is increasingly full-scale. there has been dozens of civilians killed as well. according to data, there are 45 million people in the area. but there has been no evacuation of civilians from these areas. people leave the areas [inaudible] there are many reports of people fleeing war, seeking refuge. intentionally targeted by the armed forces. than 110,000re refugees from ukraine, and the number rises every day. this data is confirmed. in this regard, in six regions of russia, the artillery and mortar shelling by the ukrainian armed forces become regular. [inaudible] children wounded. we are seeing these provocations. we place all blame on the government and call for the ukrainian side to take decisive measures to stem such incidents in the future. about thentime, danger --called for inclusive dialogue. however, at a crossroads, kiev chose the wrong path. i am talking about the u.s. here. they pushed them to escalate the crisis. to [inaudible] however, representatives of the key of -- kiev government proudly proclaimed peace planning. it became the pretext for military preparation. after the february uprising, the centers [inaudible] fortuitous that on channel five of ukrainian television there was a commercial show? been violent repression. continues to rise. dozens have disappeared. the promised reform of the constitution is being prepared in secret. indeed, according to reports, restitution of powers in the wasident of the parliament actually not being sent for -- planned for. the political reasons are well-known. the policy has long been participating in ukraine. bringing them to dialogue would allow for prevention of exacerbation of the crisis. sir, regarding the ukrainian crisis, the international institutions have not risen to the occasion. much is said, but to settle the situation [inaudible] the delegation proposed serious work on a resolution that would allow for halting of violence. western colleagues responded to our proposal with blatant cynicism. it seems that whatever the government arbitrarily does [inaudible] but it seems that the victims of the geopolitical ambitions of the regime are the people of ukraine. neo she haitians for the crisis are still possible, but the right choice -- negotiations for the crisis are still possible, but the right choice must be made. >> established members of the security council, thank you for convening this meeting. like to start by addressing my government's deep sorrow and sincere condolences to all the nations whose citizens were killed in the terrible crash of malaysian airlines. ukraine shares the pain of the loss and grieves with the affected by friends the accident. today ukraine is morning. ukrainians are pushing the embassies of netherlands, indonesia, united kingdom, germany, belgium, philippines, canada in order to lay down flowers and express their sorrow. the ukrainians have already addressed international interpol and, --ers to take and invest a an international investigation. we believe this investigation will bring the truth and all perpetrators will be punished. yesterday ukrainian leadership announced a basic version of what has happened with boeing. it was stated it was an act of terror. the position of the government is based on the data from different intelligence and open sources. aircraft wase the shot down. theral days before, around same occasion, two ukrainian jets were shot down and terrorist leaders claimed their responsibility for these acts. interception of telephone conversations between the terrorist leaders and their coordinator, the russian --itary intelligence conference terrorists are standing behind this crime. this conversation is recorded and the secretary promised to convey to the members of the security council. the military leader of the orangests of the russian -- origin commented on the social network on having shot down what he believed was the ukrainian ship. [indiscernible] quote.inue the do not fly in our skies, end of quote. -- shot down shut a plane on such high altitude of 10 kilometers would only be possible using sophisticated antiaircraft system such as sa-11, or similar. by visual photo, terrorist leaders and recording from citizens of the local cities, the terrorists have at least two sa systems. the question is where they got this air defense system from. it receptions, photos and confessions of detained terrorists, including detained russian citizens who were going are tellingorists that the system arrived from russia. evidencesse and other must be provided to the international investigation. would not have been possible if russia did not support the terrorists and did not provide sophisticated antiaircraft missile systems. ukrainian mission to the united nations many time addressed the security council and member states with information about russia supporting the terrorists . just yesterday we presented new media.to the supplies of weapons of russian origin used by terrorists which has been documented by ukrainian intelligence agencies, media, and general public no longer a secret to anyone. the large submission of the mode of weapons is known by the ukrainian military forces from the terrorist groups in kiev. the russian armed forces are specified. documentary could be available on the website of ukraine as well as from yesterday's is conference of mine. you can find it in the website of united nations. we have been raised several whole -- aren this we concerned that russian nationals directly participate in distribution in eastern ukraine? today some information was given by the colleagues, the leaders .f the donetsk rick -- republic recruiting efforts from illegal armed groups fighters expanding inside russia, and they are looking for volunteers with experience operating heavy weapons such as tanks and their defense. russia has allowed establishing recruiting offices in moscow, which are openly operating on recruiting and sending russian nationals to eastern regions of ukraine. [indiscernible] russian groups of the paramilitary formations -- resin cossacks are supporting -- russian cossacks are supporting terrorists in eastern ukraine. through the whole period of this artificially created conflict supported by russia, it has never of the clique called on its citizens to refrain from joining illegal armed groups -- publicly called on its citizens to refrain from joining illegal armed groups. the federal code states, participation in armed groups which are not determined by the federal law as well as participation in such armed groups on a territory of foreign contrary tourpose that of the russian federation is punishable by five to 10 year imprisonment, end quote. seems no russian nation has been brought to justice for this. their participation in illegal armed groups does not contradict the interests of the russian federation. situation on, the the ukrainian-russian state border has significantly to thierry rated in the recent days as a result of systematic violations coming from the russian side of the border, as well as prohibitive actions by armed terrorist groups. day, russian a mercenaries undertake attempt to break through the ukrainian border from the side of russia. these attempts are facilitated by russian border protection units antiterrorist forces in ukraine that are repeatedly shelled from the territory of russia. ofaine has all the evidence those facts for the appropriate international response. provocations on ukrainian-russian state border has increased substantially. [indiscernible] this has caused the death of a russian citizen. the russian side accused the armed forces of ukraine in shelling on june 28. [indiscernible] ukrainian armed forces have never attacked or fired to the territory of russia. all are committed by russian terrorists to find grounds for further escalation. -- sounds like a new provocation. on the possibility to provide strikes against territory of ukraine. , today colleagues presented some evidences of the deterioration of ukraine and russian borders. during the month of july, we observed such violations, including the shutdown of the ukrainian jets. using this opportunity, i would like to attract once again your attention, members of the russiay council, that continues to redeploying new forces extremely close to the ukrainian border. as of july 14, total number of russian armed forces grouped in the region has been , totallyntly increased of at least 40,000 troops directly around ukraine, up to 18,000 troops in the occupied territory of crimea. troops.,000 those and similar actions constitute a flagrant violation by russia of its obligation under the u.n. charter and other universally recognized and supposed and international law law, underrnational the geneva agreements and the declaration of second june of bern. topite international efforts avoid further escalation and reinforced by presidential peace sign, foreign terrorists and their russian patrons have no intentions to leave us in peace and lay down arms. we are still struggling against high-capacity military saboteurs who are willing to create instability. the russian site immediately cease provocations on the state border of ukraine. end to terrorists, and the violence, -- end the violence. stop threatening peace and security in our country, region, and the world as a whole. i thank you, mr. president. >> thank you, mr. president. allow me to congratulate you and on assuming the presidency of the security council for this month. thisnk you for convening emergency meeting of the council on ukraine. i wish to also thank the secretary general for his briefing earlier. for my delegation, the convening of this meeting is indeed timely, given the tragic incident involving malaysian airlines flight mh-17. malaysia is deeply touched by the expressions of condolence thomas sympathy, and support from across the world. at this difficult time, we wish to express our profound sorrow and convey our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of those aboard mh-17. mr. president, malaysia is shocked and distraught by the downing of the malaysia airlines flight mh-17. the scheduled flight, which departed amsterdam yesterday afternoon at amsterdam local time, was expected to arrive kuala lumpur international airport this morning. crashed in theit dontetsk region of eastern ukraine. people perished in this incident. those who parish to were from the netherlands, 189. malaysia, 44. australia, 27. indonesia, 12. united kingdom, nine. germany, for her and belgium, -- four. belgium, four. philippines, three. canada, one. new zealand, one. rnd for passengers -- fou passengers whose nationalities have yet to be verified. the amsterdam-kuala lumpur route, which regularly crosses ukrainian airspace, was one of the most popular routes for the airlines. according to the international air transport association, at a time when contact with mh was lost, it was flying over non-restricted airspace. furthermore, the international organization had declared the flightpath to be safe. malaysia airlines also confirmed that the aircraft did not make any distress calls. the government of malaysia has taken immediate action to dispatch a special malaysia disaster assistance and rescue , comprising personnel from the royal malaysian air force, malaysian airlines, as well as medical staff. 40 airline staff have been dispatched to amsterdam to support the family and next of kin of the victims. in this connection, malaysia welcomes the pledges of support and assistance aid by other countries to aid research, rescue, and recovery and investigation efforts. mr. president, yesterday the prime minister has spoken to the president of ukraine. the prime minister of the netherlands, president obama of the united states, and president putin of russia. in those conversations, the prime minister has stressed that if indeed mh-17 has been shot perpetrators must be strictly brought to justice. malaysia strongly condemns any such actions in the strongest possible term, as it would be a flagrant violation of international law, and in outrage against human decency. a full, demands independent, and transparent international investigation into the incident involving the authorities, including the international civil aviation organization. i wish to inform the meeting that malaysia has been formally invited by ukraine authorities to take part in the >> we urge the parties in conflict in the area of the crash site to provide their fullest cooperation. such cooperation also entails facilitating the safe and unhindered access for the investigation and personnel to carry out their mission, including collecting the remains data, evidence, and personal effects of the victims. that thereunderscore must be no interference at the crash site or movement of debris from the area, including the flight data recorder or black box. the integrity of the -- integrity of the crash site must be preserved. malaysia also urges the security council to undertake the necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian and investigative , inonnel in the crash site order for them to discharge their duties and responsibilities. mr. president, further facts remain unknown at this point. but the fact that the plane might have been shut down has made the matter even more painful for us. again, this is a grave reminder of how escalation of dispute and threat to international peace and security could claim innocent lives in a most tragic and senseless manner. in this regard, we urge the security council to step up its role in facilitating a peaceful resolution to the conflict within russia and ukraine with a view to preventing the reoccurrence of such a tragic incident. in concluding, mr. president, on behalf of the government and the people of malaysia, i wish to offer our deeper print -- a precision for all of the support, sympathy and solidarity trying difficult and time. i thank you, mr. president. >> during the state department psaking, spokesman jen reiterated that the investigation is ongoing and that the administration will not prejudge ahead of its completion. she stressed, however, that u.s. officials do not believe this is an accident. here is a portion of her remarks. >> do you consider this as an act of terrorism? >> i think we do not know the origin. any time the loss of innocent is seen, it is a horrific act. we will see the investigation through. i will not put additional labels on it he on what the president and the ambassador repeated. >> is this an act of terrorism? >> i am not going to put additional labels on it. >> to rule out that it could have been an accident? >> i think we are not ruling out -- well, we don't feel this was i accident third we feel, think you heard the president and ambassador power give definitive remarks on this. we will see the investigation through. >> vice president biden yesterday stated that this was no accident. so the department stands by those remarks? >> i think there have also been remarks that pointed out from the president and ambassador power, as well. >> i want to make sure, because i think that you muddied the waters here. not believe this was an accident. you do not believe whoever fired missile was this not aiming at something else. you believe that whoever fired the missile intended to take down a passenger aircraft. >> i was not stating that. i'm not going to go further than i have gone here. >> so, in other words, it may have been an accident in terms of whoever fired this thing, thought that they were hitting a military target. >> correct. >> that is a mistake, that is an accident. >> you're not saying that you know or you believe that this malaysian aircraft boeing 777- 200 was targeted by the people that fired dismissal. >> we do not know more than what was stated or what i have stated today. you are expressing a preliminary conclusion. correct? >> that is not my intention. we have been pretty clear, we are participating in the international investigation. we will let that conclude. there is a range of events and information available from what is happened on the ground recently that is all relevant. this happened 24 hours ago. zero -- back to square >> i hope not. >> because accident and mistake are two different things. if you're saying we don't feel that this was an accident, that means you're seeing it is still possible that this plane came down from the sky because something went wrong with the plane. >> let me just be clear. this happened 24 hours ago. there has not been an investigation underway. we are participating in that process. i'm not going to prejudge it beyond that. i don't think i'm going to have much more to add from here today on this. >> by accident, when you say you don't feel this was an accident, you're saying that whatever file dismissal, it was not a malfunction of the plane. is that what you mean by accident? i think we are getting hung up here. when you say accident, you mean the engine failed or something that what you're saying? >> there is no evidence of that today. i do not have anything more in terms of analyzing what exactly happened. august the, there's a range of contextual information from what is happening on the ground that is relevant. >> rear admiral john kirby speaks to the press in the pentagon about the malaysian airlines flight area this is 30 minutes. >> before i take your questions, just a couple of comments. first of all about flight 17. as you know, this morning the secretary spoke with malaysian defense minister and offered his deepest condolences. our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragedy. thatecretary reiterated united states is prepared to assist in an international investigation. we agreed that investigation must be edible, transparent and unimpeded. all parties within the vicinity of the crash site, russians, pro-russian separatists, and ukrainians must agree to an immediate cease-fire which is the only way to ensure integrity of the evidence. international investigators must begin given the time and space to do their jobs. clearly, as the president noted a short while ago, we see strong evidence that malaysian air lights light 17 was written by a surface to air missile at an altitude of 33,000 feet. this incident obviously occurred in the context of a conflict fueled by a russian support were ukrainian -- hardened, russian separatists and that support has included arms, material, and training. as we investigate who did this and why, this terrible tragedy underscores the need for russia to take immediate and concrete steps to de-escalate the crisis in ukraine and to support the 's plan forovernment a cease-fire. the crew aboard the [indiscernible] has neutralized over 7% of the chemicals. -- over 15% of the chemicals. with that i will take your questions. >> just a few days ago, the european command talked a little bit about the transfer of russian heavy weapons across the border into ukraine. the president spoke about training them. can you go through this and tell us the latest u.s. military assessment of what the russians have been doing and transferring heavy weapons, surface to air missiles, other drought tolerant -- artillery and other military equipment across the border? >> no hint that russian support for the separatist has ceased. we have reason to believe that russia continues to provide them with heavy weapons and other military equipment, financing as well. they continue to allow these they continue to answer ukraine freely. tanks and personnel have made their way across the border. as been a steady concerted campaign by russia's military to continue to support and resource, advise the separatist. >> have you seen any video out there, any evidence that an sa-11 or brute missile system was taken across the border? and was the training needed given? >> i do not have any information about a system in that transit. we're not ruling anything in or out at this point. it is a sophisticated system. the missile itself, the sa-11 which we believe was used to down flight 17 is a sophisticated piece of technology. it is strange to think that it could be used by separatists without some measure of russian support and technical assistance. it is strange to think that they could do that. >> do you have evidence? >> there's a lot that is going to be investigated. we want to let investigators do their work. i do not have an indication now that a system was wrought over -- brought over, and we do not know exactly who was responsible for firing that missile, but it is sophisticated. >> was the level of training and -- what is the level of training and systems? does it include russian troops going across the border to act as training and advisors side-by-side with the separatists? >> we do not have any reason to suspect that they have not provided some measure of support on the other side of that order. these paramilitary forces that these paramilitary forces that -- bad border. we do not talk about as much anymore certainly did not act or behave or organized to resources like some ragtag militia. nobody is suggesting that the russian military advice and assistance has not somehow crossed the border. it is just unclear exactly how much and when and who. that is what the investigators are going to look at and that is what we need to let them do. >> are we to believe that it is a coincidence that the president announced sanctions directly in the maker of this system just debuted -- is it a go when students that the president announced sanctions act directly against the maker of the system just a day before? >> i will not get into speculation. clearly it was just another , round of targeted sanctions designed to change the calculus of president clinton's decisions -- president putin's behavior and his decision-making. i seem to think that what you're suggesting is -- i have no information that that is the case. >> what is the working theory about the intent of the and -- was this an intended military target gone awry? or was this an intended military act of terrorism? >> we do not know. >> what is your working theory? >> we do not have a working theory, we just saw this happen yesterday. there are teams investigators trying to get through the site. -- trying to get we have to let to the site. them do their job. - the >> people in this department have said there about 10,000 to 12,000 regular russian troops. is that still your estimate? have the forces changed the -- changed since the attack yesterday? >> i do not know of any major change to that residence. -- presence. still about 10,000 to 12000 and it fluctuates a little bit from week to week. the point is that over time there has been a steady increase of these combined arms tactical battalions across the border on the russian side to the southeast of ukraine. they are close to the border. in many cases than those forces , closer who were aligned along the east. we had tens of thousands that if you remember, were along the eastern border with ukraine, but not as close as these units appeared to be. all they're doing is further escalating tension. they are there, they are growing in size week by week and they continue to do nothing more than escalate the tension. >> is the process separate from the -- >> i have not seen any indication that they are act of -- actively involved in the provision of support to the separatists. but they are continuing to mass alongside that southern part of the border. >> two questions. does the massing of forces include air defense artillery systems like the sa-11 that was used in that heavy sea air -- in the malaysian attack? >> i do not have an inventory, but we have assessed that these are combined arms units. it is not just infantry troops, but they have artillery capability. they have armored capability. they are combined arms. they are very ready. this is a very capable force. smaller number than what was aligned along the border before. i do not have a complete inventory. >> have an estimate of about do you have an estimate of about 12,000 troops on the russian side. obviously the u.s. has been tracking the work of russians advisers and intelligence services and ukraine. -- in ukraine. is there an estimate of the size of the advisory presence inside the eastern ukraine by russian forces? is it a handful, is it a thousand guys actual >> i do not have a number for you on that. it is less important than the fact that they continue to do it. we continue to see the support and resourcing and advise given -- advice given to the separatist groups. we have every indication that that support is russian, coming from the russians. we believe that there is russian support for the separatist s inside ukraine. >> when the general was here a couple of weeks ago he said specifically that the ukrainian separatists were receiving training on russian territory using vehicle borne antiaircraft systems -- a vehicle borne antiaircraft systems. can you elaborate? >> i do not know what system he was referring to. we would agree with his assessment of the some separatists have received some training, in these vehicle borne systems. there's no question about that. i do not have an estimate of how many or who is doing it. i just don't know right now. >> it would raise particular alarms, would it not? that is pretty serious. we have been taking it >> it is pretty serious. we have been taking it seriously. situation is mostly as we can. we have been monitoring thesituation is mostly as we can. nobody in the pentagon has been -- as closely as we can. shy about talking about the threat posed by these separatist elements in the ukraine. >> is the pentagon or the u.s. government surveillance along increasing the border in the wake of the disaster? >> we are continuing to monitor, i do not have anything to add. >> were there any warnings given to commercial airline companies, or any civilian airline authorities about these assist -- about the existence or the level of training for these systems? >> there were warnings put out to civilian aircraft to take care over ukrainian airspace and to fly at higher altitudes. you would have to talk to the faa and other agencies that handle that. obviously, if you're going to issue a warning like that, it is based on concerns let you have about surface to air missile capability activities. >> were there any indications that there were any other literary planes in the sky at -- military planes in the sky at that time? and is there any concern that perhaps this is a situation that is spiraling out of control and perhaps russia does not have the control of the separatists? >> on your first question, i do if so, how are you preparing? not know. this is ukrainian airspace controlled by ukrainian authorities, and i defer to them to speak about what was lying in the air at the time. -- was flying in the air at the time. we would not have that capability here. on your second question, i think the resident has been very clear -- the president has been very clear about the responsibilities of president putin and moscow. we do not know of any sign that it is stopping. >> there had been previous to yesterday's tragedy, two or three ukrainian transport planes shot down. does your intelligence and knowledge indicate that the system that shot down the plane yesterday was a more powerful or more sophisticated system requiring more training, or was it one similar to the system that was used to shoot down the ukrainian transport plane? >> again, we are investigating this right now. it is unclear exactly what brought down the other aircraft you are talking about. we know they were shot down, but those incidents are still being looked into. i do not have any great visibility on what brought them down. i would like to bring you back back -- back to the larger point here, which is that the aircraft are being shot down. despite who is pulling the trigger, and is doing nothing to de-escalate the tension inside ukraine and to bring a peaceful resolution. now innocent people simply flying from one city to another have been killed and been brought into this brave let's -- let's not lose sight of the big picture here. it matters a lot less exactly what system that was in more -- and a lot more that it has happened and that it needs to stop. >> do you believe that whoever shot this plane down could have mistaken it for a ukrainian transport? >> i'm not going to get into the motivations, the intent, the reasoning that went into this. that is we do not have that for the investigators to figure out. we do not have that level of detail at this point. >> if in fact it was an accident, would that reveal a lack of training? dangerous lack of training? >> we do not know. i am not an expert on that system. i would not begin to try to get up here and analyze it for you. >> who are these investigators? >> an international investigation -- >> does this include the dod? >> there is no place for a dod representative on this, i will not speak for the other agencies, but i think there may be some entities from the federal government that will go over and participate. i do not have the makeup of the team, it will be an international team. >> no role for europe's military in responding to this. whatever happened to that list of requests for equipment that the ukrainians sent at the beginning of this? >> we continue to review request for ukrainian -- ukrainian requests for military assistance. the focus of that remains on the law nonlethal side right now. some $33 million that the president has authorized of material has been getting to the ukrainian armed forces and border services shared the support continues to flow, we continue to take a look at their needs and address each in turn. >> is there any -- do you have a more complete list? >> there has been more. radios, body armor, individual first aid kit and wesley being -- sleeping mats, uniform items. over the next few months additional items will start to move through the bird earmark process, to include night vision goggles, thermal imager's, kevlar helmets disposal robots, , and some radios. barbed wire, alarms systems, at excavators, trucks, generators, that kind of thing. communications gear. all of this is a package of more than $33 million now that the president has approved. that continues to flow. >> has it gotten there yet and it is still a long time since they have requested that. ? >> it has been a longtime since they requested that. >> it is working through the procurement process, i do not have any idea when enter the process, but it will enter soon. rights could this be a proxy war between u.s. and russian if they were to provide this? >> the security of ukraine continues to be violated by its neighbor in russia, and that is -- that needs to stop. >> to your knowledge, who has the black box? >> i do not know. >> is there concern that they may be tampered with? >> we set up the outset that we want safe and unimpeded access to the site so they can do the kind of work you need to do to include recovery of the black box so we can find out all the , circumstances surrounding the crash. >> have the ukrainians asked for lethal assistance? >> i'm not going to get into the details of their request. we continue to evaluate their request. includedrequest that lethal and nonlethal. the focus of our assistance to date has been and remains on the nonlethal side. >> when general breed well talked about the training, are you guys seeing this training and support for separatists taking place on the russian side of the border he acted easy some -- is that we see some of it happening and then they're , coming back into ukraine? >> i do not have a specific zip code for you for where this is going on. we continue to see support for the separatists which does include a measure of training, and i do not have the details on exactly who is doing it, wind, -- when and on exactly what systems. we do believe that this support, and it is not just training and advice, it is actually resourcing and equipment. i wanted to give exit the larger point, that that has to cease. >> i know you may not be able to say how you know this, but you're in fact seeing one care , russiane fashion military equipment crossing the border into ukraine? that is what the intelligence shows you? >> i will not speak about intelligence matters from the podium. we continue to see support for the separatists that includes the things that the general talked about, and we continue to see that support, and continues to be a skilled trade dangerous. -- escalatory.ry it needs to stop. i will not talk about the measures in which we believe -- i will not talk about specific intelligence. we see some equipment going across the border. >> you said you were not aware of any mobile vehicle systems going across. >> that is correct. >> the sanctions list included some, but excluded the largest the list of sanctions included a russian defense firm. absent from the list was the largest arms of or. was that at the request of this department? >> i'm not aware of a specific request from the department to keep the company off the list. think samantha powers of the u.n. laid out the there's no evidence that any ukrainian air defense system -- that would be the one alternative. would that alternative be viable? possibility and i that have any indication that particular surface-to-air system or a particular surface-to-air system was moved across the border. i don't have any specific indication of that. >> was there any believf that te separatist possesses kind of weaponry? >> we don't have perfect visibility into every kid that the separatist have. was atainly knew this capability that they aspired to have access to. >> to be clear, have you seen any antiaircraft weapons across the border to the ukraine? aboutave no information the specific antiaircraft systems crossing the border. tanks go across christian armored vehicles go across. we have seen major equipment move across the border into the ukraine from russia. i don't have any specific indications. these kinds of systems could have crossed the border potentially covered up, could they not? ofit is not out of the realm possibility but i don't have any information on that. there was a lot of shifting of u.s. forces to that region and nato sent me an e-mail that they are previewing the defense of posture. i was wondering if you have some sort of list or if you can give me an idea of how many forces are still there and how many do you plan on shifting? how much extra could you allocate to that region? list ande to get to a they are a better place to go. broadly, we are going to constantly review the posture in europe and look for opportunities to make our interaction with our nato allies more robust. with any number of exercises and operations to include in the black sea. the secretary has been clear that he wants to staff and he wants to continue to look for ways to bolster that effort. i think you will see consistency. ursus are being reassessed. >> he described what we are providing. it has been requested -- is that something also being reconsidered in light of this? >> there may not be a military solution to the crisis in the ukraine. but we have been doing it that -- is efforts to bolster and toport our nato allies improve our interoperability and capability to demonstrate that commitment article five of the nato treaty. effort and there has been no intention to have a u.s. military solution. forukrainians have asked military assistance. some of it is nonlethal. that is where the focus remains right now. we continue to review those requests. and right now, the focus remains on nonlethal. >> we are constantly reviewing it and the focus remains on nonlethal. >> and operated from a tougher location in the ukraine. the question of whether russians would be with the separatist that fired, that is the only question outstanding at this time? i am not an aircraft investigators are don't know all the things they are going to look at what we have very strong evidence that it was a surface-to-air missile fired from a location controlled by russian separatists. most likely on the ukraine side of the border. that is were the strong evidence leads us to now. exactly who, whether it was a russian military unit that did it or a separatist unit, we don't know. if it was a system that was driven across the border, we don't know. answering some of those questions will be what the investigators get at. >> united nations discuss the palestinian conflict. the legacy of afghanistan and president karzai, remarks on malaysia airlines flight 17. the russia relations involving the downing of the airlines flight. reactionants found the for gun sense talks about efforts to combat gun violence and change gun laws in the u.s.. for growth or discusses the group's opposition to the highway trust fund bill and their role in campaign 2014. join the conversation on facebook and twitter. >> john quincy adams was the second adams to be elected to the white house. he was the second northerner to be elected to the white house. twoas only one of anti-slavery presidents to be elected to the white house. he was deeply feared by the south. --ried that his visit of vision of a unified country in which the federal government and in atates were partners relationship that enabled the federal government to play a leading role in binding the country together. supporting manufacturer and so on, it was deeply suspected by the southern states that he wanted to much power for the federal government. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific on c-span's q&a. exit in addition to the downing of the malaysian airliner, they'll summit to discuss the escalating violence between israel and palestine. the palestinian representative says israel is waging war but not out of self-defense. theisraeli ambassador to u.n. responded saying israel has a right to defend it health and is facing an enemy that lives by violence. of thee-hour portion meeting includes are marked by u.s. ambassador to the u.n. samantha power. and the u.n. under-secretary general. >> good afternoon. thes 00 and 20 meeting of security council will come to order. a middle east including the palestinians. the agenda is adopted. on the council's provision, we provide the representative of israel to participate in this meeting. it is so decided. i follows that the observer and the palestine provisional rules and procedure. it is decided. >> in accordance with the council's provisional rules, under-secretary general for political affairs, it is so decided. security council will now begin its consideration on item two of the agenda. >> mr. president, as we meet today, intensification of violence and the united nations was trying so hard to head off to become the reality in and around gaza. this is all the more dismaying as it comes so soon after signs of hope had emerged. egyptically, attempts by to broker a cease-fire followed by the united nations brokering a humanitarian pause. for five hours, a temporary cease-fire mostly respected by our parties allowed civilians in gaza to resume some vital activities to sustain their daily lives. it allowed workers to start repairs on essential electrical and water infrastructure. in israel, civilians were largely spared rocket wire for the same time. they were therefore alarmed when militants resumed throughout the gaza strip, frustrating our hopes that the humanitarian pause would be the beginning of de-escalation. it pains us that the much-needed reprieve was so short. shortly after the rockets fired into israel marked the end of the humanitarian pause, prime minister netanyahu announced the launch of a ground operation. they have so far conducted ground incursions and 90 airstrikes. mostly inside the access restricted area which has been extended to three kilometers. 357he barrier, they fired tank shells while the israeli -- approximately 20 palestinian houses were hit. tony six palestinians were killed and another 116 injured. one idf soldier was killed. they are truly concerned that this escalation will further increase the appalling death toll among gaza civilians. israel has legitimate security we are alarmed by israel's every response. they were shocked by the terrible killing on a beach in gaza city. three more children were killed yesterday, no further illustration is needed, the violence must and. since a july when hostilities intensified, over 2000 rockets , hundreds into israel intercepted by the iron dome. two israelis were killed including one civilian. a majority of the palestinians, civilians, including 48 women and 50 children have been killed and over 1600 have been injured. as a result of 1900 strikes on gaza from land, air, and sea. israeli bombardment inflicted damage to schools, health facilities, water and sanitation infrastructure. 1800 palestinian families have had their homes destroyed or severely damaged. as the beginning of this crisis, the secretary-general has urged regional and international partners to exert all possible influence to bring about an immediate end to the suffering and bloodshed. since the last briefing of this council, secretary-general has been in touch around the clock with world leaders to facilitate united and effective action to stop the violence in and around gaza and the unbearable stress from continued rocket attacks. we had hoped that the successful brokering of a humanitarian pause would help efforts led by egypt on the basis of the understanding. we appreciate that israel excepted egyptian proposals for a cease-fire. however, hamann stabled counterproposals that were, in turn, not acceptable to israel. president abbas has been appealing for an end to this crisis. they met in cairo yesterday to discuss the egyptian proposal. both presidents reportedly agreed on the necessity of an immediate use fire and on the urgency of holding a conference to start rebuilding the gaza strip. the president is scheduled to arrive in turkey today to discuss the situation. he has also reportedly indicated that in the event of a cease-fire, he would be willing to redeployed palestinian authority forces along the corridor or. to enable a reopening of the border crossing. this would be a key component of bringing gaza back under one legitimate palestinian and delivering tangible improvements to the gazans. the president has written to the inspector general claiming that they be placed under the protection system administered by the united nations. mr. president, the international community has issued numerous calls for an answer violent and the protection of civilians. we begin a call for the , all parties must respect international humanitarian and human rights laws. and must be held accountable for any breaches of these obligations. we ask them to do their utmost to ensure humanitarian assistance continues to reach all those in need. ensure the protection of civilians and the integrity of u.n. premises and staff. in this regard, the united nations relief and works agency has strongly condemned those responsible for placing approximately 20 rockets in a school on the gaza strip as of flagrant violation of international law. a cease-fire is indispensable and urgent. succeed, further humanitarian causes will remain s is airy. we urge the party to consider such windows so civilians can move freely and undertake vital activities. nations has been a crucial provider. and has been playing a lead role providing shelter to around 47,000 gazans. ones that have nowhere else to flee. stretched to is thatimit, raising fears further civilians cannot be accommodated in terms of supplies. we address the root causes of the current escalation, this dreadful violence will recur again and again. we cannot return to the status quo empty. a concern that palestinians and israelis share. core elements remain unimplemented. once calm is restored, it is imperative to immediately tackle the underlying causes. this includes an end to weapons smuggling. and bringing gaza back under one legitimate palestinian government it hearing to commitments. tens of thousands of employees hired after 2007 are not getting while 60,000 employees continue to receive salaries without performing the essential government functions that gaza so urgently needs. this is simply not sustainable. united nations remains prepared important nation and consultation with concerned parties. seizes opportunity to not only renew a cease-fire, but also political security with institutional and socioeconomic progress. as the secretary-general noted, the impact of the crisis is starting to be felt within the region. also note the implementation of resolution 1701, at least 11 rockets were launched in the in fiveoperations separate incidents. information available so far, five rocket at lebanonfor fell inside and to into the sea. in addition, the lebanese armed forces down and dismantled to rockets set to launch toward israel. the israeli defense forces retaliated on all occasions with several rounds for artillery fire across the blue line. were reported from either side so far. instance, they immediately engaged with the idf and the laf to urge them to exercise maximum restraint and cooperate in order to prevent and restore the cessation of hostilities. the lebanese security forces announced the arrest of three thele in connection with 11, 13, and 14 july attacks. they have maintained and enhanced operational presence on the ground and has intensified patrols across the area of operations to prevent further incidents. the armed forces has increased its presence in the area. of the 1974tions disengagement of worse is agreement between israel and syria have shown the grave danger that the security situation continues to pose. on three occasions, explosions and rockets impacting on the alpha side led the idf to respond with fire to the bravo side. development,cent armed forces units with heavy weapons floyd in proximity to u.n. observation 56. fire resulted in mortar rounds impacting in the vicinity of the position. members of the opposition approached u.n. observation position 68 demanding that you and with armed forces -- a threat was repeated today. escorting dock patrol a convoy from 60 to 68 was intercepted and members of the opposition handed a written notice threatening to attack operation 56. if the armed forces did not vacate. remain 30k, they meters to the north and 200 meters to the south. the cease-fire between israel and syria. >> including east jerusalem, clashes have occurred between those demonstrating in support of gaza and israeli security forces. this morning, restrictions have been placed on access to the holy places and security forces are heavily deployed. it led to several palestinians being injured. persistion, tensions including a strain on the much-needed security coordination between the israeli and palestinian security forces. on israeli andds palestinian leadership to defuse tensions and act responsibly. the situation on the ground is ultimately the result of a collect the failure to advance a political solution. temporary fixes will no longer do. international community must urgently help restore a serious prospect or a two state solution that brings an end to the conflict and occupation. this is the only way to make a cease-fire last. us the only way to break the seemingly endless cycle of attack and retaliation. this is the only way to ensure a durable peace. secretary-general is prepared to do his part. he will leave for the region tomorrow to express solidarity and help them in court nation and international actors and find a way forward. briefingk you for the and give the floor to the observer. >> thank you, mr. president. we have called for this emergency meeting of the security council. existential crisis being faced by the palestinian and under israeli occupation. and mother or father is taken by the occupying forces and the murderous rampage of artillery bombardment and now a massive ground invasion in the gaza andp threatening the safety survival of the entire palestinians billion population. palestinian civilian population. children were killed and i have their names and their ages that range between the age of two years old to the age of 13. mr. president, despite regional and international efforts to bring an end to the violence and bloodshed as well as an end to the siege, isolation and punishment of all people and despite the broad consensus that there is no military solution to this crisis or to the conflict intensifiedety has its military operations with full intention and knowledge that civilian casualties will mount. in less than 24 hours, this assault