Earthquake Temporarily Disrupts UN Security Council Meeting on Middle East

NEW YORK — A United Nations Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East was momentarily interrupted on Friday when an earthquake struck the eastern United States. During a presentation by Janti Soeripto, president of Save the Children US, the council chamber felt the tremors of a 4.8 magnitude earthquake, primarily affecting New Jersey and New York. The incident prompted a light-hearted comment from the Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour, who was seated next to Soeripto, noting, “You’re making the ground shake.”

According to Philippines News Agency, Soeripto was discussing the severe impact of the conflict on children, stating that 14,000 children have been “needlessly and violently” killed, with thousands more missing and presumed buried under the rubble. She highlighted the gravity of the situation by mentioning that reading the name and age of every Israeli and Palestinian child who has died since October 7 would take over 18 hours.

Despite the brief pause caused by the earthquake, Soeripto later remarked that the natural event might have interrupted her speech but did not detract from her urgent plea for action on behalf of all children in Gaza. “But what I called for is far from earth-shattering. On behalf of all children in Gaza, I demanded action. The world has the tools to address this crisis. It merely lacks the political will to use them,” she stated on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The earthquake, with its epicenter in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, just west of Manhattan where the UN’s headquarters are situated, did not result in any reported casualties or damage. The unexpected shake-up at the Security Council meeting underscored the urgency of addressing the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, amidst the natural disturbances faced by the participants.