United Nations Office at Geneva commemorates International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was commemorated today at a Special Meeting held at the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Tatiana Valovaya, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, chaired the meeting and read out the message of António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, who said that the COVID-19 pandemic had worsened the already dire humanitarian and socio-economic situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Israel’s suspension of plans to annex parts of the West Bank had removed for the time being a critical threat to peace and regional stability. However, on the ground, the expansion of settlement planning and construction continued, while demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures by Israeli authorities across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, had reached the highest documented rate in four years. Such actions were contrary to international law and undermined the prospects for the establishment of a viable, contiguous Palestinian State.
The Secretary-General said that acts of violence, the constant threat of escalation in Gaza, movement and access restrictions, incitement, and human rights violations persisted, keeping the situation highly volatile. In Gaza, militants continued to fire indiscriminate rockets and mortars towards Israeli civilian population areas in violation of international humanitarian law, which heightened the risk of a new round of hostilities. The lifting of the closures in line with Security Council resolution 1860, and the reunification of Gaza and the occupied West Bank under a single, democratic, national government, were essential for addressing the needs of the population and restoring faith in a political horizon.
A Representative of the State of Palestine, reading out a statement on behalf of Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of Palestine, said that in the darkest hours, and despite the Nakba, the injustice and all the Israeli measures since that could have pushed Palestinians to abandon their faith in peaceful dialogue and in the political and legal approach, they had remained steadfast in the defense of their rights, committed to international law and calling for its respect and implementation in Palestine, fully aware that international law was imprescriptible and remained the cornerstone of the multilateral rules-based order that all had to abide by.
Reiterating that Palestinians’ hand remained extended for a just peace based on the internationally recognized terms of reference and United Nations resolutions, and the two-State solution on the 1967 borders, and their readiness to resume direct negotiations with Israel, the President of the State of Palestine called on the Secretary-General to undertake, in coordination with the Quartet and the Security Council, preparations, early next year, to convene an international conference, with full authority, involving all concerned parties, so as to launch a genuine and meaningful peace process on the basis of international law, United Nations resolutions and the internationally recognized terms of reference, leading to an end of the occupation and the achievement by the Palestinian people of their freedom and independence in their State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the 1967 borders, and resolving all final status issues.
The Special Meeting was also addressed by Senegal on behalf of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People; Sri Lanka on behalf of the Chair of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories; the League of Arab States; the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; Azerbaijan on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement; the African Union; and the World Young Women’s Christian Association and the Young Women’s Christian Association of Palestine, representing non-governmental organizations accredited to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
Messages or statements for the Day were received from the Heads of State and Government of Turkey, Morocco, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Qatar, Namibia, Brazil and Jordan.
The Special Meeting was organized in observance of General Assembly resolution 32/40B of 2 December 1977.
Statements
TATIANA VALOVAYA, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, read out the message of ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, United Nations Secretary-General, who expressed a deep sense of worry about the grim realities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the diminishing prospects of resolving the conflict, which had been with the United Nations since its very creation. The COVID-19 pandemic had worsened the already dire humanitarian and socio-economic situation. Israel’s suspension of plans to annex parts of the West Bank had removed for the time being a critical threat to peace and regional stability. However, on the ground, the expansion of settlement planning and construction continued, while demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures by Israeli authorities across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, had reached the highest documented rate in four years. Such actions were contrary to international law and undermined the prospects for the establishment of a viable, contiguous Palestinian State. Acts of violence, the constant threat of escalation in Gaza, movement and access restrictions, incitement, and human rights violations persisted, keeping the situation highly volatile. In Gaza, militants continued to fire indiscriminate rockets and mortars towards Israeli civilian population areas in violation of international humanitarian law, which heightened the risk of a new round of hostilities. Gaza had entered the thirteenth year of Hamas control. On the other hand, tight closures had exacerbated the suffering of the people. The lifting of the closures in line with Security Council resolution 1860, and the reunification of Gaza and the occupied West Bank under a single, democratic, national government, were essential for addressing the needs of the population and restoring faith in a political horizon.
The Secretary-General hoped that recent developments would encourage Palestinian and Israeli leaders to re-engage in meaningful negotiations, with the support of the international community, toward a two-State solution and would create opportunities for regional cooperation. Only a two-State solution that realized the legitimate national aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis could lead to sustainable peace. The United Nations remained committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict. The position of the United Nations was defined by resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly as well as international law and bilateral agreements. The framework capable of realizing the legitimate aspirations of both peoples was one of two States, living side-by-side in peace and security, based on the 1967 borders, and with Jerusalem as the capital of both States. At the same time, the international community must support the life-saving work of UNRWA. Calling on Member States to provide the necessary resources for UNRWA to continue delivering its vital services to millions of Palestine refugees, the Secretary-General said failure to do so could pose serious risks to stability that the region could not afford. On this International Day of Solidarity, all should renew their commitment to the Palestinian people in their quest to achieve their inalienable rights and build a future of peace, justice, security and dignity.
Senegal , reading out the statement of the Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People , said that the COVID-
19 pandemic was raging throughout the world causing loss of life and
unprecedented economic disruption. The situation was particularly dire in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, where cases were on the
rise, as were social distress and economic hardship, affecting in particular Palestinian women and children, and where the Palestinian people were already bearing the consequences of more than a half-century of foreign occupation. In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, Palestinians endured the daily infringement of their human rights. Freedom of movement was severely restricted; excessive use of force was regularly used against the civilian population, while children experienced trauma and were held illegally for months in Israeli detention centres.
Settlement expansion continued unabated and with impunity, in defiance of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, including resolution 2334 (2016). Thousands of Palestinian families were living with the threat of eviction or demolition of their homes and forced transfer. Moreover, entire communities faced the daily threat of extremist Israeli settlers who intimidated and attacked them with impunity. It must be clear that settlements were illegal under international law and their construction and planning must be fully stopped, including – among other - the plans recently announced regarding “Givat Hamatos” that, if built, would block territorial contiguity between East Jerusalem and Bethlehem – the main Palestinian metropolitan area. Israeli settlements represented a serious obstacle to peace and, alongside the separation wall built illegally in the occupied territory, served as the most visible sign of the entrenchment of the occupation and de facto annexation of Palestinian lands. As recently called for by the overwhelming majority of Security Council members, Israel must cease for once and for all its plans to proceed to a de jure annexation. The entire international community, including partners in the region, must contribute to a just, lasting solution that would turn this International Day of Solidarity into the celebration of the realization of the long overdue freedom for the Palestinian people and Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Sri Lanka , reading out the statement of the Chair of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories , said this year marked the seventy-third year since the passage of General Assembly resolution 181 (ii) of 1947 and the forty-third year since the General Assembly had established the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. They remained painful reminders of the unfinished task of resolving the question of Palestine. The Committee remained concerned about a number of human rights issues related to the ongoing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements. The Committee was dismayed that de facto annexation of Palestinian territory continued to take place with rising settlement expansion, home confiscations and demolitions and acts of violence and human rights violations against the Palestinian people. The Committee remained alarmed that Israel’s annexation plans had not been abandoned. It joined the international community in continuing to underscore that any annexation would constitute a grave breach of international law, the United Nations Charter and relevant Security Council resolutions. The Committee called on the Israeli authorities to cease demolitions, seizures of Palestinian property and forcible relocation of communities that were contrary to international law and jeopardized the establishment of a viable, contiguous Palestinian State.
The Committee remained concerned that despite the pandemic - instances of excessive use of force, home demolitions, settler violence and night raids continued to be reported and in some cases even at a higher level than periods before the pandemic. The Committee recalled that Israel, as the occupying power, was responsible for ensuring the right to health for Palestinians and urged Israel to take the necessary measures to ensure that Palestinians were protected from the outbreak and had access to required medical services. The blockade of Gaza had entered its fourteenth year and the situation remained dire - more than 90 per cent of the water was undrinkable due to water contamination, almost half of the population was unemployed and living below the poverty line with 80 per cent relying on humanitarian assistance. The Committee called upon the Government of Israel to end the blockade and occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan, in compliance with relevant Security Council resolutions; implement all United Nations resolutions regarding the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people; stop all illegal settlement activities; desist from the illegal practice of demolitions; cease all annexation plans in the West Bank, the Jordan Valley and the occupied Syrian Golan; and to investigate cases of excessive use of force.
A representative of the League of Arab States reading out a statement on behalf of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, stated that this year the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was being held in exceptional circumstances affecting the whole world because of the Corona pandemic. Despite the world’s attention being focused on this new threat, one of the main Arab, regional and international concerns was the continued disastrous consequences of the Israeli occupation, which was depriving the Palestinian people of their legitimate inalienable rights. This year, the Palestinian people remained imprisoned between the Israeli occupation’s violations and apartheid practices, including settlements, demolition of homes, blockades and swallowing of lands, and the world pandemic that was spreading in the occupied Palestinian territories while the occupation powers insisted on depriving the Palestinians of their simplest of human rights to health care and to receiving needed medical equipment.
All must rise to their responsibility toward the Palestinian people and the just Palestinian cause, and put the occupation power in front of its responsibility to respond to the demands of ensuring a just peace that put an end to the long occupation and allowed the Palestinian people to enjoy their inalienable rights, including their right to return and to independence. The main goal remained establishing a just, permanent and comprehensive peace in the region through a political solution and the resumption of serious negotiations under multilateral international supervision and the umbrella of the United Nations. The call of Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of Palestine, to hold an international peace conference in 2021, and the big international response to it, was an opportunity that must be used for the security and stability of the region.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation said Israeli settlers were pursuing their abusive and intimidating practises and acts of violence against Palestinian people resulting in human casualties, poverty damage and annexation of Palestinian land. During this year, more than 12,000 new colonial settlement units had been built. Such a policy seriously undermined the territorial integrity and contiguity of a future State of Palestine, and jeopardized the viability of the two-State solution, in addition to being a flagrant violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. Noting that in the occupied city of Jerusalem, the Israeli policy was designed to alter the status of the city and its demographic composition, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation reiterated that the city of Jerusalem was an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, and all measures and decisions aimed at changing its historical, legal, and political status were null and void according to international law and United Nations resolutions, and were rejected by the international community.
On UNRWA, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation emphasised the need to preserve its political, legal and humanitarian mandate and to support its mission in providing the necessary services to Palestinian refugees. It was confident that through active solidarity and joint international efforts to mobilize resources, UNRWA would be able to overcome the difficulties it was encountering and help mitigate the suffering of the Palestinian refugees until the achievement of a final settlement in line with the relevant United Nations resolution 194.
Azerbaijan , speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, stressed that a just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine in all its aspects remained a permanent responsibility of the United Nations until it was satisfactorily resolved in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions, and emphasised the need for mobilization and exertion of multilateral efforts to alleviate the humanitarian and socio-economic hardships being endured by the Palestinian people. The ongoing illegal Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory continued to be a matter of grave concern. In this regard, the Non-Aligned Movement stressed the need for urgent action to mobilize the international community, including the Security Council in accordance with the United Nations Charter duties, to compel Israel, the occupying power, to cease completely all illegal settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and to abide by all of its obligations under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention and the relevant United Nations resolutions.
The Non-Aligned Movement condemned any action which would legitimize the occupation and illegal settlements. This was the time where the international community needed to take concrete measures to honour its legal and moral responsibility, to defend the legal system that was being put at risk and ensure that impunity did not become the norm.
African Union recalled that it had conveyed to this august audience the strong objection of the African Union, at its highest level, to the United States decision which considered El-Quds as the capital of Israel, including the relocation of the United States embassy from Tel-Aviv to El-Quds. The African Union was deeply concerned and disappointed that the outgoing United States administration continued to provide its blind support to Israeli illegal settlements, thus defying international law and the entire international community, which, largely, condemned the recent declaration of the United States administration considering the said settlements as legal. The situation was further exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which had worsened the situation of the already vulnerable Palestinian people.
Disproportionate Israeli actions targeting civilians, the Judaisation policy of Jerusalem, the apartheid wall, as well as the illegal expansion of settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and its neighborhood must be stopped. The disrespect by Israel and its allies of regional and international efforts, and their disregard for the moral and legal principles shared by the entire international community were unfortunately established facts. The failure of the international community as a whole to protect the fundamental rights of an entire population was also another sad fact. The African Union hoped the new United States administration would make a difference through new genuine efforts, alongside with the international community, to resolve once for all the conflict in the Middle East. The new United States administration should adopt a new approach based on international legality and relevant decisions of the international community.
World Young Women’s Christian Association and its member association Young Women’s Christian Association of Palestine, said living under military occupation had made life unbearable for Palestinians. Israel continued its arbitrary policies of home demolitions, systematic forced displacement, movement restriction and land appropriation. The year 2020 had created an even harsher reality for Palestinians. COVID-19 had found its way into Israeli prisons, putting Palestinian prisoners at risk. As of October 2020, there were 4,500 political Palestinians in Israeli jails including 40 women, and 170 children. Around 700 prisoners suffered from various illnesses. While Palestinians were battling the spread of COVID19, they were living in fear of Israel’s looming annexation of the West Bank.
Israel was planning to annex 30 per cent of the West Bank, including the over 250 illegal Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley. This move was rooted in the United States’ “Peace to Prosperity” plan announced back in January 2020, which proposed the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian State on a patchwork of disjointed parts of the Palestinian territories excluding occupied East Jerusalem. For Palestinians this was a recipe for perpetuating apartheid, supporting continued efforts to eradicate any hopes for a free independent Palestine. As one of the largest women’s movements in the world, World Young Women’s Christian Association asserted the role of women and young women in peace building and conflict resolution at all levels as detailed in United Nations Security Council resolution 1325, and stood in solidarity with its sisters and brothers from Palestine, reiterating that there could be no justice and peace and no potential for sustainable development under occupation.
State of Palestine , reading out a statement by MAHMOUD ABBAS, President of the State of Palestine, said that in the darkest hours, and despite the Nakba, the injustice and all the Israeli measures since that could have pushed Palestinians to abandon their faith in peaceful dialogue and in the political and legal approach, they had remained steadfast in the defense of their rights, committed to international law and calling for its respect and implementation in Palestine, fully aware that international law was imprescriptible and remained the cornerstone of the multilateral rules-based order that all had to abide by. He expressed gratitude to the countries that, despite attempts to pressure and coerce them, had reaffirmed their commitment to international law through non-recognition of the unlawful situation created by the Israeli occupation’s policies and practices, including settlements activities, oppressive policies and suffocation of the Palestinian economy in the occupied territory of the State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, through distinction between the territory of the occupying power and the occupied territory, through accountability and non-assistance to Israeli settlements, including in relation to related entities and products. He stressed that it was time for the international community to translate into reality this international consensus and rejection of annexationist colonial policies, oppression, and blockade that had only intensified during the pandemic instead of ceasing, and the international support to the exercise by the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination, freedom and independence on the territory of the State of Palestine occupied since 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Reiterating that Palestinians’ hand remained extended for a just peace based on the internationally recognized terms of reference and United Nations resolutions, and the two-State solution on the 1967 borders, and their readiness to resume direct negotiations with Israel, Mr. Abbas called on the Secretary-General to undertake, in coordination with the Quartet and the Security Council, preparations, early next year, to convene an international conference, with full authority, involving all concerned parties, so as to launch a genuine and meaningful peace process on the basis of international law, United Nations resolutions and the internationally recognized terms of reference, leading to an end of the occupation and the achievement by the Palestinian people of their freedom and independence in their State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the 1967 borders, and resolving all final status issues. The international solidarity movement with Palestine drew its strength from the just nature of their cause, the steadfastness of their people and from the experience of liberation movements against colonialism, apartheid and oppression throughout history, and the success of their struggles for independence leading to their membership in the United Nations as free countries. And Palestinians drew from this international solidarity more determination and faith that one day soon they would take their natural and legitimate place among the nations of the world, as a free, independent and prosperous country, contributing to the achievement of a more just, developed and peaceful world.
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