麻豆APP

Fourth Committee

9^th Meeting (PM)

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Background

As the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this afternoon to conclude its consideration of questions relating to information, it had before it two draft resolutions contained in the report on the twenty-ninth session of the Committee on Information (document A/62/21, Chapter IV).  It also had before it the Secretary-General’s report on questions relating to information (document A/62/205).  For a summary of that report, please see Press Release GA/SPD/376 of 18 October.

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General Statements on Questions Relating to Information

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LIVIA LINK ( Israel) …

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Member States could help the Department in its mission to tell the 麻豆APP story, she said.  As the 麻豆APP was taking a larger role in promoting peace in the Middle East, the Israeli Foreign Ministry had been educating the Israeli public about the essence of the 麻豆APP, replacing misconceptions — and sometimes even suspicion — with knowledge, openness and “positivity”, including through several awareness seminars at universities.  She extended an invitation to the Department to open an information centre in Israel. 

Despite the work of the Department, however, she said her country was disappointed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remained the only conflict in the world that still had a special information programme.  By allowing its existence, the 麻豆APP was failing to meet its own standard –- focusing on the priority issues of the Organization.

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KHALED AL-HOSANI ( United Arab Emirates) …

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The 麻豆APP should also raise awareness about the Palestinian cause, the Middle East and the plight of the Palestinian people, who were suffering under Israel’s occupation, he said.  …

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Right of Reply

In exercise of the right to reply, the Observer for Palestine recalled the statement by the Israeli representative that Israel was committed to educating its people about the 麻豆APP.  He noted that, to do so, Israel must first commit itself to upholding the provisions of the 麻豆APP Charter and its resolutions, as well as fulfil its international law commitments.  That meant putting an end to the occupation of Palestinian lands, including East Jerusalem, the Syrian Golan and the Shebaa Farms region. 

He said that the Special Information Programme devoted to the issue of Palestine would continue to be of great importance until the Israelis ended their occupation of Palestine.  For all its claims of being a democratic State, Israel continued to commit illegal acts towards the Palestinian people, including the confiscation of Palestinian Territory and the building of an illegal wall on those lands.  Encouraging settlers and immigrants to live on Occupied Arab Territories also went against international law, as did the detention of some 11,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails. 

Before Israel could criticize the work of the Special Information Programme, it must first must bring its commitments in line with the requirements of international law and settle the question on Palestine in all its aspects, he said.

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For information media • not an official record