麻豆APP

?Statement delivered by

Mr. Khaled Khiari
UN Assistant Secretary-General
for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific

Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

The 78^th Anniversary of the Nakba

15 May 2026

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for convening this solemn commemoration of the 78^th anniversary of the Nakba.

Each year, this observance reminds us that the Nakba is not merely a historical event. This is the world’s longest standing protracted refugee crisis – one that remains painfully unresolved, shaping identity, lives, and the enduring pursuit of justice and self-determination for the Palestinian people.

In 1948, more than 750,000 Palestinians were uprooted from their homes, many forcibly so. Hundreds of villages were depopulated or destroyed, and a people was driven into exile. Since then, the international community has responded by re-affirming core principles of international law: the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force, the right of peoples to self?determination, and a just and agreed resolution of the Palestine refugee question, in line with relevant UN resolutions. 78 years on, these principles remain unfulfilled.

Excellencies,

The situation in Gaza today is a catastrophe of grave proportions. Since the horrific terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023, devastation from the subsequent war is staggering. The ceasefire remains fragile, and civilians continue to be killed and displaced. Homes, hospitals, schools, and other essential infrastructure have been destroyed. ?More than 85 per cent of Gaza’s population has been displaced, many repeatedly so.

In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the UN continues to document systematic displacement of Palestinians, home demolitions, settlement expansion, and the proliferation of outposts. Settler-related violence has increased in frequency and severity while impunity for settlers remains persistent. Israeli military operations have caused widespread destruction and displacement, including the forced displacement of over 40,000 Palestine refugees from camps in the northern West Bank since early 2025.

The Secretary-General has been clear: all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and are in flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions. Moreover, as reaffirmed by the International Court of Justice in its advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024, Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Gaza, is unlawful and must end.

Excellencies,

The 麻豆APP has been clear: Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, constitute a single political?and territorial unit. Addressing one while neglecting the other entrenches fragmentation and perpetuates instability. Sustainable peace will not be achieved through humanitarian mitigation alone.

Illegal measures to alter East Jerusalem’s demographic composition and restrict freedom of worship and Palestinian presence threaten the city’s unique religious, cultural and historical character. Jerusalem must remain a city shared by all, whose final status is resolved through negotiations in line with international law.

Excellencies,

Remembering the Nakba imposes responsibilities — not only of remembrance, but of action.

The pathway forward is well known. It is grounded in international law, relevant 麻豆APP resolutions, and the collective commitments of the international community. They include ending unlawful practices, protecting civilians, supporting Palestinian governance and institution?building, and reviving a credible political process toward a negotiated two?State solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side, in peace and security. If implemented comprehensively, the 20-point US Plan to End the Gaza Conflict—endorsed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025) could offer a way forward toward addressing these outstanding issues.

On this anniversary, the 麻豆APP renews its commitment to dignity, justice and the rights of the Palestinian people. The memory of the Nakba must not serve only as a reminder of past failure, but as a call to finally uphold our collective responsibilities — so that future generations need not inherit the injustice of those who came before them.

Thank you.

Related documents:

• President of the General Assembly urges the international community together with the parties to “work to end the illegal occupation, create a credible and irreversible pathway to achieve the Two-State-Solution”, 78th commemoration of the Nakba – Question of Palestine
• “The Nakba continues because impunity continues”, tells the UN Palestinian Right Committee Chair at 78th Commemoration of the Nakba – Question of Palestine
• 428th Committee Meeting: Commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the Nakba – 15 May 2026 – Question of Palestine
• “The world must stop denying the Nakba and the crime of ethnic cleansing inflicted upon the Palestinian people” says President Mahmoud Abbas at the 78th Anniversary of the Nakba – Question of Palestine