Overview
The Â鶹APP Forum to Mark Fifty Years of Occupation was convened at the Â鶹APP Headquarters in New York on 29 and 30 June 2017, under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP). A day-long event entitled “Ending the Occupation: The Path to Independence, Justice, and Peace for Palestine” was held on 29 June, followed by a civil society forum entitled “Ending the Occupation: Creating the Space for Human Rights, Development, and a Just Peace” on 30 June.
The Forum brought together international experts, representatives of the diplomatic community, civil society, including Palestinians and Israelis, as well as academics and students of diverse backgrounds and views to discuss the ongoing occupation. A series of moderated interactive panels underscored the importance of ending the occupation as an antecedent step towards a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Forum provided experts and civil society organizations (CSOs) with a valuable advocacy platform to inform policy and diplomatic action on the question of Palestine at UN Headquarters.
At the inaugural session, the message of Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres, delivered by Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, noted that ending the occupation is the only way to lay the foundations for an enduring peace that meets both the Israeli security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty. Recalling that five decades of occupation have fuelled recurring cycles of violence and retribution, its ending would remove a driver of violent extremism and terrorism in the region. The Secretary-General called for a return to direct negotiations and reiterated his offer to work with all relevant stakeholders to support a genuine peace process. In her own opening remarks, Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed emphasized that the two-state solution is the only path to ensure that Palestinians and Israelis can realize their national and historic aspirations and live in peace, security, and dignity. All unilateral actions that undermine the two-state solution, particularly the continued expansion of Israeli settlements which constitute a violation of international law, should end. She highlighted the occupation¡¯s humanitarian costs noting that that the most vulnerable are paying the highest price for political failure on the part of various stakeholders, including the international community. The Chair of the Committee, Ambassador Fod¨¦ Seck (Senegal), highlighted the responsibility of the international community to redouble its efforts to reach a viable two-state solution on the basis of international law and all relevant UN resolutions. He stressed that ending the occupation is the only way to achieve the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. On behalf of the State of Palestine, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erakat, described the ongoing occupation as an opportune environment for extremism in the Middle East. He called for accountability on the part of the Israeli Government, including with respect to its ¡®apartheid¡¯ policies and discriminatory laws. He called for all of the international community to recognize the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital and underscored that Gaza is an integral part of a Palestinian state and called on Hamas to end its ¡®coup d¡¯¨¦tat¡¯. Finally, he expressed hope that the engagement of the US administration would lead to peace.
Additional Documents:
Links to the full UN WEB TV Videos of the Forum Sessions
29 June – Ending the Occupation: The Path to Independence, Justice, and Peace for Palestine
- (starting at 00:31:50)
30 June – Ending the Occupation: Creating the Space for Human Rights, Development, and a Just Peace (Civil Society Forum)