{"id":130373,"date":"2018-03-29T15:21:17","date_gmt":"2018-03-29T15:21:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=130373"},"modified":"2020-07-22T00:53:44","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T04:53:44","slug":"briefing-palestinian-rights-committee-permanent-observer-urges-nations-to-guard-against-creeping-danger-of-one-state-reality-ceirpp-press-release","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/briefing-palestinian-rights-committee-permanent-observer-urges-nations-to-guard-against-creeping-danger-of-one-state-reality-ceirpp-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Briefing Palestinian Rights Committee, Permanent Observer Urges Nations to Guard against “Creeping Danger” of One-State Reality – CEIRPP Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"

389TH MEETING (PM)<\/strong>
\nGA\/PAL\/1404<\/strong>
\n28 MARCH 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

fran\u00e7ais<\/a><\/p>\n

The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine today urged States to guard against the \u201ccreeping danger\u201d of a one-State reality, as the Palestinian Rights Committee considered the situation on the ground in the territory occupied by Israel and the \u201cdestabilizing\u201d impact of sharp humanitarian cuts by the United States.<\/p>\n

Riyad Mansour, briefing the Committee \u2014 known formally as the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People \u2014 recalled that the international community had stood united following the United States provocative decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the city as the capital of Israel.\u00a0 In the Security Council, 14 out of 15 members had voted in defence of past resolutions deeming any changes in Jerusalem\u2019s legal status to be illegal, null and void.\u00a0 In response to a subsequent General Assembly vote, the United States had cut its support to the Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) by more than 50\u00a0per\u00a0cent, while also eliminating a $48\u00a0million food programme for the people of the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

Noting that the United States Administration had recently decided to expedite its embassy move \u2014 now planned for 14\u00a0May \u2014 he emphasized that all those actions would compound the outrage of the Palestinian people. \u00a0Donors at a conference recently held in Rome had pledged some $100 million to try to bridge the Agency\u2019s $446 million funding gap.\u00a0 That was a first step, but UNRWA would need more funds to fulfil its mandate through the end of 2018.\u00a0 Other recent meetings included one in Egypt and another in Brussels, both convened to address the Palestinians\u2019 dire humanitarian situation, and had collected some $550\u00a0million to fund critical water and sanitation projects.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a meeting \u2014 characterized by its conveners as a humanitarian \u201cbrainstorming session\u201d \u2014 was held in Washington, D.C., he said.\u00a0 However, actions spoke louder than words, and slashing funding was not congruent with the stated goal of supporting the Palestinian people. \u00a0The Palestinian leadership refused to engage with the United States against such a backdrop.<\/p>\n

Recalling the proposal by Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, to convene an international summit in mid-2018, as well to create a mechanism to salvage the two-State solution and end the Israeli occupation, he said Arab ministers were meeting with Security Council members to push forward his nation\u2019s 2011 application for full admission to the Organization.\u00a0 Warning against the \u201ccreeping danger\u201d of the one-State reality, he said such efforts were a way to help protect the two-State solution.\u00a0 Engagement was also under way on the implementation of Council resolution 2334<\/a> (2016), which upheld the illegality of the Israeli settlements and the principle of differentiation between \u201cIsrael proper\u201d and the Occupied Territory.<\/p>\n

Expressing concern that \u201c14 May is looming\u201d, he called on all States to brainstorm ways to prevent \u2014 or respond to \u2014 the United States embassy\u2019s move.\u00a0 Regarding Israel\u2019s efforts to take up a seat on the Security Council, he said the recent briefing by the Â鶹APP Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, had revealed accelerated settlement efforts and a refusal of the idea of differentiation, as well as violations of other resolutions.\u00a0 Such actions disqualified Israel from having a seat on the Council, he stressed, urging all States who supported the principles enshrined in international law to prevent Israel\u2019s bid \u201cfrom day one\u201d.<\/p>\n

The representative of Cuba, following that briefing, voiced support for the cause of the Palestinian people and described the United States decision to move its embassy as a \u201cserious step backward\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cOur Committee cannot just stand still while this happens,\u201d she stressed, calling for the Committee to prepare a firm statement on the matter.\u00a0 Regarding the Arab Group\u2019s meetings following the Jerusalem decision, she said the Committee should actively support those actions and pledged Cuba\u2019s commitment to do the same.<\/p>\n

The representative of Indonesia, echoing concern about those recent developments and the sharp reduction in UNRWA funding, said women and children bore the brunt of those cuts.\u00a0 While the prospect for the two-State solution was becoming increasingly remote, Indonesia continued to support it as the only way forward for the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

Also briefing the Committee, Peter Mulrean, Director of the UNRWA New York Office, recalled that the Agency had a mandate from the General Assembly to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees as long as the Assembly deemed necessary.\u00a0 UNRWA had no political agenda or place in the political process, he stressed, adding that the Agency upheld Â鶹APP values and standards and would continue to pursue its work until the Assembly said otherwise.\u00a0 \u201cUNRWA is currently facing an existential crisis\u201d that would require a collective international solution, he said. \u00a0In addition to providing access to food and primary education, the Agency \u2014 by offering hope and dignity to Palestinian refugees \u2014 also contributed much-needed stability and helped mitigate extremism in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Noting that UNRWA had never anticipated that its largest single donor would decide to reduce its funding by more than 80\u00a0per\u00a0cent, he described accelerated efforts to build up funding from other countries and sources.\u00a0 Those included a campaign called \u201cdignity is priceless\u201d, he said, thanking those States that had advanced future funding and provided the Agency with the \u201cbreathing room\u201d needed to continue its current work.\u00a0 Also recalling the extraordinary display of solidarity with UNRWA at the recent Rome meeting \u2014 which had resulted in about $100\u00a0million in new funding pledges \u2014 he nevertheless warned that \u201cour reality remains stark\u201d with a $173\u00a0million shortfall in its overall operations budget and humanitarian appeals that remained woefully underfunded.<\/p>\n

Indeed, he said, without addition 2018 funds, UNRWA would be forced to eliminate several of its activities, putting undue burdens on host countries and communities.\u00a0 Expressing particular concern over the increasingly fragile situation in the Gaza Strip, where 1.2\u00a0million Palestinian refugees lived, he said the Agency provided food to thousands there and had created much-needed mental health clinics. \u00a0The largest humanitarian agency in Gaza could not continue to function \u201cwith its hands tied behind its back\u201d, he stressed.<\/p>\n

In other business, Committee Rapporteur Mahmoud Saikal (Afghanistan) provided a briefing on the Committee\u2019s recent visit to Uganda, from 26\u00a0to 28\u00a0February.\u00a0 Recalling that the mission\u2019s objectives had included enhancing that country\u2019s political and diplomatic ties and support for the two-State solution, as well as sharing information about the conditions of life for Palestinians living under occupation and the Committee\u2019s mandate, he said another imperative had been to explore the evolving position of African countries on the question of Palestine and their support for its people. \u00a0Among other activities, the Committee had met with high-level officials, including the President and the Prime Minister, as well as academics, students and civil society representatives.<\/p>\n

The Committee also approved a proposal to visit Panama from 9\u00a0to 10\u00a0April, the modalities of a two-day forum to take place in New York on 17\u00a0and 18\u00a0May \u2014 titled \u201c70 Years after 1948: \u00a0Lessons to achieve a sustainable peace\u201d \u2014 as well as the draft programme of the fifth International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem, to be convened in Rabat, Morocco from 26-28 June.<\/p>\n

Also delivering statements, including descriptions of their own activities in support of the Palestinian people, were the representatives of Morocco, Venezuela and Senegal.<\/p>\n

For information media. Not an official record.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

389TH MEETING (PM) GA\/PAL\/1404 28 MARCH 2018 fran\u00e7ais The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine today urged States to guard against the \u201ccreeping danger\u201d of a one-State reality, as the Palestinian Rights Committee considered the situation on the ground in the territory occupied by Israel and the \u201cdestabilizing\u201d impact of sharp humanitarian cuts by […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2433,1329],"document-source":[1753,1897,1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1945,2005,1961,1805,1745],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542,6541],"class_list":["post-130373","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-french-text","document-category-press-release","document-source-ceirpp","document-source-united-nations-department-of-public-information-dpi","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-jerusalem","document-subject-occupation","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english","document-language-french"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/130373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/130373\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=130373"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=130373"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=130373"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=130373"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=130373"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=130373"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=130373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}