\n
3. The Committee has consistently supported a peaceful solution of the question of Palestine. It welcomed the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference that launched the Middle East peace process based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). It also welcomed the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self- Government Arrangements (A\/48\/486-S\/26560, annex) and subsequent implementation agreements. The Committee has strongly supported the objective of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side within secure and recognized borders on the basis of the 1949 armistice lines, in accordance with relevant Âé¶¹APP resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 1397 (2002) and 1515 (2003). The Committee welcomed and supported the Quartet’s road map and called on the parties to implement it. In keeping with its mandate, the Committee has continued to work towards creating conditions for the successful conduct of the negotiations on a permanent settlement allowing the Palestinian people to realize its inalienable rights. The Committee has also promoted support and assistance by the international community to the Palestinian people.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\n
4. The reporting period has been characterized by the stagnation of the political process and a volatile situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The status quo has been characterized unanimously by the international community as unsustainable and requiring urgent attention. Despite the global calls for a complete cessation, Israel has continued its illegal settlement campaign in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, further exacerbating tensions and mistrust between the two sides. The critical humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip was also exacerbated by the continued imposition by Israel of a severe blockade on the territory, which has obstructed the movement of persons and goods, including humanitarian access and the import of materials required for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Gaza, and undermined economic recovery.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\n
5. The Israeli-Palestinian peace talks relaunched in September 2010 under the mediation of the United States of America were stalled merely after a few rounds of meetings following Israel’s refusal to renew its so-called moratorium on settlement activity in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In the absence of credible negotiations owing to Israel’s refusal to cease settlements activity and to commit to the long-standing terms of reference of the peace process, the Palestinian leadership turned to diplomatic initiatives to gain recognition as a State within the 1967 borders, on the basis of international law and relevant Âé¶¹APP resolutions, and efforts aimed at obtaining Âé¶¹APP membership during the General Assembly in 2011 session, the date endorsed in August 2010 by the Quartet as the date for the achievement of a final peace settlement. On 23 September 2011, at the outset of the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, submitted to the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, an application for Palestine to become a State Member of the Âé¶¹APP. <\/p><\/div>\n
\n
6. The situation in the Gaza Strip remained bleak, with high rates of poverty and unemployment. The continued blockade imposed by Israel forced 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza to suffer from an acute shortage of basic goods and services, medicine and medical equipment and even clean water. Reconstruction and rehabilitation have been seriously undermined by the blockade. Throughout the year, Israel continued to conduct air strikes and limited ground incursions in Gaza, resulting in Palestinian casualties, including many civilians. This was met with rocket and mortar fire by armed Palestinian groups into southern Israel, endangering the lives of the Israeli population. <\/p><\/div>\n
\n
7. Israeli military incursions into West Bank population centres also continued, involving the killing and injuring of Palestinians, including civilians. Hundreds of Palestinians were arrested during those operations, including children under the age of 18 years. Many unarmed civilians were subjected to the excessive use of force by the Israeli military during demonstrations against the occupation, resulting in many injuries. The expansion of illegal Israeli settlements continued in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with thousands of new units approved by the Israeli authorities. The construction of the separation wall continued in defiance of the International Court of Justice advisory opinion, resulting in further confiscation of Palestinian land and demolition of properties and further harming socio-economic conditions. The situation in Occupied East Jerusalem remained particularly alarming, with continued land confiscations, house demolitions and evictions of Palestinian residents, and the transfer of more Israeli settlers into the City. <\/p><\/div>\n
\n
8. Heeding the calls of the Palestinian people for an end to the political division since June 2007, Palestinian factions concluded a much anticipated reconciliation agreement in April 2011, but its implementation has been pending.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\n
9. Over the reporting period, the Palestinian Authority successfully advanced its State-building programme, with strong support from the international community, and its institutional readiness for Statehood has been endorsed by the Âé¶¹APP, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\n
10. The activities of the Committee and its Bureau in the reporting period focused on the need for respect for the relevant Âé¶¹APP resolutions and the urgency of resuming negotiations between the parties in the interest of salvaging the two-State solution and advancing the realization of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace. The Committee monitored the situation on the ground and the political developments, implemented its programme of international meetings and conferences, held consultations with representatives of Governments, national parliaments and inter-parliamentary organizations, as well as civil society, and reached out to its partners worldwide using new communications media. The Committee reiterated its position of principle that a permanent settlement of the question of Palestine could be achieved only through ending the occupation that began in 1967, establishing a Palestinian State on the basis of the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a just and agreed solution to the Palestine refugees issue on the basis of General Assembly resolution 194 (III). The first international meeting convened by the Committee in March 2011 focused on the urgency of addressing the plight of Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel. It was followed by a regional meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss the urgency of realizing a two-State solution. The annual assistance seminar organized by the Committee in May focused on the mobilization of continued support for the Palestinian State-building programme. At another international meeting held in Brussels in June, participants discussed the role of Europe in advancing Palestinian Statehood and achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace. The Committee encouraged all stakeholders to support the role and activities of the Âé¶¹APP and urged them to support the two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of the relevant Security Council resolutions, the terms of reference of the Madrid Conference, including the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quartet road map.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\n
<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n
Chapter II<\/strong><\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\n
Mandate of the Committee<\/strong><\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\n