{"id":225488,"date":"2019-11-27T18:02:41","date_gmt":"2019-11-27T23:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=225488"},"modified":"2020-07-22T00:41:09","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T04:41:09","slug":"observing-international-day-speakers-in-palestinian-rights-committee-denounce-israels-illegal-occupation-as-moral-shame-call-for-end-to-settler-violence","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/observing-international-day-speakers-in-palestinian-rights-committee-denounce-israels-illegal-occupation-as-moral-shame-call-for-end-to-settler-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"Observing Solidarity Day, Speakers in Palestinian Rights Committee Denounce Occupation as “Moral Shame”, Call for End to Settler Violence – Press Release (GA\/PAL\/1428)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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GA\/PAL<\/strong>\/1428
\n27 November 2019<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Fran\u00e7ais<\/a><\/p>\n

Speakers called on Israel to respect international law and halt its illegal settlement activities, amid strong objections from others to unilateral moves by the United States in the region, as the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People met today to observe the International Day of Solidarity.<\/p>\n

Committee Chair Cheikh Niang (Senegal) opened the meeting by highlighting the importance of resolution\u00a0181, adopted by the General Assembly 72\u00a0years ago, which recommended the creation of two sovereign States.\u00a0 Only one of those two States has achieved its independence, he said, noting that Palestinians still live under the cloud of illegal occupation.<\/p>\n

He urged the international community to stand firm against Israel\u2019s settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and demand that the Gaza blockade be lifted.\u00a0 He applauded the peace and reconciliation efforts of Egypt and the Â鶹APP and expressed his support for the recent renewal of the Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) mandate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Palestinian people will not vanish and will not surrender to oppression and injustice as our fate,\u201d said Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine.\u00a0 Israel has carried out \u201cbad faith actions\u201d since conclusion of the Oslo Accords, while its current Prime Minister has not only rejected the two-State formula but aggressively pursued settlement building.\u00a0 The State of Palestine, by contrast, continues to advance the rule of international law by spreading a culture of peace and empowering all people, particularly women and youth.<\/p>\n

He condemned the recent announcement by the United States Secretary of State that Israel\u2019s settlements in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, do not breach international law.\u00a0 This declaration will only embolden Israel to ramp up its activities, and as such, should be considered \u201cnull and void\u201d, without legal standing.<\/p>\n

Maged A. Abdelaziz, permanent observer for the League of Arab States, said these unilateral measures have \u201cgiven a green light to Israel to begin its plan to make the two-State solution impossible\u201d.\u00a0 They also include a decision to move the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, cut funding to UNRWA, he said, declaring Israel\u2019s occupation of Palestinian a \u201cmoral shame\u201d and a violation of international law.<\/p>\n

Speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, Yashar T. Aliyev (Azerbaijan) likewise rejected the United States statement on the legitimacy of Israeli settlements, as well as the activities themselves.\u00a0 He called for an end to all such violations and implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions.<\/p>\n

Kshenuka Senewiratne, Chair of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, described first-hand accounts by victims and witnesses in the occupied Palestinian territories and occupied Syrian Golan, which laid bare their suffering.\u00a0 The Committee\u2019s most recent report also cites administrative detention of Palestinians and the exploitation of natural resources.<\/p>\n

Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (Nigeria), President of the General Assembly, said the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed by the Â鶹APP each year.\u00a0 \u201cArab or Jewish, we are one, and our destinies are intricately linked\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

Also delivering statements today were the President of the Security Council, the Chef de Cabinet of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the Permanent Observer for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the permanent observer of the African Union and social justice advocate Eugene \u201cGus\u201d Newport.<\/p>\n

Before adjourning the meeting, the Chair read out a list of Heads of State and Government, ministers and other governmental and civil society representatives who sent messages of solidarity.<\/p>\n

The Committee will reconvene at 10\u00a0a.m. on 3\u00a0December, to hear the introduction of four draft resolutions recommended to the General Assembly.<\/p>\n

Statements<\/u><\/p>\n

CHEIKH NIANG (Senegal), Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, underscored the need to uphold resolution\u00a0181, adopted 72\u00a0years ago, when the General Assembly decided to split Palestine under the mandate of two sovereign, neighbouring States.\u00a0 Despite its passage, one State saw that day, while the other never achieved its independence and sovereignty.\u00a0 It is discouraging that \u201cwe must reunite each year to recall to the entire world that the Â鶹APP continues to struggle to keep its promise,\u201d he said, stressing that for 52\u00a0years, Palestinians have lived under an illegal occupation that flouts their inalienable rights to self-determination, to Statehood and independence, and millions continue to suffer as refugees, while their international right to return is constantly denied.<\/p>\n

He rejected declarations by Israeli politicians of their intention to annex the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem continues unabated, in violation of international law, and Palestinian families see their homes destroyed and lives paralyzed.\u00a0 The international community must stand firmly against such actions, he asserted, demanding that the Gaza blockade be lifted and the cycle of violence end.\u00a0 He called on all parties to cease all incitement, provocation and violence against civilians, and instead, exercise utmost restraint.\u00a0 Welcoming efforts by Egypt and the Â鶹APP to re-establish peace and promote Palestinian reconciliation, he expressed support for the 15\u00a0November vote to renew the mandate of the Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), by an overwhelming majority, a new expression of loud support for the vital Agency working for 5.5\u00a0million Palestinian refugees, contributing to their development, protection and stability in the region.<\/p>\n

He reiterated that Palestinians are not only awaiting expressions of sympathy and solidarity with their just cause.\u00a0 They must also count on open support and credible political perspectives so they can realize their independent State.\u00a0 They need true partners, ready to carry out what the Assembly and the Council have demanded on many occasions since the adoption of resolution\u00a0181, of\u00a01947, and to support the realization of their inalienable rights.<\/p>\n

TIJJANI MUHAMMAD-BANDE (Nigeria), President of the General Assembly, said the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed by the Â鶹APP each year.\u00a0 The international community has a collective responsibility to resolve the issue, as for seven decades, the question of Palestine has remained unresolved and civilians have suffered.\u00a0 \u201cArab or Jewish, we are one, and our destinies are intricately linked\u201d, he said, urging a focus on de-escalation and ensuring a just peace with two States living side by side based on 1967\u00a0lines.<\/p>\n

A peaceful solution cannot come from unilateral decisions that are contrary to long-agreed positions, he said.\u00a0 There is no doubt that Palestinians face complex positions, with many living as refugees.\u00a0 The population in Gaza continues to endure difficult living conditions.\u00a0 The international community must act to ensure that the critical humanitarian situation does not continue to fuel anger and despair, notably by strengthening UNRWA.\u00a0 It is important not to lose faith that significant progress can be made and he encouraged all parties to engage in dialogue.<\/p>\n

KAREN PIERCE (United Kingdom<\/u>), speaking in her capacity as President of the Security Council for November, said the Council remains seized of the situation in the Middle East, holding open debates on a quarterly basis and receiving the Secretary-General\u2019s report.\u00a0 The topic is a central concern, not least in finding a lasting solution to the Palestinian conflict.\u00a0 The Council remains committed to finding a lasting and just peace in the Middle East, a goal that should be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties.\u00a0 Calling for an end to actions that undermine trust, she condemned indiscriminate attacks against civilians and expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.\u00a0 The Council will continue to follow the situation in the Middle East closely and work to create an environment conducive to peace and security.<\/p>\n

Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Chef de Cabinet of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, said resolving the Palestinian conflict represents one of the international community\u2019s greatest challenges.\u00a0 She urged that intensified illegal settlement building stop, as it has no legal validity and violates international law.\u00a0 Indiscriminate rocket fire also must cease and she called on Israelis and Palestinians to take steps towards the two-State solution.\u00a0 Only constructive negotiations between the two parties, supported by the international community, will bring about a just solution.\u00a0 The gap between Israelis and Palestinians must also be bridged so that the right to security and dignity is realized by both parties, she said, calling the two-State solution \u201cessential\u201d in addressing the immense suffering of Palestinians in Gaza who, among their challenges, face restricted access to health care.\u00a0 More broadly, there must be a stronger response to Palestinians\u2019 humanitarian needs and efforts towards peace must continue.\u00a0 In this context, UNRWA remains a stabilizing factor in the Middle East and she called on Member States to intensify their support and financial contributions to the Agency.<\/p>\n

RIYAD MANSOUR, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine<\/u>, speaking on behalf of MAHMOUD ABBAS, President of the State of Palestine and Palestinian National Authority, said that over 70\u00a0years, Palestinians have endured many tragedies, suffering displacement and imprisonment while defending their history.\u00a0 Israel has only pursued delaying tactics and \u201cbad faith actions\u201d since the conclusion of the Oslo Accords, he stressed, noting that Israel\u2019s Prime Minister rejected the two-State solution and actively pursued annexation and settlement activities.\u00a0 Israel also has promulgated discriminatory, racist laws, and isolated Gaza from the rest of the country, and indeed the world.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, United States violations of international law prove it is unqualified to be an honest broker, he said, recalling that two weeks ago, the United States Secretary of State declared that Israel\u2019s settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, do not contravene international law.\u00a0 \u201cThis statement is null and void\u201d, illegitimate, without legal effect, and stands in complete contravention to international law and Â鶹APP resolutions, including Security Council resolutions, he said, foremost among them, resolution\u00a02334\u00a0(2016).\u00a0 Such unlawful statements only embolden Israel to perpetuate its occupation and accelerate its settlement building.\u00a0 Treating Israel as a State above the law has only encouraged it to act as an \u201coutlaw\u201d, he stressed, pressing the international community to assume its responsibilities to end Israel\u2019s aggression.\u00a0 The State of Palestine will continue engaging in efforts to advance the rule of international law, including through the building of national institutions, spreading a culture of peace and empowering people, especially women and youth.\u00a0 \u201cThe Palestinian people will not vanish and will not surrender to oppression and injustice as our fate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

KSHENUKA SENEWIRATNE (Sri Lanka<\/u>), Chair of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories<\/u>, said delegates have gathered today driven by compassion and concern for the people of Palestine.\u00a0 In June in Amman, civil society representatives, victims and witnesses briefed the Special Committee on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the occupied Syrian Golan.\u00a0 Their testimonies brought attention to the daily violence and hardship endured by Palestinians, where every aspect of life is affected by the unlawful occupation.\u00a0 The Special Committee noted with concern the uptick in settler violence and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza caused by the blockade.<\/p>\n

Recalling that the Special Committee recently presented its fifty-first report, he said it provides updates on Israel\u2019s expanded settlement building, destruction and confiscation of Palestinian property, increased settler violence, use of administrative detention of Palestinians, exploitation of natural resources, humanitarian crisis in Gaza and lack of accountability for such abuses.\u00a0 The report also covers deteriorating conditions in Gaza, where the excessive use of force against demonstrators led to 138\u00a0Palestinians being killed and 15,901\u00a0injured.\u00a0 Urging both parties to create an environment conducive to peace, he underscored the imminent need for mutual confidence-building measures to pave the way to renewed substantive negotiations.\u00a0 The safety of civilians in the occupied territories must also be ensured, in line with international law and practice.<\/p>\n

MAGED ABDELFATTAH ABDELAZIZ, permanent observer for the League of Arab States<\/u>, delivering a statement on behalf of its Secretary-General, said the League\u2019s General Assembly pays close attention to this anniversary.\u00a0 He recalled that recent activities undertaken as peace initiatives were, in reality, the vision of Israel\u2019s right, which sought to impose its solution and consolidate the occupation.\u00a0 The United States meanwhile took several illegitimate measures, including an announcement by its State Department that the Government does not consider West Bank settlements to be contrary to international law, contradicting Security Council resolutions.\u00a0 He condemned this regrettable change in policy, noting that international law is defined by the collective will of the international community.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s occupation of Palestinian lands remains illegal, he asserted, and settlements are \u201cin no way\u201d legal.\u00a0 They are a moral shame.\u00a0 He rejected the United States decision to move its Embassy to Jerusalem, cut assistance to UNRWA, and attempt to destroy the Agency as a way to change the status of Palestinian refugees \u2014 all of which tramples on international law and international human rights law.\u00a0 It is regrettable that these unilateral decisions have \u201cgiven a green light to Israel to begin its plan to make the two-State solution impossible\u201d.\u00a0 Denying established principles will not change the scale of support for the Palestinian position, as the international community still supports the two-State solution.\u00a0 Conversely, the United States position aims to legalize settlement building.\u00a0 The General Assembly, by a vast majority, agreed to continue UNRWA\u2019s mandate, he said, while many regional groups have adopted positions in strong support of international law and the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

AGSHIN MEHDIYEV, Permanent Observer for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation<\/u>, reading out a message from Yousef bin Ahman al-Othaimeen, its Secretary-General, said the International Day of Solidarity presents an opportunity to renew the ongoing commitment to the just cause of Palestinians and to end Israel\u2019s occupation, forced displacement and ethnic cleansing.\u00a0 Witnessing the dangerous intensification in the West Bank, in flagrant violation of international law, he called on the international community to provide protection to Palestinians.\u00a0 He rejected the statement by the United States Secretary of State, stressing that Security Council resolutions confirm that measures employed by Israel violate international law.\u00a0 Expressing support for a two-State solution, he condemned a recent statement by an Israeli minister, which undermines that prospect.\u00a0 With the situation growing more dangerous, the absence of international measures will legitimize racism against Palestinians, and he urged the international community to pressure Israel to end its illegal occupation.\u00a0 Recalling General Assembly resolution\u00a0194 of\u00a01948, he advocated international support for the two-State solution in accordance with the relevant legal instruments.<\/p>\n

YASHAR T. ALIYEV (Azerbaijan<\/u>), speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, affirmed support for Palestinians\u2019 right to self-determination and independence.\u00a0 June regrettably marked 52\u00a0years since the illegal occupation of Palestine, including East Jerusalem and other Arab territories, in\u00a01967.\u00a0 He reiterated calls to intensify efforts to end this injustice, recalling that in October, the Movement\u2019s ministerial committee convened in Baku to review recent events in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.\u00a0 The situation is critical and unsustainable, and people continue to be deprived of their human rights by the occupying Power, causing deep trauma and suffering, especially in the Gaza strip, where the humanitarian situation is dire.<\/p>\n

In its unanimously adopted political declaration, the Movement renewed calls for ending all violations of international law, he said, stressing that a just, lasting solution remains the permanent responsibility of the Â鶹APP.\u00a0 Despite decades of participation by Palestinians in peace efforts, and their commitment to the two-State solution, their plight has worsened.\u00a0 All relevant Security Council resolutions and obligations under international law must be implemented.\u00a0 He rejected the statement by the United States Secretary of State on illegal settlements, as well as the settlement activities themselves, calling any such pronouncements by the United States null and void.<\/p>\n

FATIMA KYARI MOHAMMED, Permanent Observer for the African Union Commission<\/u>, called for an end to the suffering of Palestinians and the immediate implementation of all Council resolutions on Palestine adopted since\u00a01947, especially resolutions\u00a0242\u00a0(1967) and 338\u00a0(1973) on ending all armed conflicts and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, and upholding the human rights of Palestinian refugees and prisoners to humanitarian assistance.\u00a0 He urged all parties involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict to stop unilateral policies, actions and provocations that could exacerbate the security situation and tense atmosphere in the Middle East, and rather, follow the 2002\u00a0Arab Peace Initiative.\u00a0 Condemning the incessant attacks on and violations committed against innocent people \u201cunder any guise\u201d, he said all parties must recognize there is no military solution to the conflict.\u00a0 An enduring, just and peaceful solution can only be achieved through already established principles \u201cbased on the existence of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and harmony, within the framework of the relevant Â鶹APP Resolutions\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

EUGENE \u201cGUS\u201d NEWPORT, social justice activist, expressed support for Palestinians in their just pursuit of a free Palestine through a two-State solution, recounting his history with the civil rights movement in the United States, notably his participation in the World Peace Council and the Non-Aligned Conference.\u00a0 He recalled that [South Africa\u2019s former President] Nelson Mandela saw a parallel between South Africa and Israel, before describing a time in\u00a01988, when he and three Jewish friends saw young Palestinians throwing rocks at Israeli police.\u00a0 Because they attempted to take pictures of the event, the military shot at them with rubber bullets.\u00a0 They then went to Gaza and witnessed the most horrific scenes he had ever seen.\u00a0 They stayed with Palestinians in support of the revolution, while Israeli soldiers came looking for them.\u00a0 He elaborated on the founding of the Middle East Children\u2019s Alliance, whose original mission was to build play grounds for Jewish and Palestinian children to learn to play together and evolved into assisting in the building of water systems in Gaza.\u00a0 He also recounted his experience on the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, which he joined at the request of [former professor] Edward Said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Palestinian issues<\/a><\/div>\n
Middle East<\/a><\/div>\n
For information media. Not an official record.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GA\/PAL\/1428 27 November 2019 Fran\u00e7ais Speakers called on Israel to respect international law and halt its illegal settlement activities, amid strong objections from others to unilateral moves by the United States in the region, as the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People met today to observe the International Day […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":276,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"template-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2433,1329],"document-source":[1753,6169],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2473],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542,6541],"class_list":["post-225488","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-french-text","document-category-press-release","document-source-ceirpp","document-source-united-nations-department-of-global-communications","document-subject-solidarity-day","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english","document-language-french"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/225488","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\/276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/225488\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=225488"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=225488"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=225488"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=225488"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=225488"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=225488"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=225488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}