A\/77\/90\u2013E\/2022\/66<\/a>).\u00a0 He noted that during the reporting period from 1\u00a0April\u00a02021 to 31\u00a0March\u00a02022, Israel escalated its excessive use of force against the Palestinians, including illegal unwarranted force, amounting to arbitrary deprivation of life coupled with lack of accountability.<\/p>\nIn particular, he outlined that April to May\u00a02021 saw an eruption of tensions across the occupied Palestinian territory and military escalation against Gaza that resulted in extensive civilian deaths and injuries as well as the destruction of infrastructure.\u00a0 In the West Bank, he continued, the Israeli security and military failed to protect Palestinians from the highest level of settler violence since 2017.\u00a0 He added that Israel also continued punitive home demolitions of families and neighbours of Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks, which amounts to collective punishment prohibited by international humanitarian law.\u00a0 He further highlighted that Israel has denied Palestinian access to their natural resources, including shared water resources and an estimated 1.5\u00a0billion barrels of oil reserves in the West Bank as well as more than $2.5\u00a0billion worth of natural gas off the Gaza coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael\u2019s system of policies and practices has systematically stripped the Palestinian economy of vital elements for its healthy operation, whose productive base continues to shrink, thereby exacerbating dire living conditions\u201d, he emphasized.\u00a0 In 2022, he detailed, approximately 2.1\u00a0million Palestinians are estimated to need humanitarian assistance, including three\u00a0quarters of people living in Gaza.\u00a0 The Syrian Golan suffered from discriminatory policies designed to benefit Israeli settlers at their expense, especially regarding land, water and zoning policies, he said.\u00a0 Stressing that Israel\u2019s occupation policies and practices have fragmented the Palestinian economy and rendered it dependent on Israel and foreign aid, he reiterated that adherence to international law is an absolute imperative for ensuring that no party enjoys impunity and for securing justice and peace for all those living in the region.<\/p>\n
SAHAR J.O. ABUSHAWESH<\/span>, observer for the\u00a0State of Palestine<\/u>, associating herself with statements to come from the \u201cGroup of\u00a077\u201d developing countries and China and the Arab Group, said the report illustrates the repressive, destructive and colonial practices and apartheid policies perpetrated by Israel against her people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, in deliberate violation of international law.\u00a0 The illegal occupation continues to displace and dispossess people from their homes and confiscate land and resources, obstructing independence and development, for over 55\u00a0years of socioeconomic, humanitarian and human devastation.\u00a0 She noted that over 2\u00a0million Palestinians living in Gaza continue to suffer the wrath on an inhumane illegal blockade, deepening poverty, hunger and unemployment, an unimaginable toll.\u00a0 Israel continues to allow \u201cterrorist settlers\u201d to kill her people in plain sight, destroying their homes and productive infrastructure, attacking agricultural land, fruit and olive trees \u2014 cornerstones of the Palestinian economy for centuries.\u00a0 She further cited Israel\u2019s exploitation of 90\u00a0per\u00a0cent of transboundary water resources, allocating less than 10\u00a0per\u00a0cent for Palestinian use.\u00a0 As a result, a Palestinian receives on average less than 73\u00a0litres of water per day, compared to 300\u00a0litres for an Israeli \u2014 meaning Palestinians survive on less than the minimum of 100\u00a0litres per day and per person recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).\u00a0 Ending the illegal occupation is key to ending the suffering of the Palestinians so they can achieve the 2030\u00a0Agenda for Sustainable Development, she stated, further urging the international community to act to fulfil its legal obligations to end the apartheid regime.<\/p>\nMUHAMMAD IMRAN KHAN (Pakistan<\/u>), speaking on behalf the \u201cGroup of\u00a077\u201d developing countries and China, said Israel must cease its confiscation of Palestinian property, construction and expansion of Israeli settlements and the wall, demolition of Palestinian homes, forced displaced of Palestinian civilians and all measures of annexation, calling on that country to fully respect international law and all relevant Â鶹APP resolutions. \u00a0The Palestinian people continue to face severe restrictions on planning, building and access to natural resources in Area\u00a0C, he pointed out, adding that any investment or economic activity in the area requires Israeli occupation\u2011issued permits. \u00a0Such permits are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain, he said, noting that nearly 99\u00a0per\u00a0cent of Palestinian building permit applications have been rejected over the years, which make it extremely challenging for them to build and develop communities in their own land.<\/span><\/p>\nIn Gaza, Israel\u2019s blockade and repeated military aggression have made development goals even more elusive, he said, urging Israel, the occupying Power, to cease the exploitation damage, cause of loss or depletion and endangerment of natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, including in East Jerusalem and occupied Syrian Golan. \u00a0He also called on the international community to shoulder its responsibility and provide international protection to the Palestinian people and exert pressure on Israel to cease its repeated attacks on innocent civilians and on infrastructure.\u00a0 He emphasized the need for urgent mobilization and deployment of multilateral efforts to achieve a just and lasting solution for the Palestinian people based on the two\u2011State solution.<\/span><\/p>\nHUMAM LUAI ABDULMUHSEN AL\u2011SHAIKHLI<\/span>\u00a0(Iraq<\/u>), speaking on behalf of the Arab Group and aligning himself with the Group of\u00a077, stated that \u201cthe list of Israeli violations of international law is very long and cannot be counted\u201d, as Israel continues to exploit mineral resources in the West Bank and prevents Palestinians\u2019 access.\u00a0 Noting that the continuing blockade and the import ban on raw materials seeks to \u201calmost annihilate the export sector\u201d, he stressed that the situation exacerbates the high level of unemployment and poverty in the region as 60\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the population in Gaza live below the poverty line.<\/p>\nHighlighting that education is key to achieving sustainable development, he pointed out that Israel\u2019s policies and practices continue to make access to education a major challenge in Area\u00a0C, where more than a\u00a0third of residential communities lack primary schools.\u00a0 While about 37\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the West Bank\u2019s land is of high agricultural value, he continued, Palestinians are not allowed to use about 17\u00a0per\u00a0cent due to restrictions placed on their access to water, fertilizers and other agricultural inputs.\u00a0 He called on the international community to take practical and concrete measures to hold Israel fully accountable for the violations and breaches of the Charter of the Â鶹APP along with relevant laws and resolutions, including Security Council resolution\u00a02334 (2016).<\/p>\n
ABDULAZIZ M.\u00a0<\/span>ALWASIL<\/span>\u00a0(Saudi Arabia<\/u>), speaking on behalf of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf countries of Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, stressed that the Charter of the Â鶹APP advocates for the rights of all peoples including the Palestinian people, adding that the occupation has had deleterious effects in violation of all relevant resolutions.\u00a0 Calling for Israeli authorities to engage in serious negotiations, he said the international community must therefore take all appropriate measures to protect those people.\u00a0 The Gulf States have always been strong supporters of peace and development in the Middle East, he stressed, insisting on the right of return of refugees and the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over their resources.\u00a0 He called for the establishment of a Palestinian State according to 1967\u00a0borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, noting the Gulf States continue to support funding for the Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).<\/p>\nABDULRAHMAN ABDULAZIZ F. A. AL\u2011THANI<\/span>\u00a0(Qatar<\/u>), associating himself with the Group of\u00a077, Arab Group and the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemned the closure of schools and the obstructions to children\u2019s schooling. \u00a0Given the importance of education, his country increased support for UNRWA, he said, adding that the Qatar Fund for Development also supports the Agency in the provision of health services, electricity and energy supply, as well as enhancement of infrastructure. \u00a0Moreover, its donations to the Gaza Reconstruction Committee exceed half\u00a0a\u00a0billion dollars. \u00a0Underscoring the right of Palestinians to enjoy their right to achieve sovereignty over their occupied territories, he said Qatar will continue its efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.<\/span><\/p>\nXOLISA MFUNDISO MABHONGO<\/span>\u00a0(South Africa<\/u>), aligning himself with the Group of\u00a077, pointed out that the lack of control over its natural resources to address the dire water and energy needs, including infrastructure development, has impeded Palestine\u2019s recovery from the COVID\u201119 pandemic.\u00a0 In this regard he emphasized that \u201cthe Palestinian dossier, unfortunately, remains a protracted conflict that has demonstrated double standards that are perpetuated in the Security Council and other organs of the Â鶹APP\u201d.\u00a0 He reiterated his support of the two\u2011State solution and international efforts aimed at the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign and viable Palestinian State, existing side by side in peace with Israel within internationally recognized borders.<\/p>\nNEVILLE MELVIN GERTZE<\/span>\u00a0(Namibia<\/u>), associating himself with the Group of\u00a077, voiced concern about Israel\u2019s continued occupation of Palestine and its continued use of force and natural resource exploitation in the occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan.\u00a0 He called on Israel\u2019s Government to immediately cease its unlawful actions and urged the international community to denounce them collectively with real action, stressing that \u201cmere remarks of concern and expressions of empathy are simply not enough\u201d. \u00a0He further called on Israel\u2019s Government to stop the destruction of Palestinian houses and property and to comply with all relevant Council resolutions.<\/span><\/p>\nWISSAM AL NAHHAS (Syria<\/u>) stressed that Council resolution\u00a0597 (1981) confirms that Israeli laws, mandate and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void and has no legal effect. \u00a0Israel\u2019s building and expansion of building settlements in the occupied Syrian Golan are threatening the safety of Syrians living there. \u00a0The occupying Power is imposing its tax laws on Syrian farmers, while preventing those with work injuries to access health benefits under the compensation law, he said, adding that lands of displaced Arab Syrians are being confiscated. \u00a0Moreover, Israel has buried 1,500\u00a0barrels of radioactive nuclear waste in 20\u00a0locations in the occupied Syrian Golan, putting the lives of Syrian citizens at risk of cancer, he stressed, noting that cancer deaths in the area have increased by 30\u00a0per\u00a0cent. \u00a0He condemned Israel\u2019s illegal settlement policies in the occupied Syrian Golan and occupied Palestinian territories, calling for immediate implementation of relevant Â鶹APP resolutions to end that country\u2019s long\u2011term occupation.<\/span><\/p>\nKAZI NABIL AHMED (Bangladesh<\/u>), associating himself with the Group of\u00a077, noted that poverty and food insecurity in Palestine affect 53\u00a0per\u00a0cent and 64.4\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the Palestinian population respectively.\u00a0 Gaza\u2019s socioeconomic fabric is faltering due to 15\u00a0years of sea, land and air blockade, restricted trade and access to resources.\u00a0 The international community has a responsibility to ensure that the Palestinian people and the Arab population of the occupied Syrian Golan can benefit from their natural resources and claim restitution for the harms already caused by the occupying Power.\u00a0 He noted there is also a sharp decline in the volume of foreign aid to Palestine in past years, as the World Bank estimates that the Palestinian economy annually loses nearly $3.4\u00a0billion of potential revenue due to Israel\u2019s restrictions.\u00a0 There is an urgent need to scale up cash transfers, food aid and project grants targeting poverty alleviation, education, women\u2019s empowerment and health care.<\/p>\n
SULAIMAN HAMADAH<\/span>\u00a0(Kuwait<\/u>), aligning himself with the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Group of\u00a077, pointed out that while the Palestinian issue has been the subject of many resolutions, none of these have been implemented for more than 50\u00a0years due to \u201cIsrael\u2019s intransigence\u201d.\u00a0 Stressing that the occupying Power continues to hamper the sustainable development of Palestinian people by confiscating their land and exploiting natural resources, he condemned such practices and reiterated his support for the Palestinian and Syrian people to recover their legitimate rights and sovereignty over their natural resources.<\/p>\nPEDRO LUIS\u00a0<\/span>PEDROSO CUESTA<\/span>\u00a0(Cuba<\/u>), associating himself with the Group of\u00a077, said Israel\u2019s occupation since 1967 deprives the State of Palestine of its means of development.\u00a0 He denounced practices that violate human rights, international law and international humanitarian law, noting unemployment in the Palestinian territories reached 26\u00a0per\u00a0cent in 2021.\u00a0 He stressed that Palestinian children under the age of\u00a05 suffer from malnutrition, and that unless the living conditions there are radically changed, it will be difficult to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.\u00a0 The denial of human rights is the result of a system of apartheid, he stated, demanding the total withdrawal of Israel from the Syrian Golan and all occupied Palestinian territories, and the end of all aggressive colonialist policies.<\/p>\nABDULLAH ALHAMMADI (United Arab Emirates<\/u>) said his country contributed more than $684\u00a0million to the Palestinian people.\u00a0 It also provided to UNRWA more than $165\u00a0million of which $143\u00a0million is allocated for education and $11.7\u00a0million for aid and social services programmes for commodities in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, he said, further detailing its financial and other support. \u00a0He called for efforts and actions that will advance negotiations and the prospects for a two\u2011State solution, he said, stressing the need to overcome the stalemate in the political process and to relaunch a concrete and effective peace process.<\/span><\/p>\nHUMAM LUAI ABDULMUHSEN AL-SHAIKHLI<\/span>\u00a0(Iraq<\/u>), speaking in his national capacity, emphasized that Palestinians have the right to reject the exploitation of their natural resources and to seek compensation for the damage to those resources due to practices undertaken by the occupying authority.\u00a0 The discriminatory practices of the occupying force in the Palestinian territories and occupied Syrian Golan contravene international human rights law and negatively impact the socioeconomic situation of the people.\u00a0 While the international community works to advance the 2030\u00a0Agenda, the situation of Palestinians in the occupied territory moves them further away from that agenda, he said, calling for international support to stem their suffering imposed by the injustices of the occupying Power.<\/span><\/p>\nNAAHY\u00a0MOHAMED RASHEED<\/em><\/span>\u00a0(<\/span>Maldives<\/u>) pointed out that the escalation in May\u00a02021 had shown that the international community is not well equipped to address the unique needs of displaced women and girls, who are suffering from forced displacements and a lack of safe shelter.\u00a0 While all Member States had unequivocally committed to the 2030\u00a0Agenda, she continued, the Palestinian people and the Syrian population in the Golan show that \u201cwe are in fact leaving them behind, so long as they have no sovereignty over their natural resources and their land\u201d.\u00a0 She condemned the violence and oppression in the occupied Palestinian territory as well as those towards the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan, which fully disregards international human rights law.<\/p>\nEVGENY Y. VARGANOV (Russian Federation<\/u>) stated that his country has always supported the two\u2011State solution based on the establishment of an independent State of Palestine, according to the pre\u20111967 border lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.\u00a0 However, he cited dangerous trends on the ground and aggressive postures by influential Powers, including the United States moving its embassy to Jerusalem.\u00a0 He affirmed that the Syrian Golan is an integral part of Syria, criticizing actions carried out by Israel in the territories including the destruction of property and arable land, and disproportionate and arbitrary use of force.\u00a0 Expressing full support for UNRWA, which plays both a stabilizing humanitarian and political role, he criticized attempts to discredit and underfund the Agency as counterproductive and dangerous.\u00a0 He further condemned attempts to relaunch trade between Arabs and Israelis without the fundamental Palestinian question being settled.<\/p>\n
MOHAMMAD KURNIADI KOBA<\/span>\u00a0(Indonesia<\/u>), associating himself with the Group of\u00a077, said that in the last 16\u00a0years his country has provided more than 184\u00a0training sessions attended by more than 2,000\u00a0participants from Palestine and covering various fields, including small and medium\u2011sized enterprises, finance, agriculture and health. \u00a0It is ready to further enhance development in cooperation with Palestine, he said, stressing the crucial need to provide continued support, protection and assistance to the people of the occupied Palestinian territory. \u00a0He called on Israel to stop its illegal policies and practices that threaten the people there as well as those in the Syrian Golan and urged the early resumption of multilateral negotiations to arrive at a peaceful Palestine based on the two\u2011State solution.<\/span><\/p>\nAHMED MAGDY MOHAMED RASHAD ABDELAAL (Egypt<\/u>), aligning himself with the Arab Group and the Group of\u00a077, stated that the situation in the occupied territories will not improve unless the Palestinian people are ensured of their legitimate rights.\u00a0 That includes sovereignty over natural resources and access to Area\u00a0C, as well as those outlined in economic and financial agreements between the two parties notably on the transfer of tax returns to the Palestinian Authority.\u00a0 He then urged the international community, especially donor countries, to continue to provide support to the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n
ASBINA MARIN SEVILLA (Venezuela<\/u>) outlined a string of harmful practices committed by Israel against the Palestinians, among them arbitrary detention including of girls and boys, torture, extrajudicial execution and the building of settlements \u2014 amounting to collective punishment and a war crime against innocent people.\u00a0 Since 1967, Israel has militarily controlled all water resources, prohibiting Palestinians from building new water infrastructure, exploiting resources and withholding permits for Palestinian companies in Zone\u00a0C since 1994.\u00a0 Israel also withholds energy resources on Palestinian lands and in coastal waters.\u00a0 She noted the situation in the occupied Syrian Golan is similar, in violation of international law, with the expansion of illegal settlements and the exploitation of natural resources \u2014 a discriminatory policy in violation of international law.\u00a0 She reasserted the sovereignty of the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n
AZRIL BIN ABD AZIZ (Malaysia<\/u>), aligning himself with the Group of\u00a077, stressed that the systematic oppression of Palestinians is tantamount to the crime of apartheid and clearly inconsistent with pursuit of peace and peaceful coexistence.\u00a0 Urging the international community to call upon Israel to immediately end its occupation of Palestinian territories and cease its apartheid practices, he further called for the return to meaningful negotiations based on the two\u2011State solution.\u00a0 He emphasized that the Sustainable Development Goals will be \u201cmeaningless if our Palestinian and Syrian brethren that face daily hardships and oppressions are left behind\u201d.<\/p>\n
AHMED DAWOOD ALI AL ZADJALI<\/span>\u00a0(Oman<\/u>) voiced concern about Israel\u2019s exploitation of the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory and Syrian Golan, which is devastating the Arab land, orchards and water resources of the peoples there.\u00a0 His country will continue to support the establishment of a just and permanent peace in the Middle East, which can be achieved only with the establishment of a viable independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.\u00a0 He called on all States to abide by international law and relevant resolutions concerning the occupied Palestinian territory and the Arab Syrian Golan.<\/span><\/p>\nMOHAMED-ESSEGHIR LATROUS (Algeria<\/u>), noting that the occupying Power has violated resolutions by continuing its illegal occupation, stressed that this has exacerbated the socio\u2011 and economic situation of the Palestinian territories already suffering from the COVID\u201119 pandemic.\u00a0 He further pointed out that by imposing taxes that restrict the movement of services and goods, Israel has prevented the Palestinian people from having access to their resources.\u00a0 This has added to the financial burden of the Palestinian economy and has had a negative impact on the Palestinian people at all levels, he underscored.<\/p>\n
ASHRAF A. O. HAMED<\/span>\u00a0(Libya<\/u>), associating himself with the Group of\u00a077 and the Arab Group, stated that inhumane Israeli policies have deepened frustration, consolidating a loss of confidence in the Â鶹APP.\u00a0 Citing the ESCWA report, he expressed concern over Israeli policies to expand settlements, destroying buildings and homes, building barriers and imposing restrictions in flagrant violation of international law and preventing Palestinians from utilizing resources.\u00a0 The unjust blockade of Gaza has led to unemployment, lack of food and medicine and major deficits in electricity, fuel and potable water.\u00a0 Palestinians cannot achieve minimum rates of development, which runs counter to the 2030\u00a0Agenda.\u00a0 He called on Israel to end its brutal occupation and stop plundering Palestinian resources.<\/p>\nLACHEZARA STOEVA (Bulgaria<\/u>), Chair of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial), then stated that, due to circumstances preventing some delegates from attending the meeting and speaking, the general debate on item\u00a056 would reconvene and conclude at 10\u00a0a.m. on Tuesday, 25\u00a0October.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n