It gives
me pleasure to congratulate Mr. Joseph Deiss on his
election to the presidency at this session and to wish
him every success in fulfilling his important tasks. We
would also like to convey through you, Sir, our thanks
to His Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki for his
valuable efforts during his presidency of the General
Assembly at its sixty-fourth session.
We would like also to express our thanks and
appreciation to His Excellency Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon for his tireless efforts in strengthening the
role and work of the United Nations and its bodies in
various fields. In particular, we greatly appreciate his
efforts, and those of the United Nations entities,
especially the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which
continues to work to provide essential services to
Palestinian refugees, who have been waiting for more
than 60 years for redress of their plight and the
realization of their right to return to their homes and
properties.
I am well aware that the agenda of the General
Assembly is filled with matters and issues of pressing
concern to the entire human race and to our planet,
particularly those relating to armed conflict, wars and
the struggle of people under foreign occupation to
realize their right to self-determination, as well as
climate change, global warming, natural disasters and
the global economic and financial crises.
All of this is happening at a time when we are
witnessing rightful demands for the revitalization of
the United Nations, particularly reform of the Security
Council aimed at making it more representative and
truly reflective of the current international situation.
This is especially important in the light of the
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emergence of new Powers, which should be
represented in the Security Council in order to enhance
its role and effectiveness in maintaining international
peace and security.
There is also significant discontent over some
States’ non-compliance with Security Council and
General Assembly resolutions. This demands that the
international community take vigorous, effective
measures to compel those countries to respect and
implement these resolutions; to end colonization,
occupation and exploitation in our world so as to
promote the values of freedom, justice, tolerance and
coexistence; and to combat extremism and terrorism.
Indeed, the United Nations has a fundamental role to
play in promoting cooperative relations among peoples
and guiding them towards investment in the
development of societies and infrastructure, as well as
in fighting poverty, unemployment, desertification,
disease and epidemics and the lethal human and
environmental risks they pose for humanity and the
future of our planet.
Our people, our homeland, Palestine, and our
region, the Middle East, are facing extremely serious
problems that continue to push them towards violence
and conflict, wasting chance after chance to seriously
address the issues faced by the peoples of the region
and to arrive at comprehensive and bold solutions. This
is the result of the expansionist and hegemonic
mentality that still prevails in the ideology and policies
of Israel, the occupying Power, whose standard policy
is non-compliance with internationally legitimate
resolutions, including those of the General Assembly
and the Security Council. Such disrespect has rendered
those resolutions ineffective, undermined the
credibility of the United Nations and bolstered the
prevailing view that double standards are in effect,
particularly regarding the Palestinian question, and that
Israel is a State above the law, flouting all these
resolutions and engaging in oppression, arrests,
detentions, killings, destruction, demolition of homes,
blockades, settlement expansion and the establishment
of the annexation apartheid wall, violating and
undermining the existence and the rights of our people
in their own homeland.
The ancient city of East Jerusalem, capital of the
independent State of Palestine and designated by
UNESCO as a world heritage site requiring protection,
is being subjected by Israel, the occupying Power, to
actions that alter and distort realities on the ground.
Such actions destroy landmarks, cemeteries and the
religious, spiritual and historical identity of the holy
city in every aspect and as quickly as possible, aiming
to erase its historical character and pre-empt final
status negotiations. This is in addition to the
continuous excavations under the Al-Aqsa mosque, the
demolition of homes, the deportations and revocation
of the residency rights of its population and the
imposition of a siege on the city in an attempt to isolate
it from its natural Palestinian Arab surroundings and to
control it geographically and demographically.
This situation is a provocation to our people. It
antagonizes them and gives rise to anger, especially in
the Arab and Islamic world. It creates instability in our
region and constitutes a serious obstacle to the
achievement of peace and security. All of these illegal
Israeli measures and practices must cease.
This is also the case with regard to the situation
in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to an
unjust, illegal and unprecedented land, air and sea
blockade in violation of international law and United
Nations resolutions. It is also the target of harsh Israeli
military aggression that has severely damaged its
infrastructure. This illegal blockade and aggression
have resulted in the destruction of the infrastructure
and productive capacity of Gaza and destroyed 25 per
cent of its homes and nearly 75 per cent of its jobs,
leading to widespread unemployment and dependence
on international aid. The Israeli blockade is preventing
our people in Gaza from rebuilding their homes, even
though the international donor community has pledged
some $5 billion to finance reconstruction. The
blockade against the Gaza Strip must be lifted
immediately and completely, and the tragic suffering
being inflicted on our people there must be ended as
soon as possible.
We welcome the efforts of the international
independent fact-finding mission established by the
Human Rights Council concerning the Israeli attack on
the Freedom Flotilla, which was carrying humanitarian
assistance for our people in the Gaza Strip. We
welcome the conclusions reached by the mission, and
we also look forward to the submission by the Panel of
Inquiry established by the Secretary-General of its
findings to the Security Council.
To all of this I must add the fact that thousands of
Palestinian prisoners and detainees remain in Israeli
jails and detention centres. They are all fighting for
31 10-55103
freedom. They must be released and an end must be put
to their suffering. This is essential for creating a
positive environment for the attainment of peace. We
cannot reach a peace agreement that does not liberate
all of them from their chains and their imprisonment.
In spite of all of this and despite the historic
injustice that has been inflicted upon our people, their
desire to achieve a just peace that guarantees the
realization of their national rights in freedom and
independence has not and will not diminish. Our
wounded hands are still able to carry the olive branch
picked from the splinters of the trees that the
occupation forces uproot every day. Our people aspire
to live in security, peace and stability on their
Palestinian national soil, to build the lives and future of
our generations.
We are willing and ready to reach a
comprehensive, just and lasting peace, based on rights
and justice and on the resolutions of international
legitimacy. Such a settlement must lead to the
withdrawal of Israel, the occupying Power, from all the
Arab and Palestinian territories occupied since 1967,
including East Jerusalem, so that the State of Palestine,
with East Jerusalem as their capital, can enjoy
independence and sovereignty and so that peace can
prevail throughout the Middle East.
Because of our genuine desire to attain a
comprehensive peace in the region, we have decided to
enter into final status negotiations. We will exert every
effort to reach an agreement for Palestinian-Israeli
peace within one year, in accordance with the
resolutions of international legitimacy, the Arab Peace
Initiative, the road map and the vision of the two-State
solution. On behalf of the Palestine Liberation
Organization, we have reaffirmed our commitment to
the option of just peace and our determination,
seriousness and sincere intention to make these
negotiations succeed, in spite of all the difficulties and
obstacles before us.
The international community should draw lessons
from the reasons for the faltering of the political
process and the inability to achieve its goals in the
past. Restoring the credibility of the peace process
mainly requires compelling the Government of Israel
to comply with its obligations and commitments. In
particular, the Government of Israel must cease all
settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian
territory, especially in and around East Jerusalem;
dismantle the apartheid annexation wall; and put an
end to the policy of blockade and closures that restrict
the lives and movement of our people and deprive them
of their basic human rights.
Our demands for the freezing of settlement
activities, the lifting of the blockade and an end to all
other illegal Israeli practices do not constitute
preconditions that are alien to the political process.
Rather, they are consistent with the implementation of
previous obligations and commitments which have
been repeatedly reaffirmed in all the resolutions
adopted since the start of the political process.
Israel’s implementation of these obligations and
commitments will lead to the creation of the necessary
environment for the success of the negotiations and
will give credibility to its pledge to implement the final
agreement. Israel must choose between peace and the
continuation of settlements.
From this rostrum, I reaffirm that we will
continue, as we have always done, to make every
possible effort so that these negotiations will achieve
the desired objective of realizing peace by addressing
all final status issues, namely Jerusalem, refugees,
settlements, borders, water, security and the release of
all prisoners and detainees. This must be done in a
manner that will achieve freedom, independence and
justice for the Palestinian people in their homeland,
rectify the historical injustice inflicted upon them,
achieve security and safety for all their neighbours,
lead to a just peace throughout the Middle East,
including on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks, and thus
usher in a new era of stability, progress, prosperity,
coexistence and good-neighbourliness.
The political process will be put back on the right
track only if the international community assumes the
main responsibility for ending the Israeli occupation,
the longest occupation in modern history; ensures our
people’s right to self-determination in their
independent sovereign State based on the borders of
4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital; and
finds a just and agreed solution to the plight of the
Palestinian refugees. This must all be carried out
through the implementation of the principles of the
Charter, the relevant Security Council and General
Assembly resolutions, the advisory opinion of the
International Court of Justice, and the provisions of
international law, including international humanitarian
and human rights law, on the ground in the occupied
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Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. All of
these measures constitute the legitimate political terms
of reference for any successful negotiation leading to a
final peace settlement.
Our people, despite the profound and continued
suffering they have endured, hold steadfast to their
rights, their land and their national soil. At the same
time, they are determined to restore national unity and
the bonds between the two parts of our homeland. We
are making every effort to restore unity through
dialogue and the good, honourable efforts of our
brothers and friends, especially the Arab Republic of
Egypt. On our part, we will spare no effort to end the
division resulting from the coup against Palestinian
legitimacy and to establish democracy as an essential
foundation of our body politic.
We will also assume our responsibility for
building national institutions for our independent State
and national economy, and for ensuring the security
and safety of our citizens under a national authority
based on the rule of law, accountability, transparency
and justice. We will also continue to fulfil our
obligations under the road map and the agreements
reached between the two sides.
In conclusion, it is imperative in this context to
express our appreciation to all those who have
contributed to sponsoring and supporting the peace
process. Here, I would like to express my special
thanks to His Excellency Mr. Barack Obama, President
of the United States of America, who affirmed in his
statement before the Assembly (see ) two
days ago the two-State solution and the need to freeze
settlement activities and establish the independent
State of Palestine with full membership in the United
Nations next year. On this occasion, we reaffirm our
readiness to cooperate fully with his country’s efforts
for a successful political process to achieve a
comprehensive and just peace in the region.
We must also pay tribute to the United Nations
for preserving our cause and extending a helping hand
to our people through its resolutions and decisions,
which constitute an unshakeable foundation for peace.
From this rostrum, we call on the United Nations to
continue its pivotal role until justice is upheld, our
people have regained their usurped rights and peace
prevails in our entire region. We reiterate our
appreciation for the Organization’s tireless efforts to
stand in solidarity with the just cause of Palestine, and
we reaffirm our faith in the peace to which we and all
the peoples in the region aspire. We ask God to bless us
with a future in which we will all enjoy peace, security
and stability.