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49th Plenary Meeting of General Assembly 71st Session
Palestinian Leaders Always Seek Reasons ‘Not to Sit Down and Talk’, Says Israel
With the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands nearing its fiftieth year, efforts to resolve the long-standing conflict must move beyond words and promises and compel the occupying Power to end its “warlike” policies, stressed speakers today as the General Assembly opened its annual debate on the Question of Palestine.
Following the introduction of four draft resolutions addressing the various United Nations bodies and departments charged with defending the rights of the Palestinian people, the Assembly heard urgent appeals from a number of delegates calling for concrete action to herald in a new era of peace in 2017. Many speakers also expressed support for the continued work of the Middle East Quartet — made up of the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russian Federation — as well as for a recent initiative by France to convene a conference aimed at restarting negotiations.
General Assembly President Peter Thomson (Fiji) pointed out that the Assembly had gathered against the backdrop of brutal conflicts in Syria and Yemen, a refugee crisis, the virulent spread of extremism and terrorism and the ongoing construction of settlements on Palestinian territory. “For many, the prospects of peace feel desperately out of reach,” he said, noting that the fifty-year occupation continued to violate key United Nations principles. Expressing hope that renewed international efforts could help to pave the way for the two‑State solution, he emphasized that the United Nations had a “permanent responsibility” until the question was resolved in accordance with international law.
Fodé Seck (Senegal), Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, who introduced the four draft resolutions, said that while the international community was currently confronting many crises, it was crucial to remember that Palestinians still faced desperate situations and that every civilian killed only served to fuel the narrative of extremist groups such as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaida. “No individual is free unless all individuals are free,” he stressed, adding that “Palestinian lives matter.”
Presenting the Committee’s annual report (document A/71/35), its rapporteur, Carmelo Inguanez (Malta) stated that, in view of stalled negotiations, the Committee would welcome efforts by any country to advance the peace process with support from a reinvigorated Quartet. The Security Council and the General Assembly were also urged to give positive consideration to proposals that aim to present a way out of the current impasse, he said, also calling upon the international community to demand the lifting of the Gaza blockade.
Still, the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine said that while he was grateful for the international community’s support, he could not conceal his deep disappointment and frustration about the lack of progress. Lamenting in particular the Security Council’s failure to uphold its Charter duties and implement its resolutions, he stressed that “what is lacking has not been support or solidarity for Palestine, but rather political courage and will to respect and ensure respect of the law in the face of Israel’s intransigence and disrespect.”
Indeed, Israel — which itself had been created by General Assembly resolution 181 (II) — had violated resolution after resolution, as well as principles of international law and an International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion, he pointed out. The past year had witnessed non-stop Israeli colonization activities aimed at changing the demography, character and status of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, with Israeli settlements particularly eroding the two-State solution. “Lip-service to the cause of peace is not enough,” he stressed, urging both the Assembly and the Security Council to act and ensure a viable path forward.
Israel’s representative, however, decried the General Assembly’s annual “cynical Israel-bashing festival”, which did nothing to help the Palestinian people. Some 69 years ago, the United Nations had voted to partition the land into a Jewish State and an Arab State, but the Arabs had rejected the plan. Instead, every time there was an opportunity to choose a better path for their people, they had chosen the path of violence, rejection and bloodshed. Israel, for its part, had tried everything, he emphasized, including dismantling entire communities and uprooting thousands of people from their homes in the Gaza Strip.
“Time and time again we hear that settlements are the obstacle to progress,” he said, recalling that, despite a 10-month freeze in 2010, the Palestinians had still refused to come to the negotiating table. Israel had tried everything, but the Palestinians always had an excuse. The Palestinian Authority in 2012 had paid more than $75 million to terrorists in Israeli prisons and $78 million to the families of deceased terrorists, he said, adding that the responsibilities of Statehood would mean investing in institutions, ending terror and finally recognizing the Jewish people’s the connection to the land of Israel.
The European Union’s representative was among those speakers reaffirming their support for a negotiated two-State solution that met Israeli and Palestinian security needs and Palestinian aspirations for Statehood. Condemning all acts of terror and incitement, he said security forces must respond in a proportionate and consistent manner regardless of the perpetrator, and Israel must thoroughly investigate cases in which lethal force had been used. Furthermore, all alleged violations of international human rights law must be investigated. Expressing concern about recurring tensions at the holy sites, he emphasized that Jerusalem was a city sacred to three religions.
Jordan’s representative also underscored the need for concrete measures aimed at ending the occupation and other Israeli activities that undermined the two-State solution. Noting that settlement activities were one of the most significant risks in that respect and that they represented a “red line” for Arab nations, she stressed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was at the heart of tensions in the region and that the occupation was one of the drivers of extremism in the region as well.
Israel’s increased violations of international humanitarian law had led to widespread human suffering and destabilization, Cuba’s delegate said. Expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people, he voiced support for all efforts promoting a just and lasting solution to the conflict, which would require the exercise of the true inalienable right of the Palestinian people to build their own State within the pre‑1967 borders. Commending the work of the Palestinian Rights Committee, he emphasized that “the historic debt to the Palestinian people must be paid.”
Also before the General Assembly was a report of the Secretary-General titled, “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine” (document A/71/359–S/2016/732) and a note by the Secretary-General on “Economic costs of the Israeli occupation for the Palestinian people” (document A/71/174).
At the meeting’s outset, the Assembly observed a minute of silence to pay tribute to the late former President of Cuba, Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, who had passed away on 25 November. Conveying his condolences to the Government and people of Cuba, Mr. Thomson said President Castro had been “one of the iconic leaders of the twentieth century” as well as a tireless advocate for equity and an inspirational figure for developing countries.
Also speaking were representatives of Lebanon, Kuwait, India, Maldives, Nicaragua, Argentina, Uruguay and Iran.
The General Assembly will reconvene at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 30 November, to conclude its debate on the Question of Palestine and deliberate the Situation in the Middle East.
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