GA / MANSOUR PALESTINIAN ASSISTANCE

Commenting today on the Secretary-General’s report on Palestinian Assistance, Permanent Observer for Palestine Ambassador Riyad Mansour said that despite attempts to invest in development and remove themselves from “aid for relief” efforts are still “restricted and undermined because of the continuing occupation of our land.” UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:17
• Production Date: 14 December 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: POLITICAL AFFAIRS; LAW; INTERNATIONAL LAW; POLITICAL CONDITIONS; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; PEACE AND SECURITY; DECOLONIZATION; TRUST TERRITORIES; APARTHEID; ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; FINANCING
• Geographic Subject: ISRAEL
• MAMS Id: U111214f

Description

STORY: GA / MANSOUR PALESTINIAN ASSISTANCE
TRT: 2.17
SOURCE: UNTV / SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: NATS

DATELINE: 14 DECEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters

14 DECEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY

2. Zoom in General Assembly
3. Wide shot, Mansour walks up to the podium
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations:
“We are currently facing a stifling financial crisis caused by the reluctance of certain donors to fulfil their financial obligations towards the Palestinian Authority on due time and the Israeli Government’s repeated practices of withholding taxes and custom revenues due to the Palestinian people, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law in addition to being a form of collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
5. Close up, President
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations:
“In spite of our attempts to invest in development programmes and our efforts to strengthen the trend to move from the stage of receiving aid for relief to the stage of development and self reliance, our efforts, made in cooperation with our partners are still restricted and undermined because of the continued Israeli occupation of our lands.”
7. Med shot, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations:
“Israel, the occupying power, remains determined to deprive us of achieving our independence and stresses every day its defiance of the international community and international law and resolutions through its insistence of continuing the occupation of our Palestinian territories, the confiscation of our lands and the building of illegal settlements and the apartheid annexation wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including East Jerusalem.”
9. Wide shot, Mansour walks away from the podium

Storyline

The General Assembly today (14 December) reviewed the Secretary-General’s report on Palestinian Assistance, which states that the Palestinian Authority has continued to implement its two-year programme of strengthening the State institutions of a future Palestinian State and that in the key areas of United Nations engagement, the functions of the Palestinian Authority are sufficient for a functioning State government.

However, the report also states, those achievements remain constrained by the continued occupation by Israel and a political divide with Gaza.

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour, told the General Assembly that Palestine is “currently facing a stifling financial crisis caused by the reluctance of certain donors to fulfil their financial obligations towards the Palestinian Authority on due time” as well as by “the Israeli Government’s repeated practices of withholding taxes and custom revenues due to the Palestinian people.”

He added that these actions constitute “a flagrant violation of international law in addition to being a form of collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”

Mansour said that in spite of attempts to invest in development programmes and efforts made “to strengthen the trend to move from the stage of receiving aid for relief to the stage of development and self reliance”, these efforts are still “restricted and undermined because of the continued Israeli occupation” of Palestinian lands.

He said that Israel remains determined to deprive Palestine of achieving its independence and “stresses every day its defiance of the international community and international law and resolutions” by continuing the occupation and confiscation of Palestinian lands as well as “the building of illegal settlements and the apartheid annexation wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including East Jerusalem.”

According to the report, the overall socio-economic and political situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory remained challenging, despite economic growth registered across the Territory.