Committee on the Inalienable Rights

of the Palestinian People

268^th Meeting (AM)

SOLIDARITY DAY WITH PALESTINIANS ‘A DAY OF MOURNING AND A DAY OF GRIEF’

SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL, AS HEADQUARTERS OBSERVES INTERNATIONAL DAY

Speakers Call for International Action to Halt Israeli Aggression;

Stress Independent Palestinian State Only Guarantee of Israeli Security

“This day of solidarity is a day of mourning and a day of grief”, said Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning, on the occasion of the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. 

In a statement read on his behalf at the Headquarter’s observance, Under-Secretary-General and Chef de Cabinet Iqbal Riza, he said that the human and material losses sustained by the Palestinian people in the past two years had been nothing short of catastrophic.  That deplorable situation had kept the whole region in a continuous state of crisis for more than two years, with no end in sight.  Reversing that descent into the seemingly endless cycle of killing and destruction required the cessation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction.

The Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, in a statement read out on his behalf by Nasser Al-Kidwa, Permanent Observer of Palestine, said that the Palestinian people found themselves in unprecedentedly difficult and tragic circumstances.  The harsh military escalation had as its objective the destruction of all chances for peace.  That ferocious war must move the international community to go beyond statements of condemnation and regret and bring effective pressure to bear on the Israeli Government to halt its aggression, end its occupation and return to the negotiating table.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, in his capacity as Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement and of the African Union, in a statement delivered on his behalf by Jeanette Ndhlovu of South Africa’s United Nations Mission, urged the international community to use the day of solidarity to recommit itself to assisting the Palestinian people and its leadership in their quest for self-determination.  There was an urgent need to support the Secretary-General’s call for the deployment of international observers to the conflict.  Realization of an independent Palestinian State, side-by-side with Israel in secure and recognized borders, was the only sustainable guarantee for Israeli security.

The Chairman of Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Papa Louis Fall (Senegal), noted that the Quartet –- the United Nations, United States, Russian Federation, and the European Union -– was

working with determination towards the creation of a sovereign Palestinian State by 2005.  It was time for the leaders of the two parties, and the wider international community, to take bold and difficult decisions.  Extremists on both sides should no longer be allowed to upset the order of priorities and hold the peace process hostage.  The international community must assist the parties in resuming negotiations and could play a decisive role when the time came to define the terms of a final settlement and to explain how to get there.

Opening statements were also made by the President of the General Assembly, Jan Kavan (Czech Republic) and President of the Security Council for the month, Wang Yingfan (China).  Statements were made on behalf of the following:  Chairman of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinians and other Arabs of the Occupied Territories; Foreign Affairs Minister of Sudan in his capacity as Chairman of the twenty-ninth session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers; Secretary-General of the League of Arab States; and the international network of non-governmental organizations on the question of Palestine.  The head of the Political Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization also spoke.

A moment of silence, commemorating Palestinian victims of violence in the Middle East, was observed at the opening of the meeting.  Concluding the meeting, the Committee Chairman drew attention to the many messages of support received from Heads of State and Government, governments, inter-governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations. 

Background

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People met this morning in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.  The General Assembly, in its resolution 32/40 of 2 December 1977, and in subsequent resolutions, called for the annual observance of such a day, in recognition of the need to promote and support the struggle of the Palestinian people for self-determination, peace and independence.

       Statements

The Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, PAPA LOUIS FALL (Senegal), said that to declare that the situation was really tragic was tantamount to stating the obvious.  The Palestinian people had known decades of suffering, punishment and humiliation as a direct consequence of the failure to establish the Arab State provided for in General Assembly resolution 181 (II) beside the Jewish State, in historic Palestine.  Although the Madrid peace process, launched in 1991, and the Oslo Accords of 1993 had given good reason to hope that a comprehensive peace in the Middle East was within reach, ensuing events had proved the contrary.

He said that the frustration was greatest following the provocative visit of Ariel Sharon, the then leader of the Israeli opposition, to Al-Haram al-Sharif, on 28 September 2000.  That visit had triggered widespread violence and destruction, leaving hundreds dead and thousands wounded.  The root cause of the situation was unquestionably the occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel and its perpetuation of illegal actions.  Those included individual and collective sanctions, blockades and curfews, the destruction of public infrastructure, arrests and detentions, the demolition of houses and the devastation of farmlands, the deliberate pursuit of the settlements policy, extrajudicial executions and murderous raids, and the plundering of Palestinian towns and refugee camps. 

A further blow compounding that disastrous situation was the fact that the Palestinian economy lay in tatters, he said.  Poverty and unemployment were rising exponentially, the public health and hygiene sectors had crumbled, and the Palestinian Authority was in disarray.  Instead of concentrating their efforts on building a democratic State and pursuing economic development, the Palestinians were reduced to the daily struggle for survival, owing also to the food insecurity affecting millions in the West Bank and Gaza.  Despite that gloomy picture, however, there was a glimmer of hope:  the international community was now reaching agreement on the vision set forth in Security Council resolution 1397 (2002), and centred on the peace plan adopted by the Arab Summit in Beirut, which called for the creation of two States.

He noted that the “Quartet” was working with determination on the basis of a “plan of principle”, aimed at establishing a sovereign Palestinian State by 2005.  It was time for the leaders of the two parties, and the wider international community, to take bold and difficult decisions and act with diligence and courage.  Since security measures must be closely linked with political, humanitarian and economic progress, the extremists of both camps should no longer be allowed to upset the order of priorities and hold the peace process hostage.  The Committee would never tire in its condemnation of criminal and terrorist acts, whether those consisted of premeditated killings, selective or collateral murder, or suicidal or targeted missions.

In light of the present situation, the international community had the overriding obligation to assist the parties in resuming negotiations, he continued.  Indeed, the world community could play a decisive role when the time came to define the terms of a final settlement and to explain how to get there, on the basis of the relevant Security Council and United Nations resolutions.  The establishment of a sovereign Palestinian State within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, would be clearly outlined from the start, as would the time frame for implementation of the various phases.  The full cooperation of the parties was indispensable; the premises and modalities of the process must be unconditionally accepted.  Moreover, their compliance should be verified by an international presence on the ground. 

JAN KAVAN (Czech Republic), President of the General Assembly, noted that the Oslo and subsequent implementation agreements had not led to peace and security in the Middle East.  The destructive combination of failing to live up

to those agreements and the steady deterioration of the situation and provocative acts on the ground had led to the outbreak of the current intifada in late September 2000.  Ever since, there had been a continuing spiral of violence, which had resulted in pain, suffering and destruction.  Most tragically, many innocent civilians on both sides had lost their lives and thousands had been injured.  In just over two years, the political process had completely broken down.

Over the past 12 months, he continued, the General Assembly had met three times in emergency special sessions to focus on Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory.  The international community had come out strongly against extrajudicial assassinations of suspected Palestinian militants, arbitrary detentions, the use of disproportionate force, house demolitions and continuing settlement activity, as well as the terrorist acts of Palestinian extremists that had resulted in the deaths of Israeli civilians.  The anguish, frustration and anger of the Palestinians was understandable, but terror and suicide bombing were counterproductive.  The unending spiral of violence would not bring about peace, security or prosperity.

There was no alternative to the prompt resumption of Israeli-Palestinian political negotiations, based on international law and the readiness to take full account of each other’s needs and interests, he said.  Overcoming mistrust and suspicion, refraining from provocative acts, ending the violence and resuming the peace talks should be imperatives at the present stage.  The Palestinians would never reconcile themselves to the unending occupation of their land, and would continue to strive for their own national independence, as their national aspirations were undoubtedly as strong as those of the Israelis.  Both sides had the right to their own States, as the United Nations had originally made clear 55 years ago.

WANG YINGFAN (China), President of the Security Council, said that the tragic loss of life on both sides and vast destruction in the occupied Palestinian territory were deeply disturbing.  The Council had closely monitored the situation and, in its resolution 1397 of March 2002 had, for the first time, affirmed a vision of a region where two states, Israel and Palestine, would live side by side within secure and recognized borders.

Concerned by further deterioration of the situation, he said, the Council adopted a further series of resolutions and Presidential Statements calling for a ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops, end to all acts of violence and a return to the political process.  It had also expressed, on many occasions, its grave concern at the dire humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people and urged Israel to respect international humanitarian law and take meaningful measures to ease the humanitarian disaster.

Supporting international efforts for the resumption of meaningful negotiations, the Council, he said, felt strongly that the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority should fully cooperate with the Middle East Quartet and work hard towards a two-State solution based on its resolutions 242(1967),

338 (1973) and 1397 (2002).  To that end, he reaffirmed the vision of a sovereign and independent State of Palestine existing side by side with Israel in peace and security.  To alleviate the great suffering of the Palestinian people, coordinated and sustained relief work was needed from the donor community and the United Nations.

Obstacles and disruptions notwithstanding, the Council, he said, would remain fully committed to the ultimate goal of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, for the benefit of all parties concerned, including the Palestinian people.

IQBAL RIZA, Under-Secretary-General, Chef de Cabinet for Secretary-General Kofi Annan, delivering the statement of the Secretary-General, said “this day of solidarity is a day of mourning and grief”.  The losses sustained by the Palestinian people in the last two years were nothing short of catastrophic.  The deplorable situation in the Occupied territories had kept the whole region in a continuous state of crisis for more than two years, with no end in sight.

The Israelis had often practiced excessive and disproportionate force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, deportations and collective punishment measures, such as house demolitions, in the Palestinian territory, he continued.  Such actions had intensified rage, desperation and a desire for revenge.  At the same time, cruel and devastating terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, including suicide bombings, had claimed large numbers of innocent lives and wounded many more, which set back the Palestinian cause.  The result of those actions had been the near total destruction of the belief on either side that there was a genuine partner for a just peace.

However, despite the descent into a seemingly endless cycle of killing and destruction, diplomatic and political progress had taken place, he continued. Today, there was global consensus on a solution that should satisfy the fundamental needs of both sides and win wide international support.  That solution was the two-State vision affirmed in Security Council resolution 1397 (2002) and accepted by all parties.  Achieving that objective required “complete cessation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction”, as demanded in Council resolution 1435 (2002).

Through contacts on the ground and in the world’s capitals, the Quartet of international mediators had been trying to help the parties move away from confrontation and resume a political process.  At the September meeting in New York, it had agreed on a “road map” for achieving a final settlement, including Palestinian statehood within three years.  The group was in constant touch with the parties to work out the specifics of the “road map”, strongly urging them to embark swiftly on that path.

Reform of Palestinian institutions was essential, primarily for the benefit of the Palestinian people themselves, he said.  That process must be matched by Israeli measures that would create favourable conditions for resuming Palestinian economic activity.  Those measures included the conclusion of a Palestinian/Israeli security agreement ensuring the end of all forms of violence, withdrawal from Palestinian-controlled areas, the immediate cessation of settlement services, and the disbursement of all outstanding value-added-tax (VAT) and customs revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority. 

NASSER AL-KIDWA, Permanent Observer for Palestine, delivering the statement of YASSER ARAFAT, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and President of the Palestinian Authority, said that this year’s observance came at a time when the Palestinian people found themselves in unprecedentedly difficult and tragic circumstances.  Since 18 September 2000, Israel had reoccupied most of the territory, abrogated agreements and failed to implement understandings.  Israel had been using every weapon in its arsenal, including those that were internationally prohibited, in an attempt to break the will of the Palestinian people and turn back the clock.  It had sought to ruin the infrastructure and transform the various regions into fully encircled cantons. 

He said there had been military escalation on land, at sea and in the air, with all types of weapons, including tanks, aircraft, armored personnel carriers and warships.  The objective was to destroy all chances of peace.  The occupation of towns, villages and refugee camps, accompanied by incursions, bombardments and assassinations, had caused massive destruction to the infrastructure that the world had helped rebuild.  It had brought all spheres of life to a standstill and had halted the operation of vital civil and security institutions of the Palestinian Authority, including its medical, social, humanitarian and economic institutions.  Most recently, there had been a reoccupation and control of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahur.

That ferocious war must move the international community to take action and go beyond statements of condemnation, regret and censure, he urged.  It must now bring effective pressure to bear on the Israeli Government to halt its aggression, end its occupation and return to the negotiating table with a view to implementing the relevant resolutions and signed agreements.  Sadly, the Israeli Government’s insistence on thwarting all efforts for calm and obstructing the relaunching of the peace process had not been countered with a resolute stance that the relevant United Nations’ resolutions must be implemented.  The formula for ending the conflict had become obvious to all -- devise a just, acceptable and definitive solution; end Israeli occupation and settlement activity; and resolve the refugee issue.

He said that the resolutions of the Arab summit, the latest Security Council texts, the address by United States President George Bush in June, the European initiative and subsequent positive and practical scenarios of the Quartet opened a wide prospect for a comprehensive peace.  Israel must deal with those seriously and positively, just as the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority had been dealing with it.  He called on the international community to intervene immediately to halt the Israeli aggression and occupation, enable the Palestinian Authority to perform its duties, and immediately resume negotiations.  Only peace could provide security to all in the region and open the prospect for prosperity and stability.  He appreciated all free and honourable persons whose solidarity with the Palestinian people had not flagged for one moment.

C. MAHENDRAN (Sri Lanka), Chairman of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, described that Committee's thirty-fourth report, which found conditions that were not in accord, in many respects, with contemporary human rights norms.  The Israeli authorities, he said, had put in place an elaborate system to enhance control over the occupied territories and the Palestinian people there.

He said the rigorous implementation of that system -- of laws, regulations and administrative measures -- created a sense of fear and hopelessness among those people, which worsened during periods of violence.  Bitterness at their treatment by the authorities, a sense of dispossession and a sense of despair caused, to a large extent, by a lack of tangible benefit from the peace process, made the situation in the occupied territories one of great urgency.

Regretting the lack of improvement in living conditions in the occupied territories, the Special Committee had made recommendations to the General Assembly to ameliorate the situation, he said.  It also welcomed the diplomatic efforts of the Quartet and appealed to the international community to remain fully engaged in finding a negotiated settlement to the Middle East conflict.  It was also of great importance that the High Commissioner of Human Rights establish a system of continuous communication with Israeli authorities, with a view to relieving the difficult situation of Palestinians of the occupied territories, which gave rise to violence that the Special Committee deplored.

JEANETTE NDHLOVU (South Africa), delivered the message of South African President Thabo Mbeki, in his capacities as current Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement and Chairman of the African Union.  She said the Palestinian people were still denied the right to rule themselves, as forces stronger than they had continued to take that right away, and subject them to humiliation, destruction and killings on a daily basis.  The international community must use the day of solidarity to recommit themselves to assisting the Palestinian people and their leadership in their quest for self-determination.  During the coming year, the Palestinians must be allowed to exercise their democratic right to elect their own leaders and reform their legislative and judicial institutions.  The international community must stand with them in declaring that the Palestinian people were ready to rule themselves in their own sovereign State, with its capital in Jerusalem.

The last year, she said, had led to a hitherto unprecedented escalation in violence against the civilian population of Palestine at the hands of the Israeli Defense Force.  Israel’s repeated incursions into the Palestinian-controlled areas and its expanded settlement activities had violated the Oslo Accords and resulted in the reoccupation of Palestinian territories.  Israel’s policy of extrajudicial assassinations of Palestinian leaders and activists, and its policy of collective punishment of Palestinians through the siege and blockade of Palestinian towns and villages, must cease.  There was no justification for the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli.

The Non-Aligned Movement had consistently maintained that the tragic situation in the Middle East could only be resolved if the parties to the conflict resumed a political process.  There could be no military solution to the conflict.  There was an urgent need to support the call of the United Nations Secretary-General for the deployment of international observers to the conflict.  Establishing an international presence would be an important confidence-building measure and would be another step towards re-starting the peace process.  The Movement believed that a just and durable solution to the crisis must be premised on an end to the Israeli occupation of Arab land and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State.  The realization of that State, within secure and recognized borders, living side-by-side with Israel, was the only sustainable guarantee for Israeli security.

ELFATIH MOHAMED AHMED ERWA (Sudan) read out a statement from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sudan, Mustafa Osman Ismaie, in his capacity as Chairman of the twenty-ninth session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers.  He said the day of solidarity was taking place at an “extremely dangerous crossroads”, following the unprecedented Israeli military escalation.  Following the events of 11 September 2001, Israel had redoubled its efforts, increased the rhythm of its military incursions, and exploited the terror of the State in the full sense of the word.  People had been massacred and houses and even refugee camps had been demolished.  It had done so through barbaric acts and in flagrant violation of international norms.

He said that the Islamic Conference wished to confirm its full solidarity with the Palestinian people in its sacred struggle to restore its national soil and exercise its full sovereignty within the framework of an independent State.  He called upon the international community to shoulder its responsibilities, fully and speedily, with regard to the events in the Palestinian territory.  Those defenceless people had been suffering from that punishing war and relentless measures of siege and closure.  It was time to force Israel to abide fully with international resolutions, which it had violated for so long.  The Conference remained a great supporter of the Palestinian people in its legitimate struggle.

SAID KAMAL, Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine Affairs of the League of Arab States, read out a message on behalf of Amre Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.  He said Israeli policy had continued to be the major cause of the suffering of the Palestinian people, dashing any hopes for peace in the region.  Israel’s policy of aggression not only threatened Palestine, but peace and stability in the entire region.  The Committee should question what the political limits of Israel’s policies were, and what their consequences would be for the region.

Israel was enjoying a false sense of security, he continued, if it thought it could proceed on its present course, which would destroy any hopes of peace for the region.  Recently, Israel had even refused to coexist with the Palestinian people, and had attempted to snuff out any desire for self-determination through military actions.  The United States -– the major ally of Israel –- had responsibilities for the peace process, but must abide by international law and apply those principles to Israel itself.  The United States made nice speeches about dismantling the settlements and implementing United Nations resolutions, but there were contradictions between those speeches and actual practice.

PHYLLIS BENNIS, fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies, spoke on behalf of non-governmental organizations active on the question of Palestine.  She said that the occupation of Palestine was growing stronger, along with its threat to Palestinian rights and lives.  As the occupying power gained ever more support from the world's sole superpower, the Palestinians' need for international protection grew greater, as well.  Joining those mourning the killing last week of

UNRWA director Iain Hook, she said that even United Nations staff were vulnerable to the violence of the Israeli occupation.

So far, she said that the United Nations had failed in defending Palestinians and international law in the situation; the Security Council remained largely paralyzed.  She commended the myriad of non-governmental organizations that had worked to provide some protection and expose conditions in the occupied territories.  But, serious measures regard were needed from the international community, especially given the danger of war in Iraq and the growing talk of "transfer", which she called a polite Israeli euphemism for ethnic cleansing.

She asked if now was not an appropriate time for the United Nations to warn Israel against any policy of "transfer", or to warn Israeli offices of their liability for war crimes under the Rome Treaty of the International Criminal Court.  United Nations centrality in dealing with the current crisis was essential, she said, describing the Quartet as a solo act with three backup singers limited to joining in on the chorus.  She challenged the Organization to join the non-governmental organization movement in an effort to enforce all its United Nations resolutions, which were consistent in requiring an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine and protection for the Palestinian people.

FAROUK KADDOUMI, head of the Political Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization, expressed his appreciation for all the messages of solidarity received today.  He also thanked the Committee for its work on behalf of the Palestinian people, as well as the statements made during today’s meeting.  He prayed for stability in the region, with justice and the Palestinian cause underlying its achievement.  He conveyed to the Israeli leaders that, through the bitter struggle to resist occupation, victory was close at hand. 

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