Egypt's Statement at U.N General Assembly on situation in Palestinian territories
Palestine-Egypt, Politics, 5/9/2002

Ambassador Ahmedabul-Gheit, Egypt's Chief delegate to the United Nation delivered at the U.N General Assembly the following statement

Mr. President:

The General Assembly is back again to resume its 10th extraordinary session on the Palestinian cause.

The world community, but the entire mankind, has witnessed in the past few weeks the sad events and human violations in the Palestinian territories, towns and villages. The General Assembly meets today to rescue the United Nations from this utter failure that befell lately the Security Council's disability in undertaking its responsibilities for depending the U.N. Charter, principles of the human international law, the 4th Geneve Convention and the world declaration of human rights.

Mr. President: Mankind has followed, with heavy heart and sad sensations, what the Israeli army has committed, with directives from its political command, of acts of destruction, murder and vandalism. The Security Council has dealt with this deteriorating situation by adopting resolutions that reflected the will of the international legitimacy, and at the top of them are resolution 1397 and the two resolutions 1402 and 1403. Moreover, the U.N Secretary General worked for the formation of a fact-finding committee on the violations and war crimes that the Israeli army committed. In this regard, the Security Council took prompt action of approving the U.S. draft resolution that welcomed the move taken by the Secretary General. Then came resolution 1405 to confirm the necessity of respecting the human international law. The days passed, and the Israeli government rejected receiving and cooperating with the international investigation team. Nevertheless, the Security Council kept silent, then the Secretary General announced the liquidation of the team after he got fed up with any support from the Security Council.

Mr President:

We all know the real roots and the direct reasons of what the occupied Palestinian's territories today witness. They are the same reasons of the continuation of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian's territories in the West Bank and Gaza for 35 years. Throughout this period, Israel has been trying to implement practices and plans for colonial settlement. Despite the convenance of Madrid Conference in October 1991 and reaching Oslo Deal, many internal elements inside Israel started to foil these agreements with posing impediments before their implementation. For Israel seems to be unwilling to put an end to its occupation and usurpation to the rights of the Palestinian people, and it is always ready to resist the resolutions of the international legitimacy by force. All these attempts were associated with its stepping up of its settlement policy, constructing settlements, suffocating the Palestinian people to push them to despair and surrender to occupation and deprivation of their rights.

Nevertheless, this did not and will not materialize, the Palestinian people and their legitimate leadership remained resistant to the Israeli occupation with all available means against the oppressive forces. The world followed with sadness and denunciation, regrettably ineffective, the events of the past twenty months in which the occupation force was at full swing in opposing a people that stood and rose up demanding their constant rights, at the top of them are freedom and self-determination just like any people in the world that got rid of imperialism, similar to the Israeli colonialism of the Palestinian territories that it occupied after June 4, 1967. This valiant people did not stand alone but all countries believing in the right, justice, law and legitimacy stood beside them.

Mr President:

This tragic situation in the occupied Palestinian territories which were reoccupied lately must end, and must end immediately and the occupation force must halt all acts of violence and crimes of assassinating commanders and activists of the national resistance, demolish of towns and villages, exhausting up the economic capabilities, aggression on civilians and attempts of humiliation and insult. All these crimes must stop immediately.

Mr. President:

What is requested from the General Assembly is to defend the international legitimacy, the international law and the right of self-determination to the peoples as well as the implementation of agreements and the international resolutions and to stop these resolutions from being undermined.

What is requested from the General Assembly, whose duty is to defend the credibility and effectiveness of the Charter, is to confirm its denunciation of the Israeli violations against the Palestinian people and territories, and to demand from the Secretary General to present a full report on the violations, acts of aggression, and war crimes committed by the Israeli army against the Palestinians inside towns and villages of Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank. We have no doubt about what this report will contain.

Mr. President :

We are certain that the existent situation and the entrenched occupation can not remain, and all world forces of effect on it must exert a serious and honest effort to reach a final and just settlement to this tragic situation to which the sons of Palestinian people are exposed. The road to this just settlement must go through the following main points:

First:

The immediate cessation of the existing Israeli occupation, the withdrawal of the Israeli forces to the lines before September 28,2000, the non-recurrence of these attacks and invasions by the Israeli army and the start of the urgent dispatch of international force of observation to monitor the situation on the ground as suggested by the UN Secretary General.

Second:

The halt of armed confrontations and acts of violence in a way to open the road to a stage of quiet, accompanied by an overall political effort of negotiations that can lead to a durable and just settlement.

Third:

The adherence to all references of international legitimacy previously agreed upon , as basis of negotiations, and these are the UN resolutions , topped by the Security Council resolutions 242, 338, 1397, Madrid principle of land for peace, the agreements and understandings reached previously by the Israelis and the Palestinians until Dec. 2000, and the Arab peace initiative, and accordingly, the final settlement can include the following:

1- The Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territories occupied after June 4, 1967, the halt of the settlement policy, and dismantling the existing settlements

2- The right of Palestinians in self-determination, and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

3- The right of the two parties in equal security through agreed-upon arrangements and which do not reflect the weight of invasion whatsoever.

4- Realization of a just and workable settlement for the cause of the Palestinian refugees, based on the resolutions of legitimacy and international law.

Mr. President:

Any effort towards the settlement must stem from all these basic elements to guarantee its success. However, the most important element in securing the achievements of this targeted settlement is that of time frame for moving towards its realization. Negotiations between the two parties can not remain open-ended. It is not accepted for negotiations to continue for ten years without realizing the achievement of the historic objectives of the Palestinian people or repeating the maneuvers made by Israel in the past years that followed Madrid Conference. Security for the two sides and peace and stability for the two peoples as well as for the peoples of the region will never be realized except through a just settlement outlined by the world, represented in the United Nation, and unanimously accepted by the Arab States, whereas the Israeli government resorts to maneuvers for averting its approval and implementing what has been already agreed upon.

Mr. President :

The Palestinian people need the most international support possible, particularly after the infrastructure of its institutions has been damaged, along with the demolish of many of its utilities and capabilities in various towns and villages .

The flags of the Palestinian people and the banners held by Yasser Arafat, the legitimate President who is democratically elected, will remain high. The Palestinians will remain opposed to the occupation entrenched in their lands by the support of all forces believing in law, justice, legitimacy, love in real peace and security. Occupation will come to an end, and the Palestinian state will be established to live in peace with its neighbour after withdrawing from the Palestinian territories that it occupied in violation of every law and principle.

Previous Stories:
  UN General Assembly to resume emergency special session on Middle East   (5/7/2002)
  UN Security Council required to follow up on Israel's war crimes, Baz   (5/6/2002)
  Al-Baz, Maher voice solidarity for the Palestinians   (5/6/2002)
  SC turned its back on Annan over fact-finding mission   (5/4/2002)

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