A/35/PV.79 General Assembly

In paragraph 1 of the resolu- tion just adopted, the Assembly decided to establish

Today the General Assembly is considering one of the most important items on its agenda, the question of Palestine, which is at the core of a com- prehensive and just settlement of the Middle East conflict as a whole. The lack of a solution to this matter has caused concern among those to whom the guarantee of international peace and security is dear. 26. Great efforts have been made to resolve the Middle East crisis, which is a serious threat to uni- versal peace and security, but the situation obtaining at present in that region remains explosive, both for the States of the region and as regards the interna- tional climate, which has deteriorated a great deal recently. 27. Our position of principle on the situation in the Middle East, and in particular on the question of Palestine, is based on the objective of eliminating the very roots of the conflict in that region. In the opinion of my delegation, the basic elements for a just settle- ment of the Middle East problem are: the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli troops from all Arab territories occupied in 1967; the exercise by the Palestinian people of its inalienable national rights, including its right to self-determination, national Arab peoples. We share that evaluation, since these accords specifically aim to deal a blow to the Arab peoples and undermine their unity. Life has shown us that the separate deals are not only incapable of promoting a settlement of this matter but have created fresh obstacles to the attainment of genuine peace in the Middle East. 31. All the delegations that have spoken here have ultimately asked one specific question: why does Israel flout all relevant United Nations decisions and the opinion of the international community? The overwhelming miUority of delegations are aware that Israel is relying on all-round assistance from the United States of America and its henchmen in pur- suing its policy of refusing to comply with the relevant United Nations resolutions. Furthermore, Israel is continuing to pursue a policy of expansion and as.. gression in respect of neighbouring Arab countries. This is borne out by its ever more widespread acts of aggression against Lebanon. rhe Government of my country decisively condemns these acts and supports the just demand of the international community that Israeli occupation forces be withdrawn from southern Lebanon. 32. A further manifestation of the annexationist policies of Israel vis-a-vis the occupied Arab territo- ries was the decision of the Knesset to declare Jeru- salem "the eternal and indivisible capital" of Israel. That criminal action by Israel is a gross violation of the norms of international law and United Nations resolutions that urge T~I Aviv to renounce measures affecting the character and status of the city of Jeru- salem. 33. My delegation considers at necessary to em- phasize once more that the "articipation of the Pales· I A Framework for Peace in the Middle East Aareed at Camp David, and Framework for the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty be- tween EIYpt and Israel, silned at Washington on 17 september 1978. t.,irl'i,· ,.:. .." ,', 36. ,,My delegation firmly believes that only decisive action taken by the international community can force Israel to comply with the relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. 37. We consider that it is high time to adopt more decisive measures against Israel, including sanctions under Chapter VII of the Charter. In this connexion our delegation would like to refer to paragraph 13 of resolution ES-7/2, in which the General Assembly "Requests the Security Council, in the event of non-compliance by Israel with the present resolu- tion, to convene in order to consider the situation and tbe adoption of effective measures under Chapter VII of the Charter." 38. Mr. KOH (Singapore): The question of Pales- tine is at the very heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict. I say this because the conflict began when the Man- dated Territory of Palestine was partitioned and the State of Israel was created. Consequent upon these two events four wars have been fought between the Arabs 'and.-Israel. One may therefore suppose that if a solution were found to the Palestinian problem there would be peace in the Middle East. 39. The United Nations has in recent years adopted various resolutions recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty. My delegation has supported. those resolutions. My delegation believes also' that Security Council resolution 242 (1967) pro- vides the best basis for a negotiated settlement of the conflict. Isra~1. In that respect we would suggest the exchange of wptual and simultaneous recognition by Israel and bYJ~~ PLp. In or~er t~ encoura~e Israeland the PLO to move m that direction, the international commu- ni~"'l~hould urge them to pursue a course ofmutual aCCRinmodation and compromise. Those who con- tin'~~ to urge Israel not to have any dialogue with the P~P are not helping the process of mutual accommo- dation. On the other side, those Arab States which ,', " ' continue to deny the right of the State of Israel to exist and who threaten "to throw the Jews into the sea" are also not helping the cause of peace. I shall therefore end my very brief statement by appealing to both Israel and the PLO to recognize each other and to recognize each other's rights. 41. Mr. KOMATINA (Yugoslavia): At the seventh emergency special session, held less than five .months ago, the General Assembly confirmed once again that the realization of the inalienable rights of the Pales- tinian people to self-determination 'and national inde- pendence and to return to' their homeland constitutes the core of the Middle East crisis, and ifit is not solved, the"establishment' of a just and lasting peace in the region cannot even be imagined. That unequivocal, and one could say dramatic, message was understood and endorsed by practically the whole international community. Another, equally clear message of the emergency' special session is that only the PLO re- presents the Palestinian people and that a compre- hensive and lasting settlement can be achieved only if the PLO participates, on equal terms, in all discus- sions and conferences on the question of Palestine. 42. Experience confirms every day that the question of Palestine is not merely and isolated problem of the inalienable right of a people to its independent natio- nal State, but an issue with global implications. What is in question is the very essence of.the principles of self-determination, independence and free national and social development, which represent the foun- dation of contemporary international relations and constitute irreplaceable 'buttresses of peace and security in the world. Therefore, a solution can be found only within a comprehensive framework in which all those principles are consistently and fully implemented. 43. An.y steps that either ignore the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to' decide freely on its destiny or claim to take decisions in its name can only further exacerbate over-all relations in the Middle East. No policy, no matter where it is conceived, can lead to durable results unless it takes into account the fact that lasting peace in the Middle East cannot be based on the enslavement of the Palestinian people. 44. At both the emergency special session and during the general debate at the current session the need for an urgent settlement of this problem has been emphasized dra ~t~cally. Soon, the United Nations will have bee ' ,"::.aling unsuccessfully with the question of Palestine for three and a half decades. The sacrifices made by the heroic Palestinian people warn us every day of the limited character of freedom in the world, as long as there is a lack of freedom tion than to unite efforts with a view to settling the Middle East problem as soon as possible on the basis of the realizatiota of the national rights of the Pales- tinian people. For that reason we attach great signi- ficance to this debate, as it is taking place at a moment when there has been an exceptional aggravation of the situation in the Middle East and in tile world. 4S. During the debate on the Middle East, we shall have the opplrtunity to deal with the gravity of this situation and its regional and global dimensions. Those dimensions are clearly borne out by the per- manent agression against the Palestinian people, the tribulations of Lebanon and the annexation of Jerusalem, which was condemned by the whole world. 46. The persistent Israeli policy of expansion, re- liance on force, violation of the decisions Qfthe world Organization and denial of the national and other rights of the Palestinian people constitute an obstacle to a political and peaceful settlement of the crisis. All the greater, therefore, is the regional and global res- ponsibility both of Israel and of the countries that support it, directly and indirectly, in its intransigence. This unchanged situation calls for the undertaking, with a sense of urgency, of measures aimed at imple- menting the numerous resolutions of the United Nations and at compelling Israel to abide by their provisions. 47. The Palestinian people, whose aspir.ition to the recognition of its national rights is subjected to all kinds of pressure, misunderstanding and brute force, has not wavered for a single moment in its fllht to achieve its own liberation and thus contribute to the security and free development of all the peoples and countries in the Middle East. Leading the people along that road, the PLO has asserted itself through its constructive participation in international life, particular!y within the United Nations and the non" aligned movement. The Palestinian people provides us, in the contemporary era of the all-round emanci- pation ofcountries and nations, with the rare example of a people whose very right to existence is denied and which is, furthermore, subjected every day to expulsion from its homeland, to denationalization and to a modernized version ofthe arsenal ofcoercion known to us from the bysone days of colonization. The limited and short-siahted character of such a policy has been repeatedly confirmed by history. 48. It is hiah time to stop labouring under the illu- sion that the national liberation of the Palestinian people can be prevented by force or that anything T"", Palestinians endure their heavy suffering and shQ~ the,resolute desire of their people to regain an identity and a name to bear and to defend. The coura- ge9~s Palestinian revolution has paid the price de- manded to awaken, the universal conscience to the national dimension of tbePalestinian situation. The martyrdom of the people of Palestine is 'the incarna- tion of,the bad conscience of the international com-' munity, some of whose leaders, more than 30 years ago, took the responsibility, unique in the history of the United Nations, of giving international legal sanction to the Zionist plan to despoil Palestine. Finally, zionism is unique in history because it in- volves a colonial activity without precedent. S8. The zionization of Palestine cannot be reduced to being considered as conventional colonization by settlement, because such colonization, althousf! its tentacles embraced the lands and the belongings of entire peoples, did not send an entire people into exile, to live under canvas in encampments, where the collective memory of a nation resisting genocide is distilled. S9. Zionism has raised racism to the status of a state ideology and has made of aagression an instrument to satisfy a territorial appetite that is never satisfied. It feeds on the annihilation of the Palestinian identity; it fundamentally excludes any non-Zionist existence in the land of Palestine. 60. The undertaking of zionization is, finally, es- sentially totalitarian in that it is based on the very neption of the Palestinian man. Do not the most authoritative voices of the Zionist entity constantly affirm, shamelessly and unreservedly, that the Pales- tinians.still in occupied Palestine are merely tempo- rary residents in their own country? And yet, the convergence of often complacent attitudes of indif- ference, the paralysis of large sectors of world opin- ion by a collective guilt complex that is methodically maintained, media manipulation, and the multifarious action of powerful organized pressure groups, have longdrawn a thick veilover the true nature of Zionism. By legitimizing faits accomplis and wrongfully making them appear as So many historical rights, this set of factors has nourished the Zionists' intolerant, exclu- sivist irrendentism. 61. Presented in turn as an island of civilization and progress in an environment carefully described as backward, or as a citadel of besieged liberty, the Zionist entity has long benefited from a methodical distortion of history. That the truth has how finally emerpd about the real nature of zionism, its id ~olo­ aical bases, its political aims and its geostrategical function, bean witness to the scope and strength of Palestinian resistance, enabling the community of nations finally to endorse its struggle as one of natio- nal liberation. 62. The. convening of the General Assembly in emergency special session last July marked an impor- tant ~taae in the restoration of national rights to the waters" to the detriment of the struggle of the i-ldes- tinian people is fraught with the danaer of unforesee- able consequences. S4. Yugoslavia, as a socialist and non-alianed country, has always supported the legitimate struggle of all peoples for freedom and independence. Yugo- slavia' itself emerged from a struggle for national liberation. It has constantly supported the aspiration of the Palestinian people to achieve national liberation an(l to establish its national State. We shall continue to lend'such support because we are convinced that this is in the interest ofan peoples and ofworld peace. SS. The President of the Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Cvijetiil Mijatovic, in a message on the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People; pledged his full support for the just struggle of the 'Palestinian people. He stated, amona other things', the followina: H ••• We wish to reiterate, on this occasion also,our ,solidarjtY,and conviction that the Palestinians will achieve their freedom and'independence, a heritaae ellioyed'by the other peoples of.the world. "I wish to emphasize the firm belief of the Presi- 'dency and of the ,Government ()f the Socialist Federal Republic' of Yugoslavia that the(e can be no just and lastilll peace in the Middle East as long as the question of Palestin~ is not solved ina call!- prehensive manner. That means tha~the. Palest.l- nian ,people ,should be enabled to achle"~ Its baSIC national and.human rights: the right to reUCll to its homeland and to the land from which it was expelled and the 'right to self-determination, including the ri8ht to establish its owa:a State. . " ... the withdrawal of Israel from the territories occupied in the 1967 war is a',basic pre-condition of the establishment of' peace in'the Middle East. At the same time, it is imperative that the inalienable national rights of the Palestinians should be fully achieved and that conditions should be created for the security and development of all the States and peoples in the region. All the parties to tbe conflict should take part in tbe search ,forsuc.h .a solution, includilll the Palestine Liberation .Oqaniz.ation, as tbe legitimate representative of the' Palestinian people. We are alad to note that that framework, advocated by the non-aliped countries, has re- cently' been accepted by almost the entire interna- tional community, and in that we see a confirmation of the correctness of such a path." S6. Mr. BEDJAOUI (Algeria) (interpretation from French): The question ofPalestine is regularly brouaht before the United Nations, thus callina upon the 65. The emergency special session established that the Camp, David accords were unacceptable to the international community. It thus threw a harsh light on the crisis of credibility which, on all fronts, strikes the prospect of a separate and partial settlement opened up by those agreements. Similarly, emphasis was laid on the absolute failure of an approach fun- damentally based on a distortion of Palestinian nation- hood, which has been reduced by politico-legal tricks to the mere exercise-s-at that precarious-of auto- nornyin administrative management. 66. Finally, the emergency' special session of the General Assembly strikingly established the majority recognition of the Palestinians' existence as a nation and their threefold claim to self-determination, inde- pendence and return to the homeland. 67. The General Assembly crowned' that session by the adoption of resolution ES-7/2, in which it sol- emnly reaffirmed: first, the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to natio- nal independence and sovereignty, as well as the right to establish its own independent sovereign State in Palestine; secondly, the inalienable right of the Pa- lestinians to return to their homes and property in Palestine, from which they have been displaced and uprooted; thirdly, the right of the PLO, ,the repre- 68. The seventh emergency special session .of the General Assembly was in preparation when the Zionist leaders once again displayed their arrogant disdain for the,international community by declaring the annexation-of the holy city of AI Quds, in de- fiance of the fundamental principle of the inadmissi- bility of the acquisition of territory by force and of the relevant Security Council resolutions. This mea- sure did not surprise us. Indeed, it is inspired by the logic of zionism itself, for which the last act of pillage is always a forerunner of the next. It is directly con- nected to the Zionist policy of "de-Arabizing" the whole of Palestine. 69. The annexation of AI Quds, the multiplication of the number of settlements, the dismemberment of Lebanon, the threats finally to annex the Oolan, put the unbridled territorial expansionism of the Zionist entity permanently on the agenda. V/ithin the dy- namics of reciprocal interaction, this territorial expansionism and official policy of "de-Arabization" which goes hand in hand with it, feed zionism. 70. So, the zionization of the whole of Palestine continues methodically and implacably. The oppres- sion of the population of the occupied territories' is becoming worse and being extended and does not even spare local authorities recognized by the Zionist administration itself; The plunder of property and the confiscation of land are carried out in the most official manner possible in accordance with public program- mes; settlements increase, even in some of the holy places of Islam. Powerfully supported by terrorist groups, the Zionist army maintains, in occupied Palestine, a reign of terror which its overwhelming material superiority enables the conqueror to bring to bear against the desire for freedom of the Arab population. 71. Nothing else need be said; the facts speak for themselves. It is enough to observe them. In the to- talitarian Zionist entity, the deed takes precedence over the law. The legalizing of annexation, the denial of the right of the people to decide their own future, the institutionalized aggression designed to put into practice the disturbing theory of a "demographic vacuum in the occupied Arab territories" are so many ways to undermine the very basis of contemporary international society. 72. In the face of. this attempt to zionize Palestine with the aid of an infernal war machine and a police network with proved terrorist expertise, the people of Palestine are exercising their Aegitimate right to use violence to free themselves. This is the armed resistance of a people' to colonial oppression and racist domination. It is, the struggle of a subjugated people to gain freedom from the "non-person;' status in which some have tried vainly to enclose it. It is, furthermore, the expression of a refusal on the part of the Palestinian people to abdicate control over their own destiny. In occupied Palestine, the "wandering people", the people fighting with "their backs to the sea", are indeed the Palestinian people. Z Treaty of Peace between the Arab Republic of Elypt and the State of Israel, sianed at Washinaton on 26 March 1979. 88. In Aprilthis year the Security Councilconsidered once again the recommendations of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Pales- tinian People, as a result of which a vote was taken on a draft resolution aimed at ending the tragedy and suffering of the Palestinian Arabs and restoring the legitimate national rights of that people. However, the delegation of the United States, by exercising yet again its rightof veto, stood in the way of the adoption . of that draft resolution, the aim of which was a just solution of the Palestinian problem. Thus the present Administration, which is so fond of playing the role of the champion of human rights, must once again bear heavy responsibility before the whole world for the continued failure to resolve the question C'~ the fate of 4 million Palestinian Arabs. 89. The United States continues to play the un- seemly role of protector of a State whose rulers fol- low a policy of territorial expansion and, as a means of achieving it, unceasing aggression. As a result, in the past year Israel has intensifies its policies of expropriation and colonization of Arab lands in the occupied territories. It has created in them a wide network of militarized settlements and has perpe- trated acts of terror and oppression against the in- digenous population. Using trumped-up pretexts of "revenge" or "pre-emptive strikes", the Israeli army has continually perpetrated. a~t.~ of aggression against Lebanon, actively using Israel"s henchn,enhl the separatists units of Haddad, which have en- trenched themselves in the southern part of that country with the assistance of Tel Aviv. 90. The turn of events in the Middle East of late has shown quite convincingly that since the con- clusion of the separate deal at Camp David through the efforts of the United States, Israel and the Egyp- tian regime, which capitulated to them, the knot of contradictions in the Middle East has become even tighter and the prospects of a solution of the Pales- tinian problem have become more and more remote. Experience has shown that any attempt to avoid set- tling the Palestinian problem or to substitute half- measures for a proper solution not only fails to pro- mote progress towards a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East but, on the contrary, creates further obstacles to the attainment of that objective. An example of this was the plan for "administrative autonomy" for the inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza. That plan, and the whole Camp David sce- nario, is categorically repudiated by the people of Palestine and the peoples of other Arab States, since it is seen by them as a gross attempt on the part of the United States, Israel and Egypt to decide the fate of the Palestinians behind their backs, in complete disregard of their will. The real aim of the plan for so-called administrative autonomy is to consolidate Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands, to hamper the exercise by the Arab people of Palestine of its legitimate national rights, above all its right to create its own independent State, and to prevent the PLO 94. The Soviet Union wishes its friends, the people of Palestine, and their political avant-garde, the PLO, further success in their struggle for a just and lasting peace in. the Middle East, for the achievement of national independence and the creation of their own State. We have no doubt about their victory in that struggle and are prepared to assist them in every way.

It was only four months ago that we met in an emergency special ses- sion to discuss the question of Palestine. That session was held in response to a call by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palesti- nian People. As Mr. Kaddoumi, head of the Political Department of the PLO, said during the present session, "This Assembly meets again to discuss the question of Palestine as it has been doing since 1948. The question of Palestine is as old as the United Nations itself". The continued existence of this problem constitutesv'a heavy burden on the con- science of the world". [75th meeting, para. 82.] 98. The quest for a permanent peace settlement has been thwarted time and again by the obdurate and opportunistic positions adopted by Israel with regard to the occupied Arab territories. In an undisguised manner and in deliberate contempt of international opinion, Israel, in pursuance of its Zionist dream and the principle of the "homeland doctrine", has slowly entrenched its presence in the occupied areas. It has brought forth arguments whereby, in accordance with so-called security considerations and newly estab- lished claims of legitimacy derived from questionable biblical history, it has proposed justifications for its presence which are totally immoral and irrelevant. Israel's efforts to create its own interpretation of history can only be termed as a distortion and travesty of law and principles. 99. The Palestinian people have had a continuous presence in that area for more than 2,000 years. It cannot be relegated to limbo and made a non-people by mere armed might or by virtue ofsupposed spiritual ties between that territory and the Jewish people. There have been efforts in history whereby strong nations have tried to impose their will on others and have presumed that strength alone could justify im- moral principles. Fortunately for civilization and mankind, however, such efforts have never met with success. 100. We firmly believe that this policy of creeping annexation on the part of Israel will also suffer its own downfall. Expansion can be camouflaged with words, but deeds speak for themselves. If the people of Israel and the Zionist entity think that the world at large will be fooled by their rhetoric, pretences and decep- tion, they are the only ones to be so deceived. By the same token, Israeli attempts to annex parts of Leba- non, as well as the Golan Heights, should draw uni- versal condemnation. 101. Israel today is carrying out a wilful, systematic and large-scale process of establishing settlements, The vast majority of those illegal areas of habitation are not only established to meet so-called security 110. Indeed, could Israeli expansionism continue to flourish without the necessary prerequisite-the American policy in t~ Middle East-and without the Camp David deals? No, those deals, made with- out the participation and against the will of the Arab people of Palestine and its sole, legitimate represen- tative, the PLO, disregard the inalienable national rights of the Arab people of Palestine and are there- fore the source of the increased tension in the region. It is precisely those deals and the separate negotia- tions on so-called autonomy that are a factor in the continued Israeli occupation of Arab territories. The international community now realizes even more clearly that the separate deals are a dead-end and are doomed to failure, since they are merely the expres- sion of a desire to consolidate the results of expan- sionist, aggressive attacks carried out under a policy of "fait accompli", disregarding world public opinion, including that of the United Nations. IIt, 'Tbe, O'i)Vernmen~ of my, country supports the vital demands of the Arab people of Palestine. Cze- choslovakia condemns the continued Israeli occupa- tion of Arab territories, as well as the fact that the Arab people' of Palestine is deprived of its rights, including its right to create its own State. We believe that the United Nations sould put an end to that situa- tion and should show its resolve by taking the most stringent measures against Israel under Chapter VII of the Charter to force it to heed the will of the inter- national community. 112. The entire development of the Palestinian pro- blem shows quite clearly that, notwisthstanding Israel's reluctance to make amends for the crimes committed against the Palestinians, and notwith- standing the support given Israel by imperialism, the Palestinian struggle will be crowned with success. 113. In conclusion, I should like to assure the re- . presentative of the PLO that the Czechoslovak Socia- list .Republic intends to continue to develop and strengthen relations of friendship with the Palestinian people and its sole representative, the PLO; and that it will support the just struggle of the Palestinian people for its inalienable rights.

Four months ago the General Assembly met in emergency special session to consider the serious situation resulting from the fact that the Security Council had been unable to take a decision on the recommendations relating to the implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. 121. The second set of recommendations included in General Assembly resolution ES-7/2 relate to the implementation of the recommendations drawn up by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable 122. As we can see, the task entrusted to the Secre- tary-General in resolution ES-7/2 reflects the wishes of the m~ority of the international community. As representatives will have noticed, these recommen- dations are all based on a spirit of peace, justice and mutual understanding. They are not designed to call into question the existence of any State in the region, but rather to establish conditions conducive to the establishment of a Palestinian State as provided for in General Assembly resolution 181 (11), a State which, I am sure, would fully subscribe to the pur- poses and principles of the Charter. 123. It is regrettable to note, as is pointed out in the report of the Secretary-General [A/35/618-S/14250], the refusal of the Israeli Government to implement resolution ES-7/2 01', the pretext that Security Council resolution 242 (1967) constitutes the sole agreed basis for a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Arab con- flict. In my delegation's view, any negotiations on the Palestinian question must take into account the right of the PLO, the legitimate representative of the -Palestinian people, to take part in them. 124. The conclusions in the report of the Secretary- General bring us to the third recommendation of re- solution ES-7/2 concerning the adoption of effective measures, in accordance with the Charter, to oblige Israel to apply General Assembly decisions. This recommendation is in accordance with the spirit and letter of the Charter, which entrusted the Security Council with the main responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. 125. Unfortunately, with regard to the question of Palestine the Council has not thus far been able to take a' decision on the Assembly recommendations concerning the implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. It is important for the Council to give a ruling on this fundamental issue. And this seems all the more feasible since the Council was recently brought to adopt measures similar /;n every way to those recommended by the General Assembly in its programme for the implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. Those measures are to be found in Council resolutions 465 (1980) and 476 (1980), which are in fact practical applications of the recommendations in the report of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People [A/35/35, paras. 72 (e) and (d»). 126. My delegation cannot but welcome such deve- lopments. It invites Member States that feel unable