A/38/PV.81 General Assembly

The question of Palestine has been recognized as one of the most acute and complex problems of our time. It was inherited by the United Nations at the time of its establishment. Today, more than ever before, an urgent solution to this question, which has been the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, is essential. It requires a comprehensive, just and lasting political settlement that would encompass the aspirations, hopes and dreams of all peoples in the region. 20. During the year, we have deliberated countless times and made unswerving efforts to bring about peace and stability to all nations and peoples in the region, as weIl as to restore the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination and the right to the establishment of an independent State in Palestine. 21. Those untiring efforts at the various meetings in the past months, at Arusha, Managua, Sharjah, Kuala Lumpur and Geneva, have been fruitful. They have focused world attention on the gravity and complexity of the question of Palestine. They have indicated to the whole world that partial solutions to the problem were inadequate and any delay to seek a comprehensive settle- ment could only exacerbate tension in the region. 22. There must now be greater determination and efforts towards a new era and a truly comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the region. Such an era must encompass the realization of our hopes and dreams for stability and justice in the Middle East, as well as the creation of a new generation of peace where all peoples of the region would exchange the vengeance and conflict of the past for a future of peaceful coexistence based on mutual trust, respect and understanding. 23. The International Conference on the Question of Palestine, held at Geneva from 29 August to 7 September this year, has provided us with the framework for peace. It is now time for us, the world community, to act without delay to implement the principles and purposes of the Geneva Declaration on Palestine I and the Programme of Action for the Achievement of Palestinian Rights.' To delay any action on those two consensus instruments for peace and justice would deny us the opportunity to work for a comprehensive, just and durable settlement of the question of Palestine. 24. What indeed emerged at Geneva was the "spirit of Geneva"-a clear and universal convergence of views with regard not only to the gravity of the situation in the "(d) Facilitatin~ the implementation of the rightto return of the Palestinians to their homes and property; "(e) Supervising elections to the constituentassem- bly of the independent Palestinian State in which all Palestinians shall participate, in the exercise of their right to self-determination; "ifJ Providing, if necessary, temporary peace- keeping forces in order to facilitate the implementation of subparagraphs (a) to (e) above." 29. Today, more than ever before, we must shoulder our responsibility on the question of Palestine. Byvirtue of General Assembly resolution 181 (II) we have given the Palestinian people the moral, political and legal foun- dation on which to achievetheir inalienable rights, includ- ing the right to independent Statehood. This responsibility remains unalterably ours, and in particular that of the members of the Security Council, which has the primary role of ensuring international peace and security. Assuch, it is our joint duty and responsibility. 30. At stake in the question of Palestine are interna- tional peace and security, liberty and human dignity, 34. All the Israeli practices in the occupied Arab and Palestinian territories confirm Israel's ex,pansiomst policy designed to tighten its control and to perpetuate its occupation and annexation of the territories and to dis- place the Palestinian people. In fa.ct, this policy is the logical result of the true nature of Israel from the very outset-that is, a settler, eXYBnSiOnist State in the heart oftheArab homeland. Israe has usurped the territory of Palestine and annexed Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Ithasbeenbuilding settlements in the occupied Arab and Palestinian territories, in nagrant violation of Security Council resolution 465 (1980), which affirmed the ille- gality of the Israeli settlements policy, the various forms of racist oppression of the Palestinian people and the confiscation of its land, water resources and property; Israel seeks to intimidate, displace and even annihilate It, aswell as obliterate its character. cultural and historical landmarks. 35. The express statements of the rulers of Israel have proven categorically that !smells policy i.s directed against the Palestinian territory and the Palestinian people, and mdeed extends to large parts of the territory of other Arab States. The talk about the so-called "security of lsrael" ~as.no geographical limits; it is a mere pretext for jus- tlf~ng the racist, settler expansionist nature of that policy, In the implementation of which Palestinian and A~b territories have been seized by force and the Golan HeIghts and Jerusalem have been annexed. Preparations are under way to annex the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and other occupied Arab territories. The Israeli invasion i responsibilityfor the bloody war it unleashed, today, on . theother hand, it is obvious that in the world as a whole theapproach to the current question of lawful Palestinian rightsand also to the substance of the Middle East crisis has become more sensible, more complex and more objective. 55. In the final documents of the Conference, the Geneva Declarationon Palestine I and the Programme of Action for the Achievement of Palestinian Rights, I there is an Important conclusion concerning the kind of machinery that would be most appropriate for the earliest possible settlement of this problem. Such machinery would be co~stituted by an international peace conference on the MIddle East under the aegis of the United Nations, and that should no longer be deferred. We must never have a repetition of what happened at Sabra and Shatila. 56. As was pointed out in the congratulatory telegram sentby the General Secretary of the Central Committee ofthe Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Mr. Gustav Husak, to the Chairman of the Executive Committee of thePalestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, on theoccasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Czechoslovakia is firinly con- VInced that, because of the concerted and determined 1983, on the occasion of the observance of the Interna- tional Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in which he said: " "The question of Palestine continues to be the crux of the problem in West Asia. It is a major challenge to the credibility of the international community in its effortsto uphold the principles and objectives enshrined In theCharter ofthe United Nations. No other problem has evokedso much thought and unleashed such a high 'degree of indignation in recent times as this issue-the tragedy of a dispossessed nation. I:Th~ political ent.ity of the Palestinian people and their right to establish a State of their own 10 their homeland are an established fact under international law and jurisprudence. To ignore this factor would be to discount a reality recognized by an overwhelming majority of the world's nation-States. The recognition 67. .The. Governme.nt of Bangladesh pledges once again tqat. It will ~tand WIth our Pal~stinian brethren in this dlff~cult pe~lOd. At the sa:ne time, we join hands with t~e. mterna~lOnal co~mumt>, to compel Israel to end its s~mster de~lgns an~ mtransIgence and to obey the deci- sions of this body, m the greater interest ofinternational peace and security. 68. Mr. JAMAL (Qatar) (interpretationjromArabic)' In the den~e,darlmess surrounding the future and fate or the Palestinian people, whose suffering and plight have Ia;>ted for too long, there is a glimmer of hope-that is, Without ~ doubt, the firm support of world publicopinion ror .the Just caus~ of .the Palestinian people and their inalienable and historical national rights. This support was marufested two days ago in the celebration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and, in particular, in the expression by a large number of hc:ads of State Or Government throughout the world of their full support for and solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people, their recognition of the !ull pol~tical rights Of,those people as endorsed by the. international .commu~llty and embodied in the reso- lutions of the United Nations and of other international bodies,. an? their denunciation of Israeli policies of e~panslon In the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Holy City of Jerusalem and other occupied Arab territories. ~9. T~at Internati~nal Day was the most eloquent, prac- tical evidence of universal support for the rights of the Palestinian people and their bitter struggle throughout the years to exercise their rights, under the leadership of the PLO, their sole legitimate representative. It was also a universal condemnation of Israeli occupation and an incontestable verdict in favour of the ostracization of Israel until it complieswith the will of the GeneralAssem- bly by implementing its resolutions, which, inter alia, recognizethe right of the Palestinian people to self-deter- mination and to establish their own independent State in Palestine. 70. Unfortunately. it seems that despite this world-wide unanimity the sentence will remain suspended, thus leav- ing the criminal free and out of reach of justice and punishment, as long as it continues to enjoy the protection of the veto of one permanent member of the Security Council. Under the protection of that veto, Israel has managed to treat with contempt the resolutions of the United Nations, including Security Council resolutions supported by the United States itself. Israel has also con- tinuously violated the principles of the Charter, interna- tional law and I in particular J the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949.5 71. Under this special protection, Israel has managed to continue its occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Syrian Golan Heights from 1967 to the present. 72. In the absence of any effective international deter- rent, Israelproceededto implement its expansionist scheme step by step. It annexed Arab Jerus~em.a.nd declared it to be its eternal capital-as the Israeli officialsarrogantly 1~. At the same time, Israel controls practically two thirds of the West Bank area, either through the Jewish' settlers or through the Israeli occupation forces. The ultimate aim ~f the programme of the Israeli Government IS the establishment of 110 settlements, which would a~c~mmodate 1 million Israelis by the year 2000. It is not difficult to sum up this expansionist settler programme In one sentence: that is, Israel does not intend to return !he,Palestinian territories it occupied in 1967 to their indigenous owners, namely, the Palestinian people, which were forced in 1948 to pay for the sins of the Nazis by the expropriation of half their homeland for the settle- me~t of Jews from Europe who did not belong to the ~eglOn. Today, Israel is devouring piece by piece whatever IS leftof the soil of that Arab Palestinian homeland while the world is faced with sudden crises wars and local clas.hes, w,hich Israel continually fom~nts in order to achieve this far-reaching, long-term objective. 77.. It is important to unveil the true intentions of Israel, to Im~lement the first paragraph of the Programme of Action for the Achievement of Palestinian Rights, I 1982 by the Twelfth Arab Summit Conference.' 78. Those resolutions and decisions affirm, -first, the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including above all their right to return to their homeland their right to self-determination, and their right to the ~stab­ lishment of an independent State of their own in Pales- tine. Secondly, stress is laid on the need to end the Israeli occup~t~on of t~e ;yab territories, incl~ding the occupied Palestinian terntones and Jerusalem, In accordance with the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force. Thirdly, all illegal Israeli laws per- taining to the expropriation of property and land are declared null and void, Fourthly, the Security Council is invited to take effective action to ensure the exercise of their legitimate rights by the Palestinians in order to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict, which is deeply rooted in the question of Palestine. 79. The solution to the question of Palestine needs no further study; for the past 35 yearsit has been the subject of more than enough study and consideration. The solu- tions are not unattainable. The international community has already referred to all these solutions in detail in a large number of United Nations resolutions, in par- ticular General Assembly resolution 3236 (XXIX). The only thing that prevents us from breathing new life into these resolutions is the lack of the political willand good faith that are essential if we are to secure justice for the Arab Palestinian people in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. 80. It is undeniable that the international community has neverceasedcondemningthe Israeliaggressionagainst the Palestinian people and territory, and has never hesi- tated to reaffirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, but it is beingcrippled bythe right of veto, which is being used by a permanent member of the Security Council in support of the illegal policies and practices of Israel. Unless this situation is rectified, which unfortu- nately is hardly likely in view of the recently announced strengthening of military, economic and strategic co- operation between the United States and Israel, the Mid- dle East will not know peace and this region, afflicted with the Israeli presence, will remain as one of the most dangerous hotbeds of tension, jeopardizing world peace and security. . 81. Mr. SHIHABI (Saudi Arabia) (interpretation from Arabic): There is no questionfor whichthe United Nations bears a more fundamental responsibilitythan the question of Palestine. The question of Palestine is one of the despoiling of a people and a land, the denial of justice and law and the violation of all ethical standards and moral commitments. Perhaps the gravest aspect is that the situation is now deteriorating even further: Israel is intensifying its oppression with apparent immunity, vio- lating all the rights, lawsand obligations which the United Nations has a duty to uphold. 82. For sometime now, Israel and the Zionist movement have been waging a relentless campaign of vilification ·Quoted In English by the speaker. ~ent of Palestinian Rights,' adopted by the Interna- tional Conference on the Question of Palestine, held at Geneva from 29 August to 7 September 1983. 134. I should like to take this opportunity to state that my country fully endorses those Conference docu- ments, which are a logical extension of the Arab peace plan,which the European Council declared on 22 March 1983 were a step towards peace in the Middle East [see A/38/124]. These documents are entirelycompatible with c.n~e than that which was perpetrated against the Pales- tinian people in their own homeland by Israeli Zionists. 160: Asa consequence of the expansionist and exclusivist polIcy of Israel, the Palestinian nation has been deprived f28. It is no longer a secret how Israel is able to fly In the face of the international community in complete .disregard of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and manages to get away with its mur- derous actions and policies. The entire cause of the United Nations' failure to call to order one of its smallest members lies in the intransigent refusal of one of its biggest members to co-operate in the implementation of its resolutions. .. It is quite obvious that the developments now taking place in the region clearly confirm the strategic dimension planned by the imperialist Powers since the establishment of the Zionist State of Israel at the expense of the Palestinian people. , , "In the struggle against zionism and imperialism and for independence, freedom, peace and progress in the Middle East, the unity and solidarity of all peace-loving Arab peoples, ~nd esp,ecially the ,unitY,of, the,Pal~st,in­ ian people-s-which United States imperialism IS striving to destroy-is the path that can lead to final and com- plete victory." 241. Mr. SALAH (Jordan) (interpretationjrom ~rabic): Anyone who believes that the reasons behind the VIolence and tension in the Middle East region have changed would have to be naive indeed. It might serve the Interests of some to claim today that the Israeli occupation of the Arab territories and its denial of the right of the Pales- tinian people to exercise their legitimate rights ~e ~ot and have not been the primary cause of the tension m that region. 242. But I should like to repeat, for the. benefit of anyone who might fall into the trap of making a h~~ty judgement, that the failure to bring peace and st~bIlIty to the region is basically the result of Isra~l's cont!nued refusal to comply with the international ~I11 and 'Ylth.all the cans for right and justice. Why, then, IS there fighting in northern Lebanon? Who are living in the Beddawi ~nd Nahr al-Barid camps? Are they not refugees f!~m ~a:fa, Hebron, Jerusalem and Jaffa and other PalestIman CItIes,? Why are Arab parties fighting each other there? Why IS Arab blood being shed by Arabs? Is that not the result of differences of opinion with regard to the way t~at t,he problem of the Israeli occupation of the Arab ternt,o~Ies should be dealt with, and the denial to the Palestinian ~43. One need not dwell 011 the role played by Israel III the perpetuation of tension and war in the Middle East. The explosive fires of violence and terrorism have been fanned by Israel's occupation of the Arab territories and Its refusal. to part!cipate !n a~y efforts to attain peace. Its extremist policiesand Its reiecuon of any concessions are. responsible for the wave of violence sweeping our resion. 244. 'Israel knowsquite wellthat what it has to fear the ~ost is peace,Therefore, it has mobilized itsentire poten- ttal to avoid peace, To that end, it has pursued a policy of exploitation and sowed the seeds of division and con. flict in the Middle East to poison the situation in the region and to arouse ethnic, national and sectarian Iac- tionalism-and Israel would remain the strongest fac- tion, That is one of the central aims of Israel's foreign policy. It wants to keep the Arab world and the Middle East region at the boiling point. The existence of this state of affairs helpsentrench irrationality and givesrise among someto frustration and fear, leadingto irrational reactions. 245, That is what Israel is trying to promote in the Middle East region in order to make the Arab world sap its own strength; it wouldthen finishit off in a few devas- tating strokes. Thissituation is intendedto create a series of tensions and hotbeds of war, in whichIsrael does not mean to participate directly, believing that it can in this way hide the principal cause of the tensions and of all the wars and atrocities in the Middle East, particularly Israel's continued occupation of theArab territories and its denial of the right of the Palestinian people to self- determination, 246. In its plan, Israel has exploited various factors, including extremist appeals and irrational reactions on the part of some, caused mainly by frustration at or fear of the magnitude of the Israeli conspiracyto undermine the very existenceof th~ Palestinians and.Arabs. But t~e most important factor III the successof ItS plans and m its continued intransigence is the inabilityof the United Nations to implementitsresolutions and to translate them into action. I need not dwell on the reasons for that inability, for they are well known to all, but I WIsh to state my fear that the day could come when we place criticism of the Organization for itsImpotencein the. face of Israel above criticismof Israel itselfand of Its actions, 247 Israel is attempting to rewrite the history and geography of the area. Its establish~ent of settlements, its confiscation of Arab lands and Its attempt by any means to expel the Arab inhabitants from those lands, as wellas its military manoeuvres beyondthe b~rders of Palestine, are policieswhichare intended ~o facilitate the annexation of the West Bank and Gaza m the wa~e of the annexationof Arab Jerusalemand theGolan Hel~ts. Those policies are manifes~ations of.the ~sraelI doctr!ne of creating a newgeographicaland historical foundation in the Middle East region. , 248. The roots of the Palestinian problem li~ In Israel's expansionist Zionist inclinations, the historical, SOCIal and political'bases of which are well known to all: Also no secret is the way in which Israel attempts to Ju~tify its policies: its security-related,Pretexts and fallacious arguments about its mythical rights are we!l knowp.to all. Even the friends of Israel cannot ig~or~ Its ambition or its attempts to annex the Arab ternton~s. 249. Israel claims that the Arabs do not ~Ish to recog- nize it and that they do not want peace m the region. alre~dYseized 28 per cent of the lands in Cisjordan, and that60 per cent of the lands of the West Bank had been earmarked for settlements. 263. The fate of other territories in the Middle East which Israel seized by force, the launching of successive wars in the Middle East, the last of which came very close tobeingthe ultimate world catastrophe, underline the real dimensions of the Palestinian question. 264. The people of Palestine. proud of its traditions, always united in adversity, stood up to respond by force to the language of force imposed on it by Israel. 265. Palestinian resistance, which some felt was merely asideissuewhich Israeli bombs and missiles would surely buryin oblivion, has revealed itself as one of the most glorious of all resistances against foreign domination. It cannot be broken, and the inability of Israel to break it has intensified its repression in Palestine and increased its wars of aggression against its neighbours. 266. The report of the Committee on the Exercise of theInalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and that ofthe Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Arab Territories contain abundant details on the continuing confiscations of land, the closing of schools, and the violation of the conscience of Pales- tinians, all practices which shed. sufficient light on the determination of Israel to make use of the entire land of Palestine solely for its own benefit. 267. During an earlier statement in this Hall on the question of Palestine, my delegation recalled the striking andsignificant vision of some young Palestinians who, having been arbitrarily arrested, one after the other answered "Palestine" when the Israeli torturers asked for their names. 268. It wiII be remembered that it was young Palestin- ians who had contributed to turning into a nightmare what Israel had believed would be merely a military excur- sion when it recently invaded Lebanon and besieged Beirut. 269. Thus, the harder Israeli oppression in Palestine becomes, the stronger and more determined will be the Palestinian response. We must live with this reality. We mustlive with the reality lhatthe Middle East has often burst into names and that it rests on a gigantic powder keg, because no satisfactory solution has been found to the Palestinian problem. 270. Whenever attempts have been made to play down or disguisethe question of Palestine, it has had a greater effect on the international situation. And whenever a SOlution has been proposed that did not take account of theinalienable rights of the Palestinian peopl~. th~ war In the Middle East has flared up, and each lime It has been more of a threat to peace. aspi~ations of'the Palestinian ~J?le ~nd t~e exerciseby them of the right to self-determination m theirown home- land; thirdly, in a broader context, to resolvethe Middle East conflict so that thl~ turbulent and se~~tlVe region may enjoy just and lasting peace and stability, 292. These commitments and promisesare no nearer fuJ- filment today than when they weremade many yearsago. 293. Despite General Assembly and Security Council resolutions which forbid any attempts to alter the status and character of the occupied territories. Israel is ruth- lessly pursuingits ambition to annex these territories on a permanent basis. Consequently, the Palestinian and Arab populations of these territories are being subjected to relentless persecution and harassment, their lands and properties are bein~ systematically expropriated and set- tlements of Jewish Immigrants are being established and expanded witha view to altering t~e demographic pat!ern and historic character of the ancient land of Palestine. Mr. Illueca (Panama) resumed the Chair. 294. Ona broader plane, Israel has rejectedeverypeace initiative which the Arab leadership and the United Nations have offered it. The Israeli authorities rejected out of hand the Arab peace plan for the Middle East.' which was acclaimed throughout the world as offering .a reasonable basis for the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the region in whichall States couldcoexist within secure boundaries. Byrejectingeven the subsequent initiative by President Reagan.! Israel demonstrated its implacable intransigence and itsdetermination to pursue its policy of unbridled expansionism in which respect for tbe national rights of the Palestinian people has no place, 295. The question of Palestine, with which the United Nations has been preoccupiedsinceits inception, presents achallenge to the Organization's ability to survive as an effective vehicle for the strengthening of international peace and security and for the fulfilment of the noble aspirations which led to its founding 38yearsago. Oppor- tunities for peace initiatives in the Middle East continue to be available and need to be utilized. Most recently, such an opportunity was created by the initiative of the 117 States which participated in the International Con- ference on the Question of Palestine, heldat Geneva from 29 August to 7 September this year. 296. That Conference once again outlined the parame- ters for a comprehensive, just and lasting political settle- ment of the question of Palestlne. The guidelines adopted attheConferenceemphasized the need for the realization of the legitimate inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, includingtheir right to self-determlnatlon and to establish their own independent State in Palestine. They also asserted the right of all States in the region to exist within secureand internationally recognizedboundaries, with justiceand security for all peoples. The Conference adopted the Programme of Action for the Achievement ofPalestinian RightsI which, if pursued with determina- tion and firmness.can expeditesettlement ofthe question of Palestine. 297. As in the past, Israel has chosen to ignore the deci- sions adopted at Geneva. Israel's antipathy towards these decisions and its repeated rejection of international peace initiatives stem from its stubborn refusal to accept Pales- tinian nationhood Or to recognizethe inalienablenational rights of the Palestinian people. Israel has been encour- aged to persist in this course by the committed support I See Report of the International Conference 011 the Question of Palestine, Geneva, 29 August-Z September 1983 (United Nations pub- lication, Sales No. E.83.I.21). 2See Weekly Compilation ofPresidentialDocuments,Washington, D.e., Government Printing Office, 1982, vol. 18, No. 35, p. 1081. 3See OfficialRecords ofthe Security Council, Thirty-seventh Year, Supplement for October, November and December 1982, docu- ment S/15510. <Ibid., Supplement for July, August and September 1982, docu- ment S/15403. NOTES 3United Nations, Treaty Series, vo!. 75, No. 973, p. 287.