A/38/PV.94 General Assembly

The situation in the Middle East is today, unfortunately, more serious and complex than it was almost 40 years ago, in the early days of the Organization. Then, as now, violence and fear prevailed over sincere desires for peace and understanding. At that time, as is happening now, a certain sense of hopelessness permeated the whole question and the efforts made to solve it. It is still far from possible to say that a com- prehensive, just and lasting solution of the problems of the region is any closer now than when we started dealing with them in the United Nations. 2. However, we must renew at every moment our at- tempts to prevent this situation redounding to the dis- credit of the Organization and its mechanisms. We must consolidate those mechanisms as the real alternative to the use of force and achieve universal acceptance of the realization that lasting peace is possible only if all States work together to make the United Nations a true forum for the settlement of disputes and the attainment of peace. 3. Brazil's position on this particular agenda item has been made very clear on numerous occasions. I recall once again some of the elements that we consider prerequisites for ajust, comprehensive and lasting settlement: the com- plete withdrawal of all forces of occupation from the Arab territories, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), respect for the right of the Palestinian people to return to Palestine, and recog- nition of their right to self-determination, independence and sovereignty. participation by the Palestinian people, through the Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO), their sole legitimate representative, in any negotiations regarding their future, and recognition of the right of all States in the region, including Israel, to exist within inter- nationally recognized boundaries. 4. To those elements, we would also add the necessity to respect the provisions of Security Council resolutions concerning certain measures taken by Israel in relation to Palestinian and other Arab territories. In particular, it should be stressed that some of the actions taken by the Israeli authorities-such as continuing to establish settlements in the West Bank, their illegal annexation of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, and the arrest and deportation of elected Arab leaders-cannot but aggra- vate the tense situation in the region and hamper the prospects for serious negotiations. 5. Brazilsummarized its position on this question during the general debate, when the Minister of State for Exter- nal Relations stated: "It is increasingly urgent to implement the U~ited Nations resolutions which express an International consensus in favour of a comprehensive, just and Tuesday, 13 December 1983, at 11.10 a.m. NEW YORK lasting solution to the successive crises in the Middle East. My Government firmly adheres to the terms of thoseresolutions and vehemently condemns the policy of faits accomplis that has hampered negotiations in that region. We must insist upon justice prevailing, upo~ the evacuation of territory held by force, upon the Implementation of the rights of the Palestinian people, upon the creation of conditions that will make it possible for all States in that region to live in peace within their own frontiers." [5th meeting, para. 66.] 6. At a time like this, when alarming events take place on an almost daily basis, I cannot fail to speak of Brazil's deepening concern about the increasing violence, danger and suffering in Lebanon, a country whose independence territ?ri.al integrity and sovereigntymust be fully respected: Brazil IS very closely attached to Lebanon, especially because a considerable number of Lebanese and their descendants have made an extremely valuable contribu- tion to my country's progress. 7. In conclusion, I wish to refer to the International Conference on the Question of Palestine, held at Geneva from 29 August to 7 September this year. Brazil par- ticipated in the Conference with a very positive attitude, being fully aware of its importance. We pledge ourselves to continue to contribute as much as we can to the set- tlement of the question of Palestine, which we consider to be at the very core of the problems that trouble the Middle East. 8. Mr. KASRAWI (Jordan) tinterpretation from Ara- bic): The crux of the conflict in the Middle East consists in the fact that the Palestinian tragedy remains without a just solution, while the occupation by Israel of Arab territories persists. The instability and tension that we are now witnessing are the result of Israeli attempts to hide this fundamental truth and divert attention from it. This is the core of the Middle East crisis: Israel's persistence in evading its responsibility regarding the Palestinian issue, in denying the Palestinian people's right to its homeland, Palestine, and in clinging to Arab territories. 9. The tension and warfare prevailing in the region were born with the Palestinian conflict. Since 1948, the Middle East has known continuous tension. All wars waged in in the Arab region have been due to the absence of a just and peaceful solution to this problem. 10. Four major wars have taken place, over and above Israel's invasion of Lebanon and its occupation of the south of Lebanon, because of the perpetuation of the question of Palestine and th~ c0.ntinuation ?f the occu- pation by Israel of Arab temtones. The majority of the States of the world now recognize that the question of Palestine is at the very heart of the Middle East crisis. Accordingly, they want Palestinian rights to be recognized and those rights to be established on the basis of justice, the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the rules of international law. The more convinced the international community is of the justice of the Pales- tinian cause and of its importance, the more Israel per- sists in disregarding this and opposing it with the utmost vigour. To that end, Israel has mobilized all its military resources against the Arab States and the Palestinian people, thus creating the situation at present prevailing within the framework of international rivalries, and its interests are in keepingwiththose of the partisans of the polarization and internationalization ofthe MiddleEast crisis. 12. The establishment of peace and stability in the region will only be possible if, at the same time,a just, comprehensive and peaceful solution is found. That is why we must stress two points. First, the search for stabilityand securityin theMiddleEastcannot befruitful and seriousas long as Israel persistsin its occupation of Arab territories occupied in 1967and in its illegitimate and illegal practices in thoseterritories. Secondly, because of Israel's policies, aimed at the gradual annexation of the occupied Arab territories,it feels that timeisworking in its favour and is feverishly attempting to impose/ailS accomplis by trying to modify the demographic and geographic character of the West Bank, includingArab Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heightsand make with- drawal from that area withinthe framework of a peace- ful solution and the restoration of its Arab identity impossible. That is why Israel is doing everything in its power to prevent international pressure from being broughtto bearagainst itand to ensure that.its annexation of Arab territories reaches the point of no return, In accordance with its objectives 13. The Israelisettlementpolicy,carried out feverishly in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, is the best prac- tical demonstration of Israel's policy aimed at prevent- ing the establishmentof peace. Byattempting gradually to devour the Arab territories, it is preventIngthe only possible political solution, which is land in exchange for peace.That is whyIsraelis pursuinga related policy against neighbouringArab territories, resorting to force and the launching of pre-emptive surprise attacks, such as its attack against Lebanon in 1982, to divert atten- tion from what is happening in the occupied Arab ter- ritories and exploit the serious situation being created there to focus that attention on matterstbat havenothing to do withthe real reasonsfor the crisisthat has plagued the MiddleEast since the creation of the State of Israel. 14. In order to respond effectively to Israeli practices and to thwart its hegemonist policyin the region, as well as its attempts to foil peaceful efforts to treat the rOOI of the problem, it is necessary to emphasizethe need for a peaceful and just solution.The Security Council,which has primary responsibility for enforcing the will of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security. must ensure respect for resolution 242 (1967) on the situation in the MiddleEast. Despiteeverytbing.' however, Israelhas disregarded tbat resolutionand done everythingpossibleto preventits implementation. Israel theirlegitimate rights,appropriating the Arab territories imposingitswillon the Arab nation through theabuseof military forceand intimidating all those who supportor are committed to Arab rights. It is that Israel wants to be the law in the region and its master, in keeping with its expansionist policy, all by means of force. Israel invokes moral or security considerations to justify its policy,arguing on the basisof security needsor claiming that the Arabs representa threat to its existence. Butwho is threatening whom? Is it not those who are occupying morethan a third of the soilof Lebanon, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Hdghts, thus maintaining the Arab region in a constant state of self-defence? 16. Israelhas beenable to carry out thispolicybecause of the unlimited aid that it has been receiving for years from outside. That support has enabled it to develop enormous mUitary might which it uses against the Arab Statesand as an instrument of its intransigent policy and to defy the willof the international community. Israel's prodigious war effort, the unconditional aid it receives from outside and its foreign policy of expansionism and enremism arerespot1$ible for the recrudescence of tension in the region. The unconditional aid lavished on Israel, particularly in the course of its occupation of Arab ter- ritories, gives lune! the impression that the providers of such aid endorse iu policy in l.he region. 17. Not only isIsrad receivinga hu~ amount of uncon- ditional aid, but a new Israeli-American agreement has been announced which makes the situation even worse. Anew phase lw beenresched in the escalation of tension inthe .tegion. Israelis in occupation of Arab territories, and disregards all peace efforts, even those madebyits partner in tbisalliance. The cocclusion of the alliance and theindu.lg.enc:e from which lsrac:1 had previously benefited will not onlyhave adverse effectsenArab territories and rights but appear to be an endorsement by the United States of Israel'spoIky towardsthose territories and their legitimate owners. 18. Thisagreemenl i! ultimatelyperniciousto theinter- ests of the United States in the region. It is contraryto the mediating role the UnitedStatescJaims it is playing, and deprives what remainsof the peaceinitiatives of all practicalcontent. Thanks to the unlimited support it had previously received, Israelwas able to ignoreand reject a/1 international initiatives towards 3 just, peaceful and comprehensivesolution. This recentlyconcludedagree- ment, regarding which Israel stated through its Prime Minit~er that it had obtained everythingItwanted without grantinga singleconcession, will increase its intransigence and its contempt for the rights of others. 25. As we have stated before, the occupation of the lands of neighbours will not give Israel the security it seeks. On the contrary, it will only increase its insecurity and vulnerability. 26. The question of Palestine has always been and remains the core of the Middle East conflict. Peace in the region is conditional upon recognition and respect for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. There can be no peace without a just and comprehensive settlement that takes full account of the right of the Palestinian people, particularly their right to self-determination and to a homeland of their own. 27. Contrary to Israel's expectations, the bombardment of the PLO in Lebanon has not reduced the force of Palestinian nationalism in any way.The PLO has emerged from Israel's onslaught with its political stature intact. It remains the sole and authentic voiceof the Palestinians. 28. The events in Lebanon brought home, even to some who had doubts, that the just cause of the Palestinian people must be supported. A number of peace initiatives were advanced. The Arab leaders and the PLO demon- strated courage and statesmanship when they adopted the Fez proposals, which offer a good basis for a settlement that would take into account the interests of all parties to the conflict. Friends of Israel have put forward other proposals, such as the declaration issued at Venice on 13 June 1980by the European Council" and the Reagan initiative," Which would form a basis for negotiations. 29. But as the lands Israelonce professed to hold as bar- gaining chips have become, in its view, non-negotiable, the Israeli response to all these initiatives has been nega- tive and provocative. Rather than heed the call of the international community, it has replied by establishing extensive settlements. Israel seeks to assert the preroga- tive of military power and the fait accompli. It is incum- bent on the international community to forestall such designs. 30. In this connection, the GenevaDeclaration ~n Pales- tine! and the Programme of Action for the Achleve~ent of Palestinian Rights,' adopted by the International Conference on the Question of Palestine, held at qeneva from 29 August to 7 September 1983, should be Imple- mented. The Geneva Declaration on Palestine calls for the convening of an international peace confere~ce on ~he Middle East in which all the parties concerned~ Illclu~mg the PLO, and the United States and the Soviet Union, would participate on an equal footing. We be~leve that this points the wayforward. Th~ confere.nce,which would be under the auspices of the United Nations, w~uld work out a comprehensive and just solution to the Middle East problem. The Programme of Action for the Achle~ement of Palestinian Rights calls for the imple~entatl0I?- of measures to force Israel to comply with United NatIons resolutions. We call on all Member States to ImI;llement the Programme of Action. The Security Council has a special responsibility for responding to the Geneva Decla- ration on PaLestineby making arrangements for the pro- posed conference. 31. The United Nations must act now if w~ are to fo~e~ stall a major catastrophe. It must onc~ again beco~ forum for negotiations among the parues and provi ~e~ framework for a just and comprehensive peace. ~ fra hts work for peace can be just only if it restores t e ng policy and leader in terms of human or ethnic rights, as this tacticserves the approach underlying Zionlststrategic thinking and planning. The unwary may be taken in by the phenomenon of discord and disunity in the Arab world, and henceled to believe that the arguments of the Zionists are plausible. But theyshould not fail to reflect on the factthat the Zionistspokesman did not touch upon the direct or indirect roles of his entity in the situation. He should not fail to note how Zionist policiesevolved over timewith ever-increasing intensityinaggressionand expansion and how Zionist spokesmen articulated their statements and declarationsaccordingly, includingthose delivered here. If any evidence is needed, none is better than the records of the General Assembly. 57. Weare not going to be drawn intothe Zionist trap and consequently respond to his outrageous calumnies. WefullyunderstandtheZionistdiversionary tacticswhlch attempt to sow confusion in order to elicit a reply, only to cry out later that they are left in a helpless situation. What I shall do instead, however,is simply to point out some facts. 58. TheAssembly heardthe vicious attack ofthe Zionist spokesman against Iraq and the Presidentof Iraq. In the first place, we should not miss the fa.ct that the world has grown accustomed to Zionist attacks against Heads of State and Government and other leaders and states- men. They have attacked four French Presidents in a row: Presidentde Gaulle, PresidentPompidou, President Giscard d'Estaing and President Mltterrand. They have attacked Chancellor Kreisky of Austria and Chancellor Schrnidtof the Federal RepublicofGermany, They have attacked Lord Carrington of the UnitedKingdom. They have evenattacked the Pope himself. It is not surprisIng that the Zionists should attackPresidentSaddam Hussein, for he and Iraq have resolutely stood against Israel's aggression and faitsaccomplis. The Zionists cannot stom- ach steadfast resistance to their aggressive and expan- sionist plans. 59. The Zionistspokesman had the audacityto raisethe question of the Kurds, but it is worth pointing out that Israel armed and trained Kurdish secessionist rebelsfrom 1965 to 1975, obviously with the ominous aim of dis- membering Iraq. Now, the source of this information is none other than Begin who, on 29 September 1980, as reported by The New York Times of that date, disclosed that "tightly suppressed secret". The report indicates that the Israeli assistance started underEshkoland grewunder Golda Meirand Rabin, and that the lastIsraeliinstructor Jefl when the leader of the secessionist Kurdish rebels, Barazani, was evacuated from Iraq in 1975.Should this Zionist interest in the Kurds be surprising, when the underlying basisof their strategicthinking and p,lanning is the dissolution of the Arab Stales along ethnic or religious lines? It should be noted tbat in hisstatement the Zionist spokesman placedemphasison thesecharac- teristics of the peoples of the Middle East. When the Zionist statement is perceived at face value it appears as an innocent statement of fact, but the underlyingmotive is different; it is to enhance the setting of the stage for the achievement of the Zionistpolicies of dlsmemberment of the Arab countries. 60. But what typeof leaders doesthe Zionistspokesman have? Well, I have referred to Bea-Ourion's admission earlier. As for Begin. let mequote from The Guardian: "in a letter in May 1963, quoted in Israel of June 15 1977, Israel's first Prime Minister, Davld Ben-Gurion lions against the British for the duration of the war. Stem I:limse:lf was willinsto allyhimself withtheBritish so Ions as London would recognizethe sovereignty of a JewishState on both sidesof the RiverJordan. Until then, the aati-British struggle would have to continue. Jabotinsky knewthat nothing would make Britain give the Jews a Slale in 1940, and he saw the creation of another Jewish Legion with the BritishArmyto bethe mainwk. The two crieruauons were incompatible and by September 1940the lrgun was hopelessly split: the majority of both the command and the ranksfollowed Stern out of the Revisionls: movement. ..At birth the new group was at its greateststrength for, asStem'$ policies becameclearer, the ranks started drifti.Di back into the lrgun Or joined the British Army. Stern or 'Yair', all he nowcalled himself,(afterEleazer ben Yalr,the commander at Masadaduring the revolt against Rome) began to define his full objectives. His 18principles included a Jewish State with its borders as defined in Genesis 15:18'from the brook of Egypt to the grea.t river. the river Euphrates', a 'population exchange', a euphemismfor the expulsion of theArabs and, finally, the building of a Third Templeof !e~u­ salem, The Stem gTOUp wasat this limea baremajority of the military wing of Revisionism. but by n~ means representative of the middleclassJewsof Palestine who had backed Jabotinsky. Still less was the fanatic call for a new temple attractive to ordinary Zionists." ~ntlsh domination of Palestine, had a logical conclu- sion. They could not defeat Britain with their ownpuny forces, so they looked to. her enemies for salvation. They came into contact With an Italian agent in Jeru- salem, a Jew who worked for the British police and in September 1940they drew ul? a~ agreement wh~rebY Mussolini would recognize a ZIOnIst state in return for Sternist co-ordination with the Italian Army when the country w~s to be invaded. How seriously either Stern or the Italian agent took these discussions has been debat~. ,Stern feared ,that the agreement might be part of a British provocation. As a precaution, Stern sent Naftali Lubentschik to Beirut, which was still con- trolle? by Vichy, to negotiate directly with the Axis. NothIn~ IS know,nof his dealings with either Vichyor the Italians, but In January 1941 Lubentschik met two Germans, Rudolf Rosen and Otto von Hentig the philo-Zionist, who was then head of the Ori~ntal Department of the German Foreign Office, After the war"-and here is what is significant-Ha copy of the Stern proposal for an alliance between his movement and the Third Reich was discovered in the files of the German Embassy in Turkey. The Ankara document c~lle~ itself a 'Proposal of the.National Military Orga- mzation [NMO] (Irgun Zeva'i Leumi) Concerning the Solution of the Jewish Question in Europe and the Participation of the NMO in the War on the side of Germany'. The Ankara document isdated 11January 1941.At that point, the Sternists still thought of them- selves as the 'real' Irgun, and it was only later that they adopted the name Fighters for the Freedom of Israel -Lohamei Herut Yisrael. In the document, the Stern group told the Nazis the following: 'The evacuation of the Jewish masses from Europe is a pr~-condition for solving the Jewish question; but this can only be made possible and complete through the settlement of these masses in the home of the Jewish people, Palestine, and through the establishment of a Jewish State in its historical boundaries . , . 'The NMO, which is well-acquainted with the goodwill of the German Reich government and its authorities towards Zionist activity inside Germany and towards Zionist emigration plans, is of the opinion that: , I. Common interests could exist between the establishment of a New Order in Europe in con- formity with the German concept, and the true national aspirations of the Jewish people as they are embodied by the NMO. '2. Co-operation between the new Germany and a renewed volkish-national Hebrium would be pos- sible and '3. The establishment of the historical Jewish State on a national and totalitarian basis, and bound by a treaty with the German Reich, would be in the interest of a maintained and strengthened future German position of power in the Near East. 'Proceeding from these considerations, the NMO in Palestine, under the condition the above-mentioned national aspirations of the Israeli freedom movement are recognized on the side of the German Reich, offers to actively take part in the War on Germany's side.' "This offer by the NMO ... would be connected to the military training and organizing of Jewish man- power in Europe, under the leadership and command c~nformity with.the above-mentioned national aspira- ttons of the Jewish people. This would extraordinarily strengthen the moral basis of the New Order in the eyes of all humanity. "The Sternists again emphasized: 'The NMO is .closely related to the totalitarian movements of Europe in its ideology and structure'." 63. The author goes on to say: "There was no German follow-up on these incredible propositions, but the Sternists did not lose hope. In December 1941, after the British had taken Lebanon Stern sent Nathan Yalin-Mor to try to contact the Nazi~ in neutral Turkey, but he was arrested en route. There were no further attempts to contact the Nazis," 64. Lenni Brenner continues: "There is rather more substance to Stern's own self-perception as a totalitarian. By the late 1930s, Stem became one of the ring-leaders of the Revisionist malcontents who saw Jabotinsky as a liberal with moral reservations about Irgun terror against the Arabs. Stern felt that the only salvation for the Jews was to pro- duce their own Zionist form of totalitarianism and make a clean break with Britain, which, in any case had abandoned zionism with the 1939 White Paper: He had seen the World Zionist Organization make its own accommodation with nazism by means of the Ha'avara; he had seenJabotinsky entangle himself with Italy; and he personally had been intimately involved in the Revisionists' dealings with the Polish anti- Semites, However, Stern believed that all of these were only half-measures. "Stern was one of the Revisionists who felt that the Zionists, and the Jews, had betrayed Mussolini and not the reverse. Zionism had to show the Axis that they were serious, by coming into direct military conflict with Britain, so that the totalitarians could see a poten- tial military advantage in allying themselves with zion- ism. To win, Stern argued, they had to ally themselves with the Fascists and Nazis alike: one could not deal with a Petliura or a Mussolini and then draw back from a Hitler." 65. Now, was Sharnir, the present Prime Minister of Israel, aware of all this? Lenni Brenner has this to say: "Did Yitzhak Yzertinsky-rabbi Shamir, to use his underground nom deguerre- ... know of his move- ment's proposed confederation with Adolf Hitler? In recent years the wartime activities of the Stern Gang have been thoroughly researched by one of the youths who joined it in the post-war period, when it was no longer pro-Nazi. Baruch Nadel is absolutely certain that Yzertinsky-Shamir was fully aware of Stern's plan: 'They all knew about it'." He concludes as follows: "When Begin appointed Shamir, and honoured Stern by having postage stamps issued which bore his por- trait, he did it with the full knowledge of their past. There can be no better proof than this that the heritage of Zionist collusion with the Fascists and the Nazis, and the philosophies underlying it, carries through to contemporary Israel." 66. Lenni Brenner is not an Arab, and this account is more than sufficient to show how far the Zionists are to saying that apartheid is a "liberation movement" as well. 67. The Zionist representative raised. among other extraneous subjects, the question of the Iraq-Iran war. The General Assembly heard the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iraq in October last [12th meeting]. I am sure that the Zionist representative could not possibly be unaware of the fact that Iraq has agreedto all the initia- tives since 28 Septernber 1980calling for an end to the war, that it has invited the international community to arbitrate the issue and that it reaffirmed its invitation to the United Nations from this rostrum. In the words of my Minister for Foreign Affairs: "The Iraqi proposal calls for the formation of a neutral arbitration committee to determine whichside started the aggression and the warand whichside bears the responsibility for continuing the war allthis time, with all the human and material losses that it has entailed. Iraq is prepared to accept the results of such arbitration." [Ibid•• para. 131.] 68. Could theZionist representativegiveany examples of a similar readiness to arbitrate Zionist aggression against the Palestinian people and the Arab countries-« before he sheds crocodile tears over the IQSS of human life and the material damage and damage to the envi- ronment? 69. It should be clear by now what the real problem in the Middle East is. The relentless Zionist policy,encour- aged by the United States-now the Zionists' strategic ally-aimed at conquering the whole of Palestine; the denial of the right of the Palestinians to existence, self- determination and nationhood in their national home; and the continuedpolicy of aggressionoccupation and annexation of Arab territories: all lhis cannot be dis- missed as "barren rhetoric" or "pseudo-issues" I as the Zionist spokesman claimed.This policyis the root cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict, which remains the core of the itementitled''The situation inthe MiddleEast"' ,now before the General Assembly. 70. Mr. MRANI ZENTAR (Morocco) (interpretation from French): When at the thirty-seventh session the General Assemblyconsidered the problem of the Middle East, just as it is considering it today, the world was still reeling from the horror of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the constant bombardments of Beirut and the proliferation of odious massacres of innocent civilians, without discrimination as to sexor age. Wethought and said at the time that we had finalJy seen the worst, and that the situation. which had been building up for months, could only improve,sinceIsrael had apparently carried out most of its diabolicalplans against the exiled Palestiniansand brother Lebanon. But that wasfar from being the case. 71. The tension created by Israel since 1948 betweenit and the Palestinian people and the neighbouring Arab countries, a tension manifested initially in a cycle of successive wars of aggression, hasbecomea chronic run- ning sore which has inflamedalmost the wholeof Leba- nesenational territory and led to the commitment in the area of many foreign forces, recognized or unrecognized. 72. The inexorable escalation of violencethat has fol- lowed has assumed a new dimension and is becoming more and more beyond the control dictated by reason. International peace and security are every day in more Greater Israel. a land which no Israeli leader can today clearly define or draw precise borders for. 81. The whole international community has therefore allowed itself to be diverted by what has become .the Lebaneseaffair, an affair whichisworseningal!.the ll,me because of a series of mini-plotswhichthe Israe.h mV~lon opened the way to and fuelled. Thai is ....hy HIS Majesty King Hassan H told the General Assembly withgreat far- sightedness a few weeks ago that we had thought that NOTES