A/75/PV.34 General Assembly

The question of Palestine was first brought before the General Assembly in 1947 (see A/PV.128). Since then, we have come to this Hall numerous times to affirm that the Palestinian people have the right to live like the rest of us. We have underlined that they have the right to be free and secure and to enjoy what is their own. The Assembly has adopted numerous resolutions and decisions to that effect over the past seven decades. Yet nothing has changed. There is an ongoing attempt to deny the historical and legal rights of the Palestinian people. The illegal occupation continues, unlawful settlement activities and annexation threats have accelerated and the use of force against civilians remains excessive. There have been attempts to change the status of Jerusalem. The blockade of Gaza remains in place, forcing its people to live in tremendous despair and insecurity. Ongoing violations of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, cause the Palestinian people immense suffering. They cannot enjoy the most basic freedoms, and there are constant attempts to pressure them into accepting the status quo through the imposition of hardship and humiliation. I am taking this opportunity to reiterate my position once more. It is time to stand for justice and to respect the historical and legal rights of the Palestinian people. The continuation of illegal and unacceptable practices will only deepen the sense of injustice and breed desperation. That is in no one’s interests. Security and stability in the Middle East cannot be achieved without a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It is imperative that negotiations be resumed. The United Nations cannot remain complacent in that process. We must maintain our focus on the urgent need to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In true solidarity with the Palestinians, we must start by collectively upholding international law. We must protect the established parameters of a lasting peace and we must all implement the various resolutions on the Palestinian question. It is our shared responsibility to support Palestinians and Israelis in resolving the conflict on a basis of international law and in realizing the vision of two States living side by side in peace and security, within recognized borders based on the pre- 1967 lines. That requires unity, courage and resilience. The international community must fulfil its legal and moral obligation. I remain deeply concerned about the financial shortfall faced by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) at a time when the needs of the 5.6 million Palestine refugees are increasing because of the global pandemic. I therefore urge donors to provide UNRWA with sufficient and predictable funding for its vital core activities and emergency appeals. UNRWA needs predictable and sustained funding to ensure stability and security for Palestinian refugees. We must do our utmost to support them until a just, fair, agreed and realistic solution to their plight is finally reached within the framework of a two-State solution. I now give the floor to the representative of Namibia, in his capacity as Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, to introduce draft resolutions A/75/L.32, A/75/L.33, A/75/L.34 and A/75/L.35.

I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to you, Mr. President, and to all delegations for their active participation in the special meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, held in New York on 1 December to observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The messages and statements of support that we received once again demonstrated vividly the international community’s continued commitment to upholding the rights of the Palestinian people and a two-State solution as the only way to build a future of peace, justice, security and dignity for Palestinians and Israelis alike. As the United Nations marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, it is regrettable that the question of Palestine remains the longest unresolved issue on our agenda. The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories continues to expand, posing significant challenges to regional and global stability and peace. The year 2020 has brought unprecedented challenges to the Palestinian people. The coronavirus disease pandemic has contributed to worsening the already dire humanitarian, economic and political situation throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, with Palestinian women and children, as well as the residents of Gaza, being the most negatively affected. Israel’s plans for the annexation of further Palestinian territory have been suspended but not fully shelved. The Committee agrees with the Secretary- General’s observation that we are at a watershed moment that demands urgent and consistent international mobilization and action to save a two-State solution. The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people will continue to advocate for Palestinian rights within the framework of the international consensus and in cooperation with Member States, regional and international organizations and civil society. We will also continue to engage with and involve Palestinians and Israelis in our advocacy during these critical times, when there are significant challenges to a two-State solution. At the same time, the Committee commends its secretariat, the Division for Palestinian Rights, for its valuable support in implementing its General Assembly mandate effectively and efficiently. I would now like to introduce draft resolutions A/75/L.32, A/75/L.33, A/75/L.34 and A/75.L35, circulated under agenda item 38. The drafts were subject to consultation with regional groups and unanimously endorsed by the Committee. They are all technical rollovers, with no substantive changes to their texts. The only change proposed is that the draft resolutions on the Committee, the Division for Palestinian Rights and the special information programme on the question of Palestine should be biennialized. The four draft resolutions relate to, respectively, the guiding principles for a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine; the mandate and work of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People; the work of the Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat; and the activities of the special information programme on the question of Palestine of the Department of Global Communications. Three of the four draft resolutions reaffirm the important mandates entrusted to these entities by the General Assembly. I would like to highlight the following elements. Draft resolution A/75/L.34, entitled “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”, is a technical update of the previous resolution (resolution 74/11). It reaffirms the guiding principles of international law and reflects the broad international agreement on all outstanding issues related to Israeli-Palestinian peace. Draft resolution A/75/L.32 requests that considering the fact that 53 years have passed since the start of the Israeli occupation and 73 years since the adoption of resolution 181 (II) on 29 November 1947, among other things the Committee should redouble the international efforts aimed at establishing an expanded multilateral framework for the revitalization of efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine. The draft resolution invites all Governments and organizations to extend their cooperation to the Committee in the performance of its tasks. I would like to point out that the Committee’s mandate is in line with the international consensus on a resolution of the Palestinian question and that its implementation is based on an inclusive approach. Draft resolution A/75/L.33 renews the mandate of the Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat so that it can continue its work in providing substantive support to the Committee in implementing its mandate and its contribution to raising international awareness of the question of Palestine. Draft resolution A/75/L.35, on the special information programme on the question of Palestine of the Department of Global Communications of the Secretariat, renews the mandate of the special programme to foster media contribution in support of peace between Palestinians and Israelis. The Committee hopes that these and other provisions in the texts will elicit the traditional overwhelming support from the Assembly and calls on all Member States to vote in favour of the draft resolutions. The positions and work of the Committee, the Division and the special programme are fully compatible with a two-State solution and the international consensus on all critical issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian peace. That consensus is based on international law, United Nations resolutions, including those of the Assembly, and agreed parameters, and it deserves the membership’s vote and support more than ever.

I now give the floor to the representative of Afghanistan, in her capacity as Rapporteur of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, to introduce the Committee’s report (A/75/35).

It is an honour for me, in my capacity as Rapporteur of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, to present the Committee’s annual report (A/75/35), which covers developments relating to the question of Palestine, as well as the work of the Committee, between 6 September 2018 and 31 August 2019. It is organized in seven chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 contain an introduction to the report and a brief overview of the major political developments during the reporting period, which served as the context for the Committee’s evolving work programme and activities during that time. Chapters 3 and 4 outline the mandate entrusted to the Committee by the General Assembly and contain information on the organization of the Committee’s work during the year. Chapter 5 features the work of the Committee, as well as the activities carried out on its behalf by the Division for Palestinian Rights around four major aspects of its mandate, which are mobilization of the diplomatic community; awareness-raising on the question of Palestine; cooperation with intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and United Nations entities; and capacity-building. Chapter 6 reports on the activities of the special information programme of the Department of Global Communications on the question of Palestine. The seventh and final chapter contains the Committee’s recommendations to the Assembly and other relevant actors with a view to enhancing its advocacy and awareness-raising. The recommendations are based on international consensus and the Secretary- General’s known position on the question of Palestine and include the following. Reiterating that the question of Palestine is inherently bound up with the history and existence of the Organization, the Committee notes that the seventy-fifth anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations should prompt Member States to redouble their efforts to advance the long-overdue realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and of regional peace in the Middle East, and to maintain international peace and security. The Committee urges the Security Council and the General Assembly to ensure the implementation of the long-standing parameters for peace affirmed in the relevant United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolution 2334 (2016). Pursuant to paragraph 11 of that resolution, the Committee calls on the Council to examine practical ways and means to secure the full implementation of relevant Council resolutions, including the use of sanctions on States and private entities that violate the Council’s resolutions. The Committee supports an expanded multilateral framework for negotiations and a comprehensive regional solution such as that offered by the Arab Peace Initiative. It calls on international and regional organizations, including the European Union, the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to take on a more politically active role in mediating an end to the conflict. The Committee reiterates that in accordance with Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 476 (1980) and 478 (1980), unilateral decisions by Member States recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transferring embassies in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem are null and void. Accordingly, it calls on those Member States to rescind those decisions and would like to remind the Assembly that the historic status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem must be respected and that the international community shares the responsibility to preserve the city’s legal, demographic and historical multicultural and multireligious character and status. The Committee urges Member States to call on Israel to respect its obligation under international law to protect civilians. Further to the report of the Secretary-General pursuant to General Assembly resolution ES-10/20, the Committee emphasizes the need for the implementation of an international protection mechanism that can credibly ensure the safety and welfare of Palestinian civilians. The Committee repudiates any intentions on the part of Israel to annex further parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, which would constitute an extremely serious violation of international law, as well as any outside support of those plans. The Committee emphasizes that it is the responsibility of States and private entities to refrain from contributing to violations of Palestinians’ human rights, particularly with respect to settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. The Committee welcomes efforts by Governments, parliamentarians and civil-society actors to punish such support, including through economic sanctions against illegal Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Committee calls for a shift from a humanitarian to a human rights framework and demands an end to Israel’s 13-year air, land and sea blockade of Gaza. It is concerned about the unprecedented spread of coronavirus disease throughout the occupied Palestinian territory and commends the stringent measures adopted by the Government of the State of Palestine to contain its spread in the region. The Committee urges the international community to direct its attention to the dire socioeconomic situation and deteriorating living conditions of Palestinians in the occupied territory and to provide timely support. The Committee recognizes the growing importance of cooperation in the sharing of experiences among Member States and regional and subregional organizations within the framework of South-South and triangular cooperation, with a view to the achievement of self-determination and independence. The Committee will continue to work closely with other United Nations entities, including the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in order to leverage synergies and uphold the Organization’s permanent responsibility regarding the question of Palestine in all its aspects, in accordance with United Nations resolutions and international law. The Committee further encourages all Member States to work collectively to ensure sufficient and predictable funding for UNRWA. The Committee invites its members and observers and all other Member States to participate actively in its programme of activities as a form of political support for the resolution of the question of Palestine and the achievement of a two-State solution. Lastly, the Committee invites the General Assembly to reconfirm the Committee’s mandate, in recognition of the importance of its role. In conclusion, I would like to seek the support of my esteemed colleagues for draft resolutions A/75/L.32, A/75/L.33, A/75/L.34 and A/75/L.35, which the Committee has endorsed unanimously for adoption by the General Assembly today.

I now give the floor to the observer of the Observer State of Palestine.

We thank you, Mr. President, for convening the General Assembly to address the question of Palestine as we mark 73 years since the Assembly’s 1947 adoption of resolution 181 (II) and the decision to partition historic Palestine. The consequences of that decision have continued to unfold to this day, as the Palestinian people have been left without remedy for the injustice done to them, enduring decades of exile as refugees since the 1948 Nakba, as well as of foreign occupation and oppression and denial of their most basic human rights. We deeply appreciate the principled stance that you have affirmed, Mr. President, and your calls for respect for United Nations resolutions and the mobilization of international efforts to end this injustice and achieve peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis, which are crucial to both regional and international peace and security. Today we also reiterate our deep gratitude for the support and solidarity of the international community, including its unequivocal support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to live in freedom, independence and dignity in their homeland  — an inalienable right that we will never forsake. The messages we received on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People from Governments, parliaments, civil society and peoples of conscience across the world have reassured us, even in these difficult times, of the strength of that support, firmly rooted in the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the principle of the equality of all peoples and nations. That solidarity has helped us endure despite the many hardships and crises faced by generations of Palestinians, who remain steadfast in the struggle for their rights and the belief that justice and peace will ultimately prevail. While grateful for that global solidarity, we come today with an urgent appeal for action to back it up. Statements are not enough. The time is past due to fulfil the long-standing promises to Palestine that have kept an entire people in limbo for more than a century. States must fulfil their obligations under international law, including by implementing the relevant United Nations resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention, if we are ever to heal these wounds and enter a new era of justice and peace. Without action, accountability or real consequences, it is painfully apparent that Israel, the occupying Power, will continue to ignore the international community and trample on international law, violating the rights of the Palestinian people and destroying any prospects for genuine peace, security and coexistence. Words and commitments must be backed by serious action, employing every legitimate political, legal and popular means available. History teaches us that this is how all other forms of colonialism and apartheid were defeated. Palestine cannot be the exception. Decades of appeasing the illegal occupiers have not worked, but as recent years have shown, neither have the attempts to break the will of the Palestinian people, despite the pressures of one punitive measure after another. Attempts to bully and exhaust them into accepting partial solutions will never work. The Palestinian people will never accept less than legitimate national rights, their full human rights and freedom. A just solution lies in international law. It is that simple. International law is rightly at the centre of the international consensus on the Palestine question, as are the parameters enshrined in General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, the Madrid principles and the Arab Peace Initiative. We respect and have long aligned ourselves with the international consensus in word and deed. The notion of a two-State solution may have been devised by the international community, but the Palestinian leadership was courageous enough to accept it, more than 32 years ago, when we made it a major, historic compromise and declared the independence of the State of Palestine on the basis of the lines of 4 June 1967. There is only one State that has never accepted the internationally agreed parameters or truly and honestly endorsed a two-State solution but has rather continued to work to undermine it every single day through countless illegal and destructive policies and practices — and that is Israel, the occupying Power. The Israeli occupation since 1967 of the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, is illegal in every aspect and must end. It is propped up only through systematic breaches of international law, many amounting to war crimes, and it long ago passed the threshold of legality. Whether we are talking about the settlement, colonization and annexation of our land or the repression, collective punishment and apartheid against our people, it must all end. Those who believe Israel has actually suspended or ceased its annexation plans are wilfully or mistakenly ignoring what is happening every single day in occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem. Settlements are being rapidly expanded as Israel moves ahead with plans to construct thousands more settlement units — just in the period since its so- called suspension announcement  — especially in the Jerusalem and Bethlehem areas, proving over and over that it rejects a two-State solution and has no intention of ending its occupation. The occupying Power has also persisted with the construction of its wall, its confiscation of Palestinian land, its exploitation of natural resources, its dangerous excavations under holy sites and its violations of the historic status quo at Al-Haram Al-Sharif. Hundreds more homes and civilian structures, including schools and clinics, have been demolished. Palestinian families are being evicted and dispossessed, leaving them homeless, even in this time of pandemic, as our civilians are forcibly transferred as part of an ongoing ethnic cleansing. Extremist settlers and militias, abetted by the Israeli military and openly funded and incited by the Israeli Government, also continue their reign of violence and terror, attempting to drive our people from their land. The scope and scale of the occupation’s human rights violations are too vast to enumerate here but are corroborated by many reports of United Nations agencies and international organizations. Tragically, Palestinian children, women and men continue to be killed and injured in daily military raids on Palestinian cities, towns, villages and refugee camps. Palestinians, especially young males, continue to be arrested, administratively detained, imprisoned, medically neglected and tortured, with nearly 5,000 now captive in Israeli jails, including at least 155 children. The bodies of Palestinians killed by the occupying forces continue to be withheld, preventing their proper burial and deepening the trauma endured by their families. Moreover, Israel continues to collectively punish the Palestinian people and impose a racist, apartheid regime, controlling and blighting every aspect of their lives. The occupying forces routinely threaten, humiliate and abuse Palestinian civilians, particularly at the hundreds of military checkpoints that restrict freedom of movement and fragment our land into walled-in, isolated Bantustans. Most shocking remains the illegal 13-year blockade through which Israel has turned the Gaza Strip into an open-air prison and has methodically inflicted a humanitarian crisis on the entire civilian population, in what constitutes a massive violation of human rights tantamount to a crime against humanity. This cruel and deliberate deprivation, imposed on 2 million people who are on the brink of disaster, is averted only by international humanitarian support, above all via the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which is itself facing a financial crisis that threatens the continuity of its vital assistance to 5.6 million Palestine refugees across the region. We appeal for attention to that crisis, demand an end to the Israeli blockade and call for support to UNRWA so as to ensure the well-being of the refugees, pending a just solution to their plight. Against this dire backdrop, humanitarian support and positions of principle are still extremely important. But neither assistance nor statements alone will ever be enough to rectify the situation. The occupation, in all of its manifestations, is illegal, immoral and an affront to the rules-based order, and it must end. To those who claim that the same old methods will not work, we say that we fully agree, that the situation is completely untenable and attempts to continue managing the conflict are unacceptable and dangerous. The international community must break out of the old cycle of appeasing Israel even as it flagrantly breaches the law, violates human rights and destroys the possibility of a two-State solution based on the pre-1967 borders. The failure to uphold the law and human rights standards when it comes to the Israeli occupation and to impose consequences for violations has only encouraged more violations. States must act on their responsibilities and commitments and end the double standard of rewarding Israel for its illegal behaviour rather than punishing it. The singling out of Israel for preferential treatment must end here and now. There is no alternative if we are to change the dismal prevailing situation. Accountability is the key to deterring further crimes, sparing more innocents from suffering and creating a credible horizon that can take us beyond talking and dreaming of a just peace to making it a reality. Accountability is a legal obligation, and it is what can ultimately compel compliance in the face of decades of intransigence and help us open a new chapter that brings both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples peace, stability and security. The General Assembly’s resolutions on a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, along with other relevant resolutions, including Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), have long set forth the legal obligations of States and the pillars of a just peace. Those terms of reference and parameters continue to enjoy broad international support. Significantly, that international consensus has not wavered, despite Israel’s constant undermining of the concept of a two-State solution and the punitive actions and pressures from the Trump Administration. Clearly, when the desire for justice and peace is strong, nothing is irreversible. What is needed now is the political will to take concrete action, including lawful countermeasures, to bring the necessary pressure to bear and halt Israeli violations, as well as collective efforts to salvage and restore the prospects for peace, which diminish every day that action is delayed. We urge all States to uphold international law with regard to the Palestine question in word and deed, including through support for United Nations resolutions and tangible efforts to implement them at the national and international levels. We urge support for President Abbas’s call for an international peace conference in 2021, based on the international consensus enshrined in United Nations resolutions, as the most effective means of resolving this conflict and establishing a just and lasting peace. We call for mobilizing the Security Council in line with its duties under the United Nations Charter, the Quartet in line with its mandate, and all the regional and international partners concerned for this purpose. We urge continued support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including to the right to self-determination and independence, and we call on States that have not yet done so to recognize the State of Palestine in its pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We urge the continued provision of humanitarian and development assistance, including to the Palestine refugees through UNRWA, until a just solution to their plight is reached in accordance with resolution 194 (III) of 1948, which affirmed their right to return. Lastly, we call for practical measures to ensure respect for the Charter and all the relevant provisions of international law. Those measures must include support for international accountability mechanisms, including legal action in courts such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Israeli Government officials, organizations, corporations and individuals aiding and abetting the illegal occupation must be held accountable. We also call on all States to ensure that they are not complicit with Israel’s illegal actions. They have a duty to refrain from recognizing as legitimate the unlawful situation created by Israel’s policies and measures in occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem, and as a result of its settlement activities, among other things. They have a duty to refrain from giving aid or assistance in maintaining this unlawful situation, and in all of their relevant dealings to distinguish between the territory of the occupying Power and the territory occupied since 1967, including with regard to Jerusalem, in keeping with Security Council resolution 2334 (2016). One very basic yet crucial step in that regard is banning the entry to market of products produced in illegal settlements or with natural resources illegally exploited from our land. It is asking the minimum to require an obligation to ensure that agreements signed between any State and the State of Israel are not applied to the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. That is where accountability begins and how the road to a just solution and a better future is paved. The Palestinian people and leadership remain steadfast in their pursuit of justice and peace. The path we have chosen in order to resolve the question of Palestine  — the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the cornerstone of peace and security in the Middle East — is a peaceful path. We are committed to diplomatic, political, legal and non-violent means to realize our rights. That includes negotiations to which we committed long ago, but it is not exclusive of other efforts and cannot be detached from respect for international law and United Nations resolutions, the guarantees of a just solution. We urge all who believe in the purposes and principles of this Organization and in the rule of law to join us in our peaceful efforts. In that connection, we urge support for the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, whose mandate is rooted in the relevant resolutions and the international consensus and whose work has always upheld the spirit of the multilateralism, dialogue and peaceful settlement of conflicts that are at the heart of the United Nations. We reject the false claims that the Committee is biased or anti-Israel. They are simply not true, and the Committee’s efforts with partners from across the international community, including parliamentarians and civil society both Palestinian and Israeli, is testament to that fact. We are grateful to the Committee for its support for the Palestinian people’s rights and for its constant positive engagement aimed at promoting a just, lasting and comprehensive peace whereby the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, can live side by side with Israel in peace and security on a basis of the pre-1967 borders. We thank Senegal and Ambassador Cheikh Niang, Chair of the Committee, for undertaking this important responsibility over the years, as well as the other bureau members and Vice-Chairs — Afghanistan, Cuba, Indonesia, Namibia and Nicaragua — along with all the Committee members and observers, for their unwavering, principled support. We also thank the Division for Palestinian Rights and the special information programme on the question of Palestine for their commendable efforts. In conclusion, we reiterate our appreciation to Secretary-General António Guterres for his leadership on the Palestine question, including through the good offices of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and our deep gratitude for the tireless efforts of the many United Nations agencies assisting the Palestinian people — UNRWA, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN-Women, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, UN-Habitat, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the Mine Action Service — with the generous support of States, organizations and partners from around the world. We ask that this life-saving and hope-giving support continue, while at the same time once again urging the international community to redouble its efforts to fulfil its political, legal and moral obligations regarding the Palestine question and act forthwith to bring an end to the occupation and assist the Palestinian people in realizing their long-denied rights, including the right to self-determination and freedom, and in finally achieving a just and lasting peace.

We are once again considering agenda item 38, concerning the question of Palestine. We would have hoped that the documents under consideration (A/75/35 and A/75/195) would include positive indicators that respond to the will and aspirations of the international community for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Unfortunately, for more than 70 years the United Nations, including the Security Council, has been unable to impose a peaceful settlement ending the Israeli occupation and its racial and inhumane practices against the Palestinian people. We all know that many United Nations resolutions stress the right of Palestinians to self-determination and to the State they desire, while calling on the occupation authorities to end their acts of aggression and unjust treatment of Palestinians. We particularly want to point to Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), which specifically calls for an end to Israel’s settlement activities and urges the occupation authorities to cease all acts of violence and depart the Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem, that they have occupied since 1967. The occupation authorities have disregarded that resolution and others while continuing to build settlements on usurped Palestinian land, where recent reports indicate that a plan has been put forward to build 5,000 additional units. That is unequivocal proof that the objective is to create a situation where a viable Palestinian State cannot be established, and it undermines all the international efforts to find a solution based on international legitimacy and international law. Nor should we forget the systematic policies pursued by Israel that not only deprive Palestinians of their possessions and property but also confiscate them. Innocent Palestinians can barely survive because their livelihoods have been cut off. Settlers continue to threaten and assault Palestinians, and Palestinian homes are being destroyed in many villages. Closure and siege policies are in place, and Gaza is the best proof of that. Indeed, the entire Gaza Strip is under siege. It is the world’s largest prison and represents a gross violation of human rights and international law, including the Geneva Conventions. We are all aware of the atrocities and violations of the Israeli occupation, and Libya therefore stresses the importance of supporting the efforts of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The Committee must be encouraged to carry out its mandate, particularly with regard to monitoring all the practices of the Israeli occupation and its violations of human rights. Regrettably, the tireless efforts of the Palestinian Authority to alleviate the difficulties and humanitarian problems facing the Palestinian people at all levels, despite its very limited resources, are being thwarted by further restrictions and obstacles created by the occupying authorities. The Palestinian Authority is doing its utmost to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease pandemic, but the occupying Power is taking advantage of the situation to impose unilateral visions and policies. The Israeli authorities are also speeding up the implementation of the settlement policy and introducing restrictions on Palestinian citizens’ livelihoods. It is now clear that the repercussions of the worsening plight of Palestine not only threaten the security, stability and safety of the region but are also a source of sustained concern regarding international peace and security. That is why the United Nations must not limit itself to adopting critical resolutions and calling for compliance with international law. It must show firm political determination aimed at ensuring that the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions are implemented with the goal of resolving the question of Palestine peacefully. The United Nations must put an end to acts of contempt and violations by the occupying Power regarding international law. It must be made accountable for its aggressive policies through clear and specific mechanisms and by subjecting it to pressure in order to accept a peaceful, comprehensive and just solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and establishes peace, security and stability for all. Libya has aligned itself with the statements by the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and with the General Assembly resolutions that condemn any violation of the legal status of Jerusalem. We have rejected the statements of certain countries that recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the opening of embassies in that city. Those steps are null, void and biased and run counter to the international drive to find a peaceful and just solution to the Palestinian issue. In that regard, I also want to note the threats posed by the continued Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights, which is a Syrian territory occupied and annexed by force. The occupation has seized and exploited its resources. Its natural resources have been confiscated and exploited. Syrian citizens have been wrongly deprived of their rights and natural resources. We reiterate our demand that the occupation end and that any attitudes or decisions that support the occupation’s sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights be rejected. There can be no question that the occupying Power’s current policy is based on all kinds of violence, force, deprivation and injustice. It has caused daily suffering that the Palestinian people reject through peaceful demonstrations, which the occupying Power often meets with excessive force, causing more innocent casualties and suffering. That is why it is incumbent on the United Nations to consider putting in place practical, tangible measures that embody the international commitment to protecting civilians. That is a commitment that the occupying Power does not want to undertake and ignores completely. On the contrary, it violates it intentionally, clearly and systematically. The Palestinian people have a right to international protection that ensures their rights under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. That protection will mitigate the escalation of tensions and create an environment conducive to a comprehensive and just peace. In conclusion, we emphasize that my country, Libya, in spite of its own serious situation, still considers the question of Palestine to be at the forefront of its concerns. We will continue to support the Palestinian people until they achieve full independence and establish their independent State with Jerusalem as its capital, and until Palestinian refugees can return to their homes to live in security, peace and prosperity like the rest of the world.

Mr. President, I would like at the outset to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude for your sincere efforts to ensure the success of the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly amid our current exceptional circumstances. They have shown us how connected we are and how our world today is in dire need of solidarity and of resetting globalization. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to take joint action to find ways to improve our world and its ability to confront current and future crises. I would like also to reiterate our support to the Chair and members of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. We thank them for their tireless efforts to defend the rights of our brother Palestinian people, particularly their right to self-determination and the realization of their legitimate aspiration to establish an independent and sovereign State along the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Committee’s work is very important in keeping the question of Palestinian on the international agenda and focusing the sights of the entire world on the suffering and difficult circumstances of our brother people of Palestine, which are in direct contradiction to the values of justice and dignity and the most basic human rights guaranteed by international norms and laws. In his message on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, His Majesty King Abdullah II Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan stressed that the peace process is looking at one of two options — either a just peace leading to the end of the occupation and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the lines of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in keeping with the concept of a two-State solution, or ongoing conflict, further entrenched by continued violations of the rights of the Palestinian people and illegitimate unilateral steps that undermine any chance of achieving peace. The long-running and difficult efforts to establish a comprehensive and sustained peace in the Middle East now threaten to collapse. The concept of a two- State solution, which enjoys the consensus of the international community as the only genuine means of ending this conflict and realizing the rights of the people in the region to live in peace and security, is being threatened by unilateral measures that violate the resolutions of international legitimacy and fuel the conflict, such as Israel’s settlements and its attempted annexation of Palestinian lands and imposition of new faits accomplis with regard to the Al-Aqsa Holy Mosque. A joint Jordanian-Palestinian statement issued after a meeting between King Abdullah and President Abbas of Palestine in Aqaba on 29 November stressed the importance of putting an end to all unilateral Israeli measures. His Majesty, as the Hashemite custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, stressed that Al-Quds Al Sharif and its holy sites were and will remain under guardianship. Jordan will continue to coordinate with its Palestinian brothers to shoulder that responsibility and help the citizens of Jerusalem stand firm, and will defend against any attempt to impose a new fait accompli or change the historic or legal status of the holy city, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy compound. Last year an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly voted in favour of renewing the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In doing so, the international community sent a message of solidarity and hope to more than 5.5 million Palestinian refugees. Today UNRWA is facing an extreme crisis  — made worse by COVID-19 — in its five fields of operation. More international solidarity is therefore needed to support UNRWA and make it sustainable so that it can fulfil its mandate. That includes international efforts to support the Agency, including the donor conference due to be held early next year under the sponsorship of Jordan and Sweden until a just and comprehensive solution is reached that addresses all final status issues and maintains the rights of Palestinians in line with the resolutions of international legitimacy, in particular resolution 194 (III) of 1948, in a manner that guarantees the right of Palestinian refugees to return and reparation. Silence is not an option. We must act effectively to save what remains of the chances and hopes for peace. The alternative to a clear position that supports international legitimacy and upholds the right of Palestinians to freedom and liberty and the right of the people in the region to live in security, stability and peace is further despair and an explosion of conflict. That would be a real threat to regional and international peace and security that we all have a duty to prevent.

The question of Palestine has been synonymous with the United Nations and the subject of innumerable hours of discussion and negotiations. Yet the Palestine issue remains unresolved. It continues to be a source of instability, it disrupts harmony in the region and it poses a dangerous threat to international peace and security. As we celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Organization this year, there is an urgent need for renewed efforts to find a just and lasting solution to the conflict. Malaysia remains steadfast in advocating for a solution to the question of Palestine based on the established and internationally agreed parameters, in accordance with international law, the Charter of the United Nations and relevant resolutions. We will continue to support the legitimate quest to achieve the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to an independent State based on the borders established before 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Malaysia also remains committed to supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and calls on all Member States to contribute to the Agency as soon as possible, so that it can meet the critical humanitarian and development needs of the 5.7 million Palestinian refugees in the region, particularly in our common fight against the current deadly pandemic. I want to reiterate my Prime Minister’s call in the recent general debate (see A/75/PV.12) in which he specified the essential steps that must be taken if we are to realize a peaceful solution to the conflict. First, Israel must end its occupation of Palestinian lands and withdraw its troops from the occupied Palestinian territory and surrounding Arab States. Secondly, Israel must cease all of its illegal settlement activities, as required by Security Council resolution 2334 (2016). The acquisition of any territory by war or force is inadmissible and illegal. In that regard, Malaysia would like to recall that on 16 June 2020, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 and 47 other independent experts of the United Nations human rights system issued a statement that the annexation of the occupied territory is a severe violation of the Charter and the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and contrary to the fundamental rule affirmed by the General Assembly and Security Council. Thirdly, Israel must allow Palestinian refugees their right to return to their land and property. Fourthly, it must restore Jerusalem’s original status. Fifthly, Israel must re-establish its credibility and return to the negotiating table with Palestine. Malaysia believes that the only viable way forward is a negotiated two-State solution. In that context, Malaysia supports the international community’s call, including by the Secretary-General, for the Middle East Quartet to find a mutually agreeable path for the parties to re-engage towards a negotiated peaceful settlement. Yesterday we observed the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The occasion should serve as a reminder that our Organization was founded with the purpose of ensuring human rights, justice, peace and respect for international law for all, including our Palestinian brothers and sisters. In conclusion, I would like to reaffirm Malaysia’s solidarity and unequivocal support to the Palestinian people in their decades-long pursuit for justice, dignity and self-determination and in making a just peace a reality.

At the outset, let me express my heartfelt condolences for the untimely death of Saeb Erekat, the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization. As India’s first representative to the Palestinian Authority, I lived in Gaza between 1996 and 1998 and vividly recall my meetings with him, my visits to his home in Jericho and his warmth and hospitality. As the chief Palestinian negotiator, Mr. Erekat was deeply committed to the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. We recently celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. The Israel- Palestine conflict is almost as old as the United Nations itself. However, the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a State of their own remain unfulfilled. The peace negotiations between the two parties have been stalled since 2014. The developments on the ground are not creating conditions conducive to a resumption of negotiations. We call on all the parties to refrain from taking steps that hinder that resumption. We are happy to note the decision to resume coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. We urge the leaders of Israel and Palestine to use that opportunity to re-engage in direct negotiations to advance the goal of a two-State solution. We also call on the Secretary- General, the members of the Middle East Quartet and key Arab partners to take immediate steps to facilitate that dialogue. India has been steadfast in its support for the just Palestinian cause and its solidarity with the Palestinian people, which extends beyond political support. It is our firm belief that even as peace is being pursued on the political track, the people of Palestine must not be forgotten. Over the years, India has invested in strengthening the human-resource capacities of the Palestinian people through scholarships for Palestinian students pursuing higher education and the training of Palestinian professionals in prestigious Indian institutes. Around 250 Palestinians benefit every year from such opportunities. India’s efforts are also focused on Palestinian nation-building and on strengthening institutions through the India-Palestine development partnership, which covers various sectors of the Palestinian economy. That includes the construction of schools, hospitals, technology parks, centres for excellence and so on. We see it as an essential investment in helping to establish a viable and sovereign Palestinian State. Another dimension of our support to the Palestinian cause is enhancing our engagement with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In recognition of the acute crisis that the Agency is facing, India has quadrupled its support in recent years. We have also made a multi-year pledge of $10 million over the next two years to contribute to more stable and predictable funding for UNRWA. We consider our partnership with the Agency as an investment in peace and stability in the region, and we thank all the Member States that supported India’s membership in UNRWA’s Advisory Commission. India remains fully supportive of a peaceful negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, achieved through direct negotiations and resulting in the establishment of a Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security with Israel. We stand ready to support all efforts to that end.

The State of Kuwait accords special importance to the item we are discussing in this Hall and which we discuss every year as part of the General Assembly’s agenda. Our discussion today coincides with the commemoration at the United Nations of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my country’s principled and steadfast position in support of the Palestinian people, whereby it is our obligation to alleviate their suffering and support their choices for achieving all their legitimate rights. We meet today in the light of major changes brought about by the coronavirus disease pandemic. The pandemic poses a threat to the entire world, including the Middle East, which is dealing with difficult situations and several challenges, foremost of them the question of Palestine, a pivotal and central issue for Arab and Islamic nations. It is saddening that our brothers in Palestine are bearing the brunt and cruelty of the pandemic and the occupation at the same time. They are indeed suffering as a result of both. While the Palestinian authorities have been preoccupied with tackling the spread of this pandemic and its lethal consequences, despite limited resources and the continued blockade that the occupation has imposed on them for decades, the occupying Power has been taking advantage of that preoccupation to move ahead with its unlawful policies and schemes and speed up the construction of illegal Israeli housing units and settlements on Palestinian territories, in a clear breach of international law and United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolution 2334 (2016). More than seven decades have passed since the Assembly adopted resolution 181 (II), in 1947. Unfortunately, the United Nations continues to report violations by Israel, including  — and this is only one example  — the increasing settlement activity in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. We are concerned about the fact that this activity has been accompanied by violence on the part of Israeli settlers directed at unarmed Palestinians, as a result of which many Palestinian families have lost their homes and property, while those perpetrating such criminal acts have not been held accountable. In conclusion, the State of Kuwait reaffirms its continued support for the defence of the rights of the Palestinian people. We salute the Palestinian people for their steadfastness and their struggle and affirm our support for all Arab, Islamic and international efforts aimed at enabling them to fulfil all of their legitimate political rights and establish an independent Palestinian State on their land, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the lines of 4 June 1967 and in accordance with international legitimacy, the relevant Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. Moreover, we emphasize the importance of the need to continue efforts to restart the negotiations within a specific timeline with a view to achieving a just and comprehensive peace.

At the outset, my country, the United Arab Emirates, appreciates the efforts of the United Nations, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights to support our brother Palestinian people. The Middle East is the scene of many disputes and crises that have placed a huge burden on the peoples of the region. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has multiplied those challenges, and inevitably the international community has had to seek sustained solutions to those crises by rethinking its past approaches and taking new steps to establish stability and peace in the region, along with the essential step of ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In that connection, I would like to note His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, said in his message on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: “The United Arab Emirates, along with its Government and people, reiterates its historical standing commitment in support of the fraternal Palestinian people in their quest to achieve all of their legitimate rights, like all other peoples, in line with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions.” Since its foundation, the United Arab Emirates, whose forty-ninth anniversary we are celebrating today, has paid great attention to the question of Palestine, a top priority of its foreign policy. My country has not hesitated to respond to just international initiatives and to work with regional and international partners to find a solution to the question of Palestine in a manner that fulfils the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. We stress that we will not deviate from our steadfast position, in alignment with the Arab position, of support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian State based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international terms of reference and the Arab Peace Initiative. To that end, every effort must be made and, initiatives supported, with a view to creating an environment conducive to achieving peace and a two-State solution. In that context, in the past few months the United Arab Emirates succeeded in obtaining a freeze of the annexation of Palestinian territories through its tireless political and diplomatic efforts in response to repeated international calls to establish peace through the signing of a treaty with Israel. My country believes that this peace treaty will support our country’s positive and effective role in establishing peace in the Middle East. In addition, we affirm the need to end illegal practices in the Palestinian territories, including the construction and expansion of settlements, violations of the sanctity of holy sites in Jerusalem, the destruction of property and the ongoing siege of Gaza. The United Arab Emirates is very concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian, economic and health conditions in the Palestinian territories, especially amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. We affirm the importance of supporting vital sectors in Palestine, especially the health sector, and I want to reiterate our commitment to offering aid to the Palestinian people, including through United Nations agencies. We contributed more than $840 million in aid between 2013 and 2020 and are considered one of the top donors to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In 2018 and 2019, my country provided $100 million to UNRWA. Furthermore, since July, when we assumed the chairmanship of the UNRWA Advisory Commission, we have been striving to enhance UNRWA’s work in areas that include the digital transformation of education, the empowerment of women, girls and young people, and environmental sustainability. In conclusion, we look forward to continuing to work effectively with regional and international partners to achieve peace and security in our region and the world.

The Palestinian question is a root cause of the problems in the Middle East that affect regional peace and international justice and weigh on the human conscience. Dozens of Heads of State and Government sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of yesterday’s observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, showing that the international community has continued to be seized of the Palestinian issue and that promoting a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question as soon as possible, as called for by the countries of the region and the international community, remains the general aspiration. China attaches enormous importance to the Palestinian issue. In his message for yesterday’s commemoration, President Xi Jinping reiterated that China firmly supports the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights, as well as all efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question. Palestinian and Israeli relations have become increasingly tense recently, while the peace process is mired in difficulties and the risk of regional conflict is rising. All of that demands greater efforts on the part of the international community to find a just and reasonable solution to the Palestinian question and achieve lasting peace and security in the Middle East. The international community should adhere to the right path, which is a two-State solution. A two-State solution is the bottom line if we are to have international equity and justice. There can be no going against the tide of history. The relevant United Nations resolutions, the principle of land for peace and the concept of a two-State solution have mobilized the wisdom and painstaking efforts of generations of peacemakers and are important milestones in the Middle East peace process. Moreover, they are the basis for solving the Palestinian question and should be abided by and implemented. Both the Palestinian and Israeli sides should remain committed to the strategic option of peace talks, seek an early solution to the issue of the occupied Palestinian territory, in line with the relevant United Nations resolutions, and demarcate definitive borders between Palestine and Israel through peaceful negotiations. Both sides should refrain from any action that might fuel tensions and conflict. The international community should foster greater synergy in order to promote peace talks. The Palestinian question should not be marginalized but should rather be placed at the top of the international agenda. The international community, in particular the countries that have influence over both Palestine and Israel, should maintain a position of objectivity and fairness and promote the Middle East peace process in sincerity and good faith. The countries of the region, especially Palestine, should have a say in the quest for any solution to the Palestinian question. The concerns of all parties should be accommodated without external pressure. China welcomes the initiative by President Abbas to convene an international peace conference early next year and hopes that the international community will unite in creating favourable conditions for a resolution of the Palestinian question. The international community should support Palestine in improving its economic and humanitarian situation. Also, while facilitating the peace process, it should effectively assist Palestine in achieving socioeconomic development and support the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Right now we should be acutely aware of and focused on the impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic on Palestine and help the Palestinian people combat it and achieve economic recovery. This year, China has contributed multiple instalments of assistance in dealing with the epidemic. We have sent teams of medical experts, we have contributed to UNRWA and, through the Agency, we have provided Palestine and Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria with personal protective equipment. China will continue to do all it can to help Palestine combat the pandemic and improve people’s livelihoods. I should emphasize that the Middle East remains in turmoil. Tensions have flared again in the Gulf region, causing grave concern. China is against any act that aggravates tensions and undermines peace and stability in the region. We urge the parties concerned to work together to relax tensions and maintain peace and stability in the region. As a sincere friend of the Palestinian people, China has always put its heart into the Middle East peace process and will continue its unremitting efforts to safeguard international equity and justice and promote peace and stability in the Middle East.

For decades the Assembly has met to discuss the so-called question of Palestine. Yet every year the discussion produces no realistic solutions and no useful changes to the situation. To any outside listener, it is clear why the answers to the question remain forever elusive. These yearly debates are completely detached from reality. Every year, Member States repeat the same Palestinian talking points. Every year, they vote in favour of the same counterproductive resolutions and ignore events taking place on the ground, proving time and again that they are far more interested in appeasing the Palestinians than in resolving the conflict. The decades of resolutions on the Palestinian question offer countless examples of how the discourse here is completely removed from what is really happening outside these walls. In July 2000, President Clinton hosted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at Camp David with the aim of bringing peace between the parties. Clinton and Barak’s far-reaching concessions and attempts to find a solution to the conflict were not only rejected outright by Arafat but were met with the bloody violence of the second intifada. In the months that followed Clinton’s initiative, there were other attempts to entice the Palestinians towards peace, but they embraced terror instead. They funded terror cells and dispatched them to Israeli communities, where they murdered innocent Israeli civilians. There can be no doubt that these murderous terror attacks and the Palestinians’ rejection of peace were at the very core of the conflict. And yet the United Nations resolution that year (resolution 54/42) again made no mention of the Palestinians’ outright rejection of peace and full embrace of terror. Like its predecessors and successors, it was completely detached from reality and did not reflect the truth of what was happening in the real world. As always, it centred only on accusations against Israel and the false claim that the so-called question of Palestine was “the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict”. The resolution claimed that only after a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could a comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East be attained. On 15 September, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed a historic peace agreement, and just over a month ago a similar agreement was reached with the Sudan. This year’s draft resolution (A/75/L.34) on a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine makes no reference to any of those agreements. Once again, the United Nations is ignoring the significant and life-changing events taking place in the region. What is even worse is that this year’s draft resolution still includes the claim that peace between Israel and other countries is contingent on peace with the Palestinians. Can this forum be any more detached from the real world? For years, the Palestinians have held the interests of the Arab world hostage. Arab countries were forbidden to recognize Israel’s existence and banned from maintaining relations with us if we did not surrender to the Palestinians’ outrageous demands. Thankfully, the Abraham Accords have shattered that paradigm. But instead of encouraging the Palestinians to see how those agreements can transform the region and be used as a catalyst for peace with Israel, this institution votes in favour of these biased resolutions, ignoring what is really happening and wasting a genuine opportunity to kick-start negotiations. It is not surprising that the Palestinians’ response, instead of embracing the Abraham Accords, has been to attack the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the Sudan, calling their courageous decision to choose peace over hate a betrayal and a stab in the back. The phenomenon whereby the United Nations ignores facts that do not bolster the Palestinian narrative did not start in 2020 or even in 2000 but was part of the United Nations approach to the conflict long before. For example, the United Nations has long accepted the Palestinian claim that it wants a State alongside Israel and not at the expense of Israel, ignoring the fact that it was the Arabs who rejected the partition plan and that their terrorism started long before 1967 or even 1948. How can Member States still believe that President Abbas wants peace? How can they ignore the fact that he has yet to respond to the generous offer that Prime Minister Olmert made in 2008 and has refused countless invitations to negotiate since? It is time for the General Assembly to recognize that its approach to this conflict has failed. Shamelessly adopting biased resolutions with language loaded in favour of the Palestinian narrative only emboldens their rejectionism and fans the flames of conflict. By ignoring reality, the United Nations has made the solution to the conflict even more elusive. Maybe the question that the international community should focus on is how to bring an end to futile debates, redundant resolutions and hollow words that do nothing to help bring the conflict to an end.

I would like at the outset to express Egypt’s appreciation for the holding of this meeting to address agenda item 38, on the question of Palestine, which remains the central cause of Arab States and the focus of security and stability in the Middle East. The question of Palestine has recently been complicated by several challenges, and many reports by the Secretary-General and numerous international organizations have referred to the deterioration of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories as a result of continuing Israeli practices. Their effects have worsened owing to the ramifications of the coronavirus disease pandemic on the economic, social and health fronts. The ongoing Israeli practices, represented by the demolition of Palestinian homes and facilities, broad settlement activity in the West Bank, the detention of women and children without trial and the continued siege of the Gaza Strip, undermine the possibilities for achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the question of Palestine. Furthermore, the current situation, which contravenes international law and the resolutions of international legitimacy, is likely to give the extremist movements that spread hatred, violence and destructive ideologies the opportunity to prolong the conflict for years, even decades, and diminish the chances of achieving peace and stability in a region that has in reality been enduring multiple crises for years. Egypt has repeatedly stressed that the question of Palestine is the cornerstone of security and stability in the Middle East and that there can be no peace without a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to it, in keeping with the agreed parameters for the creation of a Palestinian State along the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and in line with the relevant international resolutions, especially Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative, the Madrid principles and the concept of a two-State solution. In that context, Egypt appreciates the efforts of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to support a settlement of the question of Palestine by raising international public awareness of its righteousness all over the world and in international forums. Egypt looks forward to the continued efforts of the international community in support of resolving this issue, in addition to stressing its commitment to the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, particularly the inadmissibility of annexing others’ territories by force and the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Egypt appreciates the efforts of the Secretary-General and the members of the Secretariat in their continued support for the work of the Committee. Egypt is in favour of draft resolutions A/75/L.32, A/75/L.33, A/75/L.34 and A/75/L.35, presented under the agenda item on the question of Palestine, and calls on all Member States to support them. We emphasize the importance of our cooperation with our international partners in establishing peace and resuming negotiations among both parties on the basis of the agreed parameters. In conclusion, Egypt looks forward to reaching a lasting and just solution to the question of Palestine and to halting the decades-long suffering of the Palestinian people. It is time to put an end to it.

I would first like to take this opportunity to express my condolences to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority on the passing of Saeb Erekat, who was a committed defender of the concept of a two-State solution and of dialogue and negotiation. Turning to the question of Palestine, it remains Norway’s firm position that only a negotiated two- State solution, based on the internationally agreed parameters, can lead to a durable peace. We will continue to base our position on this in our capacity as Chair of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Coordination of International Assistance to Palestinians (AHLC) and during our forthcoming term on the Security Council. In the light of the existing challenges to the realization of a two-State solution, we warmly welcome the recent resumption of cooperation between the Israelis and Palestinians. The momentum created should be capitalized on to resolve other outstanding issues. We call on the parties to find common solutions to the urgent challenges on the ground in the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The parties should also renew their dialogue on fiscal issues aimed at increasing the amount and predictability of income for the Palestinian Authority. We urge the parties to take steps to resume final status negotiations. Norway stands ready to support all efforts to achieve a constructive political dialogue and peace between Israelis and Palestinians. We also welcome the normalization process between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the Sudan. We encourage those countries and others in the region to use those achievements to contribute to a solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The pandemic has further aggravated living conditions in Palestine, and the Palestinian Authority’s financial situation remains very vulnerable. As Chair of the AHLC, Norway is doing its utmost to mobilize resources to help Palestinians in need and address health-sector challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. The alarming increase in COVID-19 cases in Gaza is particularly worrying. The pandemic has further underscored the critical role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which, in the face of the most severe financial crisis in its history, continues to support the basic needs of millions of Palestinian refugees experiencing deepening poverty and dependence on international aid. It is important that donors deliver on their commitments. Earlier today, Norway brought attention to those issues at a local meeting in Ramallah between the Palestinian Authority and donors, co-chaired with the Palestinian Prime Minister. We will continue our efforts in the period leading up to the next AHLC meeting in February 2021. We are concerned about several developments on the ground, including the announced plan to expand Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The settlement activity is illegal under international law and a significant impediment to a viable two-State solution. We are also concerned about the increase in house demolitions. Such activities aggravate humanitarian needs and lead to polarization and potential violence and should be halted. Furthermore, we call on Israel to make the current suspension of annexation plans permanent. Norway welcomes efforts to streamline the resolutions under agenda item 38 and urges that they continue. In conclusion, I repeat our call to the parties to commit to a meaningful dialogue and resume negotiations based on existing agreements and the relevant United Nations resolutions. We encourage all supporters of a two-State solution to help bring the parties back to the path of a lasting viable agreement.

I would first like to pay homage to the memory of my dear brother and friend, Saeb Erekat. Saeb was a committed and true defender of peace on the basis of a two-State solution. Sunday was the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. On that occasion, we reiterate our strong support for the Palestinians’ just cause of gaining freedom on their own land. We salute the struggle and perseverance of our Palestinian sisters and brothers against an illegal occupation and unacceptable oppression. Unfortunately, the injustice that Palestinians face has been worsening in recent years. The systematic expansion of illegal settlements, the disproportionate use of force against innocent civilians, the threats of annexation, the blockade of Gaza and attempts to erode the historical and legal status of Jerusalem seriously undermine the prospects for a two-State solution. Under such conditions, it is unfair and unacceptable to ask Palestinians to compromise and accept unilateral so- called peace plans that defy the established parameters. A negotiated settlement leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is the only way to a just, comprehensive and lasting peace. It is vital that more countries recognize Palestine if we are to preserve the vision of a two-State solution. The steps that have been taken towards the unlawful annexation of Jerusalem and its surroundings threaten the legal status of the city, its demographic composition and its multicultural and multireligious character. The international community must refrain from condoning such illegal actions. Jerusalem’s final status will be part and parcel of any comprehensive solution to this conflict. The illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip has entered its thirteenth year. The latest report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (see A/75/310) on the cost of the blockade reveals staggering economic losses. The cumulative costs of the blockade, together with the military operations, amount to $16.7 billion, the equivalent of six times Gaza’s gross domestic product. Today Gaza has the world’s highest unemployment rate, and half of its population lives below the poverty line. That devastating economic downturn has been compounded by a colossal 43 per cent growth in both population and population density. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) continues to operate in difficult circumstances, and the challenges facing it have increased owing to the coronavirus disease pandemic. UNRWA is indispensable, providing vital health, relief and emergency assistance to millions. However, owing to the funding shortfall, it has been forced to curtail critical vaccination campaigns and withhold staff salaries. It is our collective and moral duty to step up our support to the Agency. Revitalizing the Middle East peace process is essential to fulfilling our long-overdue promise to the Palestinian people of a life in dignity. It is also indispensable to the stability of our region. The international community has a key role to play. We must collectively help revitalize the negotiations for a two-State solution in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions. We must all support President Abbas’s proposal for convening an international conference to launch a genuine peace process.

Mr. President, we thank you at the outset for convening this meeting, and we thank the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for its statement. We commend that important Committee’s efforts, as well as those of the Division for Palestinian Rights and the special information programme on the question of Palestine. The statements by Member States today reflect their continuing concern about the question of Palestine and the need to settle it in a comprehensive, just and lasting manner. Decades have passed without a solution to the question of Palestine, while the international community’s full solidarity with the Palestinian people in their just quest to achieve their rights has never diminished. However, it is clear that there can be no alternative to a peaceful settlement arrived at through negotiations between both parties, based on agreed terms of reference, international resolutions, the principle of land for peace, the Quartet road map and the Arab Peace Initiative, and founded on a two-State solution that ensures the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian State within the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, along with an end to the Israeli occupation of Arab territories, including the Syrian Golan, the realization of the rights of all the Palestinian people and a just solution to the refugee problem. The State of Qatar supports all sincere efforts aimed at resolving the question of Palestine and establishing peace in the Middle East. We reiterate our support for the General Assembly’s annual resolutions on the question of Palestine and the Middle East, which are based on the principles of international law, the purposes enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, international norms, respect for human rights and the importance of maintaining international peace and security. Israel’s occupation of Arab territories, attempts to illegally annex Palestinian territories, settlement activities in the occupied territory, measures aimed at altering the legal status and demographic composition of Jerusalem, siege of the Gaza Strip, use of extreme violence and arbitrary detention against civilians and restriction of their freedom of movement, demolition of Palestinians’ houses and plundering of their natural resources, as well as other violations, are in gross contravention of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions. The deterioration of the economic situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is a matter of concern, particularly in the Gaza Strip, where the ongoing siege is making the humanitarian suffering worse. Since economic stability is an essential factor in maintaining peace and security, Qatar has continued its political and humanitarian support to its Palestinian brothers, including by funding more than $1 billion through the Qatar Development Fund and the Gaza Reconstruction Committee, in addition to contributions from civil- society institutions. We have also provided aid in areas such as education, power supplies, infrastructure, house construction and maintenance and the financing of employment opportunities. This year His Highness Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar donated $150 million to cover humanitarian needs, including those related to the coronavirus disease pandemic and its effects. Recently we also increased our contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In that regard, we want to emphasize that UNRWA plays an indispensable and vital role in meeting the basic needs of millions of Palestinian refugees and ensuring stability. In conclusion, the State of Qatar remains committed to providing our Palestinian brothers with political and development assistance in every possible form. We would like to take this opportunity to once again express Qatar’s steadfast position and solidarity with them with a view to ensuring the recognition of their just and legitimate rights.

My delegation is honoured to speak with regard to agenda items 37, on the situation in the Middle East, and 38, on the question of Palestine. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work done by Ambassador Cheikh Niang, Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, during this difficult year of 2020. Despite the challenges brought by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Committee was able to adapt to the new reality in order to fulfil the mandate entrusted to it by the Member States. While the world’s Governments have been working tirelessly to tackle the pandemic, Israel has continued its occupation of Palestinian territories and its annexation policy. It has ramped up its illegal colonizing practices and measures, including the construction and expansion of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, punitive demolitions, the confiscation of resources from Palestinian institutions, the forced displacement of hundreds of civilians and the blockade of the Gaza Strip, all of which worsen the emergency in the public- health system and the socioeconomic and humanitarian situation in Palestine, particularly in East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, making it harder to counter the spread of COVID-19. A little more than a month ago, we celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. That date also marked 73 years since the partition of Palestine in 1947 and 53 years since the illegal Israeli military occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories began. Despite the fact that more than half a century has elapsed, the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East remain pending before the United Nations. The Palestinian and Arab peoples suffering under the Israeli occupation are still waiting for us. It is disturbing that in the face of this serious threat to international peace and security, the Security Council remains mired in silence. We reiterate our call to the Security Council to fulfil its responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security and to call for an immediate end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its aggressive policies and colonizing practices, in compliance with the resolutions on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, and particularly Security Council resolution 2334 (2016). The repeated obstructions by the United States, an accomplice to Israel’s occupation and aggression, are plunging the Council into disrepute. The international community cannot remain silent in the face of the upsurge in violence and the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against Palestinian civilians, in flagrant violation of the Charter and international humanitarian law. Israel must be required to respect international law, including humanitarian law and all the relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. We reaffirm our full support for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the creation of two States that permit the people of Palestine to exercise their right to self- determination and to establish an independent and sovereign State, on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as enabling Palestinian refugees to exercise their right of return. We would like to express to the Government and the people of Palestine our unwavering solidarity and support for Palestine’s accession to full membership in the United Nations. We also support the renewed call by the President of the State of Palestine to convene an international peace conference. We reject the unilateral decision of the United States Government to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and establish its diplomatic representation in that city, in disrespect for its historical status. We denounce the withdrawal of financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East as another attempt to suffocate the Palestinian people. Furthermore, we reiterate our opposition to the so-called deal of the century drawn up by the current United States Administration, which does not envisage the establishment of a Palestinian State, thus disregarding the concept of a two-State solution, which has been historically supported by the United Nations, the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other international actors. Cuba reiterates its strongest possible condemnation of the decision of the United States Government to recognize the occupied Syrian Golan as Israeli territory, which constitutes a serious and blatant violation of the Charter, international law and the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 497 (1981). That manoeuvre, which violates the legitimate interests of the Syrian people and the Arab and Islamic nations, has serious consequences for stability and security in the Middle East and will further escalate tensions in this unstable region. We will continue to support the demand of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic for the restoration of the Golan Heights and call once again for Israel’s complete and unconditional withdrawal from the Syrian Golan and all occupied Arab territories. Just 24 hours ago, we commemorated the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Let us make the United Nations relevant for the Palestinian people through actions, not words. Let us support without restrictions actions that can enable the implementation of a political negotiation process in which the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people are guaranteed and all the peoples of the region can attain a just and lasting peace.

At the outset, I would like to express my thanks and sincere appreciation to His Excellency Ambassador Cheikh Niang and the members of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for the important role that the Committee plays and its tireless efforts to enable the Palestinian people to realize their just and legitimate rights. The Kingdom of Morocco, led by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, chairs the Jerusalem Committee of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and attaches enormous importance to the question of Palestine. It is a crucial issue in the Middle East and the key to a lasting and comprehensive solution to the disputes in the region, based on enabling the Palestinian people to live in peace and security in line with a two-State solution, as agreed by the international community. The unilateral and illegal measures taken by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, the West Bank and Jerusalem are undermining the chances for peace and increasing tension and instability in the region amid already difficult circumstances that the coronavirus disease pandemic has exacerbated. Moreover, our brother Palestinian people endure daily violations of their legitimate rights, while the settlement activities on their land are contrary to international resolutions and human rights law and constitute a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East. The Kingdom of Morocco attaches extreme importance to Al-Quds Al Sharif and calls for the preservation of its unity, legal, historical and religious status as well as its special status as a city of peace. The city of Jerusalem must be at the centre of any settlement between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, as it represents one of the final status issues, which must be resolved through direct negotiations. In the joint declaration signed with Pope Francis during his visit to Morocco on 30 March 2019, King Mohammed reiterated the importance of safeguarding the holy city as part of the common cultural heritage of humankind and as a place of encounters, a symbol of peaceful coexistence for the followers of the three monotheistic religions and a centre for mutual respect and dialogue. His Majesty has personally made every effort to ensure that the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency, which is an executive mechanism of the Jerusalem Committee, carries out tangible programmes and projects on the health, education, housing and social fronts aimed at bettering the living conditions of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, fostering their resilience and improving their social status. The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is commemorated every year. It is an opportunity to renew our commitment to resolving the question of Palestine and strengthen international efforts to arrive at a peaceful solution that safeguards the legitimate rights of our brother Palestinian people in accordance with internationally agreed parameters. In that connection, and in his annual statement of solidarity sent to the Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, King Mohammed reiterated that Morocco expresses its solidarity with our brother Palestinian people and steadfastly upholds their legitimate right to create an independent, viable Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, that is open to its neighbours and to all religions. The Kingdom of Morocco also renews its support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and reiterates the importance of supporting the Agency so that it can completely fulfil its lofty mandate. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize the importance of relaunching direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis in order to resolve all the contentious issues and find a solution that ensures the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and contributes to the achievement of security, peace and prosperity in the Middle East.

Thank you, Mr. President, for convening this important dialogue in the General Assembly on the question of Palestine. My delegation welcomes the reports of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (A/75/35) and of the Secretary-General (A/75/195) under this agenda item. They shed light on the disturbing and uncomfortable truths about the suffering that the Palestinian people continue to be subjected to. For 53 years, the Israeli occupation of Palestine has prevented Palestinians from exercising their human right to freedom and peace. Moreover, the occupation, combined with Israel’s illegal settlement activity and its ongoing illegal blockade of Gaza and threat of further annexation of Palestinian lands, is resulting in a further deterioration of the security, human rights and socioeconomic situation of the Palestinian people, while their vulnerability is worsened by the coronavirus disease pandemic. The deteriorating humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory underscores the vital role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the only lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees. We join the Secretary-General in urging Member States to continue their support to the Agency. Across the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel, the occupying Power, continues to strip away the dignity of the Palestinian people through arbitrary arrests, discrimination, administrative detentions, including of children, restrictions on their freedom of movement and violations of their right to worship, and by depriving them of access to education and health care. The Maldives reiterates its call to the international community to protect and promote the human rights of the most vulnerable in Palestine in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law. More than 140 countries have formally recognized the State of Palestine, making the wishes of the international community abundantly clear. Israel’s annexation plans are a blatant demonstration of its disregard for the international community’s desire for peace. Israel continues to challenge not only the international community but the Security Council itself. It has taken no steps to abide by Security Council resolution 2334 (2016) but instead continues to violate international law and, in direct contradiction of the legal obligation to protect the lives and health of Palestinians under occupation, further jeopardizes their situation with its excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against civilians. The impunity with which the Israeli forces operate in the occupied Palestinian territory is a serious threat to the rules-based international order. The Maldives welcomes all productive steps towards a durable peace in the Middle East, but we want to assure the Assembly of our belief that there can be no meaningful peace in the Middle East as long as the Palestinian people are oppressed and under occupation. Peace for the Palestinian people is long overdue. The Maldives reiterates its call for a two-State solution and supports the formation of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, established within the pre- 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, where the peoples of both States live side by side in peace, security and harmony. We see this as the only viable solution that can bring lasting peace to the people of Palestine and to the region. In conclusion, we would like to assure the people of Palestine that the people of the Maldives will stand with them until such time as an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian State is established, ending the unlawful Israeli occupation begun in 1967.

First of all, on behalf of the Government of Japan, I would like to reiterate my sincere condolences to the Erakat family, the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people on the death of Mr. Saeb Erakat, the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization, who made an important contribution to peace and stability in the Middle East and to the relations between Japan and Palestine. Yesterday, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, we renewed our support for Palestinians’ long-standing aspirations to an independent State. We also renewed our commitment to building trust between the parties and assisting the Palestinians in their State-building efforts. Japan supports a two-State solution whereby Israel and a future independent Palestinian State live side by side in peace and security. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be resolved solely through negotiations based on the relevant Security Council resolutions and internationally agreed parameters. Japan urges the parties to work to trust each other, to refrain as much as possible from unilateral acts that impede a resumption of direct negotiations and to redouble their efforts to achieve a two-State solution. Unilateral actions by either side that could prejudice the final status and erode a two-State solution can never be accepted. Four years ago, as a member of the Security Council at the time, Japan voted in favour of resolution 2334 (2016). Since then the situation on the ground has continued to deteriorate. Japan reaffirms its position that Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are in violation of international law and deeply deplores their continuation and the Israeli Government’s demolition of Palestinian-owned structures. We once again urge Israel to immediately and completely cease such activities. Violence also remains a major risk to peace and further undermines the prospects for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Violence against civilians should not be tolerated under any circumstances. Japan condemns all acts of violence and reminds all parties that this conflict will never be resolved by such acts. In that context, Japan views the Palestinian Authority’s decision to resume cooperation with Israel as a positive step to improve the fiscal situation by accepting tax revenues collected by Israel and to build confidence with a view to future negotiations. (spoke in English) Japan has been committed to assisting Palestinians for decades with a view to creating an environment conducive to the achievement of peace in the Middle East. We are determined to support the economic development and the capacity- and institution-building required to build a future independent and self-reliant Palestinian State. Palestine’s sustained economic development is essential to the realization of a two-State solution. Japan continues to promote the Corridor for Peace and Prosperity initiative, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, Israel and Jordan, as a medium- and long-term endeavour aimed at coexistence and co-prosperity. The Jericho Agro-Industrial Park, the flagship project under this initiative, which a growing number of companies have participated in year by year, is helping to create jobs and improve Palestinians’ livelihoods. The Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development, which Japan launched in 2013, continues to be instrumental in assisting Palestine’s economic development by drawing on knowledge and best practices from the experiences of East Asian countries. We are seriously concerned about the sharp increase of cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Gaza Strip. Japan very much appreciates the hard work of international organizations, especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to contain the virus, and we continue to make voluntary contributions to UNRWA in order to mitigate the hardships and difficulties faced by Palestinians. The multifaceted impact of COVID-19 on human security is rendering the humanitarian situation surrounding the refugees increasingly severe. Japan contributed approximately $30 million to UNRWA this year, including $1.5 million, earlier in the year, for tackling COVID-19, and $4.1 million in food assistance, decided in October. Japan also provides bilateral assistance to the Palestinian Authority in various areas, such as building schools and supporting refugee camps in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. We remain actively committed to ensuring human security in Palestine. In conclusion, Japan firmly believes that progress towards comprehensive peace in the Middle East will greatly reduce tension in the region and boost the potential for regional prosperity. It is our ardent hope that a just, lasting and comprehensive peace will be realized as soon as possible. To that end, Japan will continue to play an active role in tackling the immediate challenges, on the one hand, and in cementing the foundations for peace and stability on the other, in close cooperation with the international community.

The General Assembly is meeting today to discuss the agenda item entitled “Question of Palestine”. Our meeting constitutes another opportunity to stress the international community’s commitment to its steadfast support for the just Palestinian cause, in line with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. My delegation has taken due note of the reports before the General Assembly submitted by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (A/75/35), the Secretary-General (A/75/195) and the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (see A/75/310). These reports once again reflect the further deterioration of the political, security and social situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the extent of the suffering of the Palestinian people as a result of the occupation. The occupation authorities have also continued their repressive, expansionist and aggressive policies, which are against international law. Furthermore, the restrictions imposed on the occupied territory and the unjust siege of the Gaza Strip have had catastrophic repercussions that are threatening the Palestinian economy and aggravating Palestinians’ human suffering, particularly in the context of the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. I would like to take this opportunity to commend all the United Nations entities, international organizations and non-governmental organizations active in the humanitarian arena for their outstanding and much- appreciated efforts to alleviate the suffering of our brother Palestinian people. We reiterate our support for the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and appreciate its role in supporting the Palestinian people in their efforts to regain the rights that have been stripped from them, including the right to self-determination, independence and sovereignty over their own territory. As a member of the Committee, Tunisia will continue to support its efforts, activities and programmes in keeping with its mandate. We reaffirm that a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East requires that Israel, the occupying Power, fully withdraw from all occupied Arab territories, including the Syrian Arab Golan, in accordance with the relevant international resolutions. Tunisia proudly commemorated the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29 November, regarding which our President said that “Tunisia, alongside the international community, commemorates this international day, which is another opportunity to renew our support for the just Palestinian cause and our brother people of Palestine in their principled defence of their legitimate unalienable rights, first among them that of establishing an independent State on their land within the 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al Sharif as its capital.” Today Tunisia would like to reiterate its repeated appeals to the international community to assume its responsibilities vis-à-vis the Palestinian people and put an end to Israel’s expansionist and provocative settlement practices, which in the absence of any kind of accountability are designed to impose a new status quo in disregard of international law, charters and norms. This is a reminder that the occupying Power despises the humanitarian and economic suffering of the Palestinian people, and that will continue to be a source of tension that threatens peace and security, not just in the Middle East but all over the world. Given its commitment to peace as a strategic choice, Tunisia renews its support to the efforts of the international community to accelerate serious and credible negotiations within a specific time frame with a view to establishing a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in line with international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. Such a peace will enable the struggling Palestinian people to regain all their legitimate rights, put an end to centuries of injustice and bring stability and security to the region. In that connection, Tunisia supports the initiative calling for the convening of an international conference involving all the parties concerned, with a view to engaging in a genuine peace process in accordance with international law, the relevant United Nations resolutions and the related parameters. Tunisia would also like to point to the importance of providing the necessary protection for defenceless Palestinian civilians and of ending the unjust siege imposed on them, particularly in the light of the economic, social and humanitarian challenges that have been aggravated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tunisia reiterates its support for the vital role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in alleviating the suffering of refugees and improving stability in the region. We call on all regional and international actors to step up their humanitarian response in helping the Palestinian people to address the impact of the pandemic and the occupying Power’s economic restrictions. Tunisia also welcomes the recent positive steps that have been taken towards realizing national reconciliation and promoting internal unity regarding the rights of Palestinians.

At the outset, I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for your efforts to facilitate the work of the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth session, especially in the light of the exceptional circumstances arising from the coronavirus disease pandemic. I would also like to express my thanks and appreciation to Ambassador Cheikh Niang, Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and the members of the Committee for their efforts to defend the legitimate rights of our brother Palestinian people, emphasizing the importance of continuing to support their just cause. In his statement on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, His Excellency Mr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, stressed the Kingdom’s unwavering position under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain on supporting the work of resolving the question of Palestine and restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, first among them their right to establish an independent State with East Jerusalem as its capital, in keeping with a two-State solution, the terms of reference of the peace process and the Arab Peace Initiative. He also renewed Bahrain’s call for arriving at a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. Given its view of peace as a strategic option for pushing forward the peace process, establishing stability in the Middle East and entrenching tolerance, coexistence and openness to different religions and cultures, and in a bid to forge broader relations that serve the interests of the countries and peoples of the region and foster efforts to resolve the question of Palestine in accordance with the concept of a two- State solution, international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, the Kingdom of Bahrain has expressed its support for peace with Israel as an important step towards putting an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and achieving the aspirations of our brother Palestinian people to realize their legitimate rights and establish an independent State like every other nation of the world. The Middle East is facing unprecedented challenges that demand firmer action and cooperation among all the parties in order to achieve sustainable peace in the region and strengthen its capabilities by enhancing collaboration in the various areas of our common interest. Moreover, we must foster the values of coexistence, tolerance, understanding and the acceptance of others and respect neighbouring States, as well as work to resolve conflict and disputes through constructive dialogue and peaceful means. We want to reiterate the centrality of the Palestinian cause and the importance of ending the suffering of the Palestinian people in order to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. In conclusion, we call on the United Nations and the international community to intensify their efforts with a view to achieving this lofty goal, laying the foundations for security and stability in the region and enhancing good-neighbourly relations, in order to build and develop the common interests of the States of the region in a manner that will achieve security, peace and prosperity for all of its peoples.

Our thanks go to you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting on the question of Palestine and to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Secretary-General for their reports (A/75/35 and A/75/195) on the agenda item. Yesterday we observed the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in order to express our unwavering solidarity with them and our support for their inalienable human rights, including the right to self-determination and independence. The international community renews its abiding commitment to the efforts to achieve a fair and lasting solution to the Palestine question on a basis of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions. In solidarity with the just cause of the people of Palestine, Bangladesh has become a sponsor of all four draft resolutions presented to the Assembly under agenda item 38 (draft resolutions A/75/L.32, A/75/L.33, A/75/L.34 and A/75/L.35). Bangladesh appreciates the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights for their important work and much-valued assistance to the cause of Palestine, in line with their General Assembly mandates. We commend the efforts of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to provide essential humanitarian, development and emergency assistance, as well as protection, to Palestinian refugees in all fields of operation. The Committee’s report reflects yet again the appalling human rights conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories. We regret that the international community’s repeated appeals for improvement in the Palestinian people’s deteriorating conditions continue to go unheeded. The Secretary-General’s report is a glaring testimony to Israel’s systematic pattern of violations of human rights, international law and international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territory. It is replete with tales of untold human suffering. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians, the killing of innocent people, including women and children, the excessive use of force, restrictions on movement and the expansion of illegal settlements continued unabated during the reporting period. The fact is that the Israeli occupation has jeopardized the lives and livelihoods of millions of Palestinians for more than five decades. Yet a sustainable solution to this protracted crisis remains elusive. The coronavirus disease pandemic is proving to be a crisis within a crisis for Palestinians. It emerged at a time when the socioeconomic situation in Palestine had already gone seriously off track, and it has only further compounded the situation. It pushed the economies of the occupied territories, including Gaza, to the verge of a serious socioeconomic meltdown. The immediate blow of the pandemic devastated already fragile public- health services, and its knock-on effects have created a situation of hyper-unemployment. Last month, the Israeli Government approved the construction of thousands of new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, leading to further competition for resources. Over and above that, the inhumane practice of home demolitions and the movement restrictions imposed by Israel have had a devastating impact on the lives and livelihoods of many Palestinian families, especially for women and girls. We are deeply concerned about the reports that the gap in support and financing for the people of Palestine is burgeoning amid the pandemic. It is imperative to ensure that the international community does everything in its power to avoid any further exacerbation of the situation. The funding crisis facing UNRWA and the declining friend and donor aid must be reversed, and soon. The people and the Government of Bangladesh remain steadfast in their support for the Palestinian people in their just and legitimate struggle to establish an independent, viable, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in the framework of a two-State solution. The Palestinian people and the Arab population of the occupied Syrian Golan have inalienable rights over the natural resources on their land and the right to claim restitution for the harm caused by Israel’s illegal measures. We reiterate our position that the realization of the right to self- determination of the peoples in the occupied territories of Palestine and an end to the occupation are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in those areas. We call on the international community to impress upon Israel that it must end its occupation of Palestine. The international community must fulfil its promise to leave no one behind, and for the people of Palestine, that means permanent sovereignty over their own resources and enjoyment of the right to freedom, peace and development. Let us hope that our collective resolve and the adoption of the draft resolutions before us will bring lasting peace, hope and prosperity to the people of the Holy Land.

At the outset, we thank the Permanent Representatives of Namibia and Afghanistan for presenting today’s draft resolutions A/75/L.32, A/75/L.33, A/75/L.34 and A/75/L.35, and for the report of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (A/75/35). Yesterday we observed the important International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. South Africa would like to underscore its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and its support for their inalienable human rights, including the right to self-determination and independence. We renew our abiding commitment to supporting all efforts to achieve a viable Palestinian State founded on international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions. South Africa further supports the convening of an international peace conference and the establishment of an international multilateral mechanism to assist the parties in resolving all final status issues and to provide guarantees to ensure their implementation within a specific time frame, with a view to achieving a just and lasting peace based on internationally endorsed parameters. We remain concerned about the Government of Israel’s incessant violations of international law as it continues its illegal occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories and its expansion of settlements there. South Africa condemns those actions, as well as the recent demolition of the village of Homsa Al-Baqia in the Jordan Valley, the largest incident of forced displacement in more than four years. Those acts are illegal and inhumane, and we call on the Government of Israel to stop such demolitions immediately, especially in the light of the humanitarian impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic, which has compounded Palestinians’ already deteriorating humanitarian and economic conditions. South Africa is particularly concerned about the 5 million Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan who rely on essential services provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Given the financial constraints that UNRWA is currently operating under, South Africa appeals to the international community to support the Agency’s efforts to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees. I would like to conclude by stating that South Africa remains resolute in its shared commitment to finding a just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine. We will support the draft resolutions presented to the plenary this morning.

Yesterday we commemorated the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. It has been 73 years since the adoption of resolution 181 (II) of 1947, partitioning Palestine into two States. The story of Palestine has been an unremitting tale of broken promises and unfulfilled rights ever since. As the dark shadows of occupation and oppression have lengthened over time, they have not only betrayed the hopes and aspirations of generations of Palestinians, they have also sown seeds of endless hostility and discord in the Middle East. Today many warn that a fresh vortex of violence threatens to engulf the entire region. That is a sobering assessment, for it portends fresh pain and suffering for the hapless Palestinians, who have already suffered decades of foreign occupation, oppression and humiliation. The coronavirus disease pandemic has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation. The question of Palestine is not a question of the evicted or vanquished. It is a test of our commitment to the abiding principles of the Charter of the United Nations, based on the inherent dignity of the individual and respect for the fundamental human rights of all human beings, including the right to self-determination. The tragedy of Palestine is the collective failure of the international community to uphold the fundamental principles of the Charter and the binding resolutions of the Security Council. Indeed, the fundamental structure of a two-State solution has been systematically dismantled in full view of the international community. It comes as no surprise that many have begun to doubt whether peace can be achieved at all. Binding Security Council resolutions on Palestine have been flouted with contempt and discarded, the illegal expansion of Israeli settlements into the occupied territory continues unabated and there are plans to turn that illegal occupation into an annexation of the Palestinian territories. The illegal siege of Gaza is now in its thirteenth year. At a time when a political settlement of the Palestinian issue remains a distant ideal, the financial constraints faced by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East have further undermined the long-term sustainability of the Agency’s relief activities, which support more than 5 million Palestinian refugees. Palestine is the core issue in the Middle East. It is that conflict that has spawned regional hostility over the years and has contributed the most to the anger and frustration among the peoples of the Arab and Islamic world. A resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essential to peace and stability throughout the Middle East. Pakistan, for its part, has consistently and vigorously supported the just and legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people for self-determination and an end to foreign occupation. As Prime Minister Imran Khan recently stated, the only settlement of the Palestinian issue is a just settlement acceptable to the Palestinian people. The international community must assist the Palestinians in realizing their fundamental rights, including their rightful quest for the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State, with Al-Quds Al Sharif as its capital. We hope that justice and wisdom will prevail over the politics of power. Only then can we defy the dire predictions of further strife and suffering in the Middle East.

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item. I would like to inform members that the consideration of draft resolutions A/75/L.32, A/75/L.33, A/75/L.34 and A/75/L.35 will take place following the conclusion of the debate on agenda item 37. The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 38.

I now give the floor to the representative of Egypt to introduce draft resolution A/75/L.29.

At the outset, I would like to express Egypt’s appreciation for the holding of this meeting on agenda item 37, entitled “The situation in the Middle East”, which includes a draft resolution (A/75/L.29) on the Syrian Golan, which Egypt submits to the General Assembly annually. This year we are celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, with everything that anniversary entails in terms of its meaning, principles and aspirations for the peoples of the world. The establishment of the United Nations Organization came after two world wars and was a ray of hope for a better tomorrow in which the peoples of the world could enjoy security, peace, freedom and independence. Everyone at the time was looking to a new world built on respect for international law, including the principles that call for respect for the sovereignty of States, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States, the right of peoples to self-determination and the inadmissibility of the annexation of territories by force, in addition to the establishment of friendly relations between States in order to guarantee a better future for humankind, which had endured the scourge of war for much of the first half of the twentieth century. Despite the decades that have passed since the establishment of the United Nations, the hopes and aspirations of the various peoples of the world have not borne fruit, and the Middle East is a prime example of that. The crises in the region have increased, so that various States of the region are suffering from both protracted and new crises. For the first time in years, the region is now dealing with a serious threat to the concept of the nation-State that is posed by phenomena that are alien to the region and call for disunity, sectarianism and division, in addition to the repercussions of falling rates of development and the ramifications of the coronavirus disease pandemic in the region and around the world. Egypt continues to believe firmly that it will be impossible to stop that downward spiral in the Middle East without respecting the principles of international law and international resolutions. The first step to take is therefore to put an end to the occupation of all Arab territories occupied on 5 June 1967, and specifically the occupied Palestinian territories and the occupied Syrian Golan. The international community must take a serious position against the continued occupation of the Syrian Golan, which has lasted for decades without any progress towards the implementation of the relevant international resolutions and compliance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, which all affirm the inadmissibility of annexing territories by force, and the rejection of attempts to recognize any unilateral measures or demographic changes in the regions under occupation. In affirmation of its commitment to the purposes and principles of the United Nations and its views on the situation in the region, Egypt has been assiduous in submitting a resolution on the Syrian Golan to the General Assembly on an annual basis. Draft resolution A/75/L.29 of this year contains the same language as last year’s, with some technical updates. It reaffirms Security Council resolution 497 (1981) and the principles of international law and the Charter, especially with regard to the inadmissibility of annexing territories by force. The draft resolution affirms that the 1949 Geneva Convention pertaining to the protection of civilians in time of war applies to the occupied Syrian Golan. In addition, it affirms that settlement construction and any other Israeli activities constitute a change in the nature of the occupied Syrian Golan. The draft resolution also states that Israel’s continued occupation of the Syrian Golan is an obstacle to establishing a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region. It calls on Israel to resume peace talks and withdraw from the occupied Syrian Golan up to the lines of 4 June 1967, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions. Egypt hopes that all Member States, especially the members of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, the Group of African States and the Group of Islamic States, will support this draft resolution as they did last year, in confirmation of the importance of abiding by international law, rejecting the forceful annexation of others’ lands and respecting the Charter of the United Nations. In conclusion, Egypt looks forward to a day when peace and stability reign in the Middle East, future generations reap the fruits of security and comprehensive development and the region is free of all the crises currently facing it. In our view, the only way to achieve that is to abide by the international resolutions, the principles of international law and the provisions of the Charter.

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item for this meeting.