S/PV.2239 Security Council

Just recently, on 1 March 1980, the Security Council met on an issue of great importance to international peace and security and adopted resolution 465 (1980) which,inter a&, called upon Israel to withdraw from territories on the West Bank of the Jordan, including Jerusalem, which” were occupied in 1967. That resolution remains unimplemented. Other resolutions along the same lines, of both the Council and the General Assembly, remain unimplemented. Those are the reasons why we have met again. We have to continue to be seized of this issue until a solution emerges and a just and comprehensive peace throughout the Middle East has been attained. 1. Adoption of the agenda 2. The situation in the Middle East: Letter dated 28 May 1980 from the Acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/13966) The meeting wus culled to order at 4 p.m. Adoption of the agenda The ugendu MWS adopted. 3. But there is another reason why we ha&to meet at this time on an urgent basis. The region remains tense; occasional acts of violence make life precarious in the occupied territories, in southern Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East. Recent events point to an escalation of threats to life, property and the peace of the area. Not only does retaliation follow upon retaliation, but fresh causes are being added to the dispute. The most recent of these, as everyone now knows, is the threat of final unilateral action on the part of Israel to make permanent through an act of Parliament the status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, “reunifying” both the western and eastern parts, including the Holy Places, into a single entity under Israeli rule and jurisdiction. The situation in the Middle East: Letter dated 28 May 1980 from the Acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/13966)

In accordance with previous decisions [2233rd to 2236th and 2238th meetings], I invite the representatives of Israel and Pakistan to take a place at the Council table, I invite the representatives of Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Yugoslavia to take the places reserved for them at the side of the Council chamber, and I invite the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization to take a place at the Council table. 4. Because such a final unilateral act would serve no purpose, but would only further aggravate an already complex situation and make a solution much harder to achieve, my delegation agrees as to the urgency of this meeting. But we also feel that we should seize this occasion to move farther along the road towards the ultimate solution to this problem, and not merely content ourselves with stopgap measures. We believe strongly that a basis already exists for such a solution, a basis for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East. It is one which the prescient At the invitution of the President, Mr. Blum (isruel) und Mr. Nuik (Pukistan) took pluces ut the Council ruble, Mr. Al-Saffar (Bahruin), Mr. Roa Kouri (Cuba), Mr. Elaraby (Egypt), Mr. Suwondo (Indonesia), Mr. AI-A/i (Iruq), Mr. Nuseibeh (Jordun), Mr. Bisharu (Kuwit), Mr. Tucfni (Lebanon), Mr. Hulim (Mulaysiu). Mr. Kane (Muurituniu), Mr. Laruki (Morocco), 7. For more than 2,000 years Jerusalem has occupied a special place in the hearts and minds of peoples of these faiths. Its name in Arabic means Holy City. To Christians, Jerusalem is the city of the Fathers of the Church; Jerusalem and nearby sites such as Nazareth and Bethlehem are where Jesus Christ was born, lived and did much of his work among mankind. The Jews also attach a special significance to it as a holy site. For these reasons, and because its status has been in dispute since partition, my delegation is fully convinced that Jerusalem and the Holy Places therein should retain a special status in the international community, as the Pope has said, and as the international consensus would have it. Jerusalem truly belongs to 2 ? ” “The City .of Je’rusalem~Shall be established as a c&pus .sep&-atum under a special international regime’ and .shaIl *be’- administered by the United ‘Nations;t’: ; ,.l ..-. c:-“‘: I I i ,- ~. . $I. , . *. The’samd’ resolution’stipulates that, .. .. .- : : : f ,‘ ;, ‘,_:> : ” ,_, ), ,’ : ,:*, J “‘TheCity ofJerusalem shall be demilitarized; its neutrality-shah be declared and preserved.” “’ .i I. ., I,_ ./.. I .; Ir+paragi-aphs 7’and.:8 of its resolution 194 (III) of 1948, the:GeneralAssembly resoived “that the ;Holy Places-including Nazareth-i-eli-’ gious buildings and sites in Palestine should be pro: tected ‘and ‘free’ access to them assured, in accord-. ante with existing rights and historical practice” .‘I . I. .,v,. I. ., ,. .._I ,.. and-’ . ,,:-’ .” ; ” ,-. ‘;’ .,‘.,.. ..- .//.,_. “that; in’view of its association”with three world’ religions, the Jerusalemarea. . ; should be accorded special and separate’ treatment from the rest of Pal- &tine and should be placed undereffective United, Nations control”. .’ . Furthermore’: the Assembly instructed the Conciliation Commission for Palestine: : .&:,. ,. “to present to the fourth regular session of the Gen: era! Assembly detailed proposals for a permanent international regime for .the Jerusalem area which, will provide for the maximum local autonomy for distinctive groups consistent with the special inter;: national status of the Jerusalem area”. i .I :> 9. As far as my delegation is concerned, the status of] Jerusalem is as stipulated in the original plan of par& tion and nothing, in our view, since then has changed; that status. c 10. It is relevant, in that connection, to draw atten:. tion to the conclusions of the study entitled The Stattis’ c$ Jerusalem prepared for, and under the guidance of; the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable’ Rights of the Palestinian People, which, inter alia,. concluded on page 26 that: ,( :.’ 11. This concept of an international regime ‘for Jeru- .:, saiem was clearly elaborated upon by the. Rapporteur of the Committee, .the representative of Malta,, in his statement before the Council, yesterday [22$6th nzcet: ing]-a concept which, according to him, the .United Nations has maintained since 1947 as the true legal status of Jerusalem: The , representative ‘.of . . Cuba, ‘.. speaking as Chairman of the non-aligned movement [2235th meeting], likewise referred to an international regime for Jerusalem .in the context of the :United Nations. Mention of such an international regime was also made in the statements of the representatives of’. Jordan and Turkey [223&h and J236th.mgetingsj. .- ,I : 12. : Everyone recai!s that in the years subsequent to 1967 a!! actions which had the intent of changing that status. of Jerusalem were declared invalid in various, resolutions, nanieiy, Genera! Assembly resolutions 2253 (ES-V) and 2254 (ES-V) and Security’ Council resoiutions252(1968),267(1969),271(1%9),298(1971) and 465 (1980). It is our belief that any unilateral action to change the status and character of Jerusalem .without the participation of ail the parties concerned :and without the genera! approval of the.intemational corn: munity cannot contribute positively to a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East. L 13. Once again we have before us the opportunity to m&e a fateful choice between issues ‘of peace and war in this troubled region. We are fortunate that in this instance we have before us also the product of the wisdom of our worthy predecessors in this world forum, which can evidently be a path to peace and a satisfactory solution ‘to the complex problems in the region. My’ delegation shares the anxiety of many that, at this juncture, as the-entire, world stands poised .on the edge of this choice, many parties,agitated by the cycles of violence that daily sweep over the region will ignore that path. Let them not forget that a temporary gain for them may lead to a permanent loss for a!!‘humanity. / 14. Mr. CHOU Nan (China) (interpretation from Chinese): Last May the Eleventh Islamic Conference of,Poreign Ministers, held in the capita! of Pakistan, adopted a resolution2 calling for an immediate meeting of the Security Council to consider the question of Jerusalem. That decision was right and timely. The Chinese delegation fully supports that initiative. 17. Jerusalem is the sacred place of’three major religions of the world and it is only natural that people of a!! these religions should have free access to it for pilgrimage. We fully understand and sympathize with the sentiments of the Islamic countries and peoples’ towards Jerusalem. We are opposed to any Israeli (: action to change the status of Jerusalem unilaterally; 18. The question of Jerusalem is an important cornponent of the whole Middle East issue. We have always held that any solution to the Middle East question .1 should embody the following three aspects: first, Israel :‘ must withdraw from a!! the Arab territory occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem; secondly, the national rights of the Palestinian people must be restored, including the right to return to their homeland, the right to self-determination and to establish their own State; thirdly, the solution to the Middle East question must be comprehensive and just. 19. Such are our explicit views and position of pi-incipie on the related issues. 20. The Chinese Government and people strongly condemn the Israeli authorities for their crime of aggression, expansion and annexation and firmly support the Palestinian and other Arab peoples in their just struggle to regain their national rights and recover 21. Mr. MUNOZ LED0 (Mexico) .(intcr~retotion from Spanish): We are: living through some exceptional days in the Council. The two issues that for decades have been predominant on its agenda-the Middle East and southern Africa-have reached such a point of seriousness and such a juncture that we can now say that we have a double emergency. : 22. The recurrence of these two issues make them both symptomatic and symbolic; They both reveal .a pernicious imbalance between the obduracy of those responsible for the conflicts, on the one hand, and the lack of effective co-operation among those who might make it possible for the decisions of the international. community to be carried through, on the other. They exemplify the barriers within which action by the United,Nations is to be confined. 23. The issue we are discussing today is of particular importance. Just as the question of Palestine is the key to the problem of the Middle East, the fate of Jerusalem is the key to the problem of Palestine. By confronting such issues without ambiguity we can find the thread that will lead us to a genuine joint solution. We shall be at the beginning of the end of a longdrawn-out problem. 24. Almost every day starts with news of an escalation of decisions which make a negotiated and peaceful settlement in the Middle East even more difficult. What is the purpose? It seems to be to make use of a year of uncertainty in order to impose afair accompli on the centres of world power. For that reason, now is the right time to define the role which the Organization should play in making decisions that fall within its purview. 25. The energies we devote to the discussion of those issues are not superfluous. They are translated into important conceptual advances which give form to the political will of the international community and which preclude solutions that are not adapted to the principles of the Organization or the substance of our resolutions. 26. To the measures taken by Israel since 1967 to change the physical character and the demographic 27. ’ Nor can the deep historical significance of Jerusalem, where three great faiths and the traditions of innumerable peoples converge, be a pretext for an unjust solution which would carry with it the usurpation of national rights. Respect for the values which Jerusalem embodies presupposes a climate of peace, which no military occupation can engender. 28. ‘The immediate problem which we face is an illegal occupation, which must end. But the long-term solution requires a new approach which will lead to coexistence. The creation of the State of Israel was made possible thanks to the long sacrifices endured by the Jewish people in affirming its existence as a nation. These forces must be transformed into a clear understanding of the sacrifices now suffered by the Palestinian people so as’also to achieve its independence through the establishment of a national State. 29. The deepest significance of the tragedy of the Middle East lies in the fact that two vigorous nationalisms are clashing within the same historical and geographica framework. One has already achieved: its essential objectives: the Israeli. The other is struggling to gain them: the Palestinian. Hence, the international community supports the claims of the latter and, in order to establish harmony, is seeking to curb the excesses of the former. 30. Both peoples have the same ethnic origin and have shared the same cultural heritage. For centuries’ they coexisted in various parts of the ancient world. Tradition and mutual interest militate in favour of close co-operation between the two nationalities. Once dialogue can be established on an equal footing, the problem of Jerusalem can be resolved to the satis-, faction of both parties and of the international community if, instead of differences being exacerbated,. occupation is ended and gives way to an imaginative, 1 forward-looking policy. 31. Strictly speaking, the problem is not that of choosing between a unified Jerusalem and a divided, Jerusalem. The city is unified today -in fact, but be-. cause of a conquest, which can engender no right whatsoever. If what we want is to unify the city, this must be done with respect to all sovereignties, so that Palestinians and Israelis, Christians, Jews and Muslims may live together in freedom and with mutual ret-* ognition of their national rights, their traditions and 32. My delegation has been in favour of adopting a forceful draft resolution, so that we may implement the legal measures considered necessary for halting and defusing the repeated flouting of the will of the international community. We wish further to state our deep concern about the persistence of this problem, which seems increasingly to be the linchpin of an acute and deplorable conflict and which requires greater firmness in our resolutions as we!! as a clearer vision of the future. ,.

Mr. President, it is a pleasure to see you presiding over the deliberations of the Council. It we!! befits you to be in charge of this crucial meeting of the Council, both because of your persona! qualities-endowed as you are with a rare combination of wide experience and statesmanshipand because of your position as the representative of Norway, with which my country has the closest relations, a country whose commitment to the cause of peace and international understanding is acknowledged by a!!. And our persona! friendship, Mr. President, spans a period of a decade, and I am beholden to you, as are other friends of yours, for our shared moments of trying to uphold values which we cherish. 34. I should also like to express my sincerest appreciation to my brother, Ambassador IdC Oumarou of the Niger, for the excellent way in which he conducted the proceedings of the Council during the month of May. 35, “ ‘He who comes seeking equity must come with clean hands’ ” 12234th meeting, puru. IIS]: this is how the representative of Israel tried to justify Israel’s latest phase of expansionism and aggrandizement. The absurdity of this statement is only borne out by the universal condemnation with which the Israeli action on Al-Quds has been greeted. Incidentally, the beautiful name “Al-Quds Al-Sharif’ has a lone objector reading sinister meanings into it, while it signifies ‘:Ho!y of Holies” to about a billion people. 36. The representative of Israel did not stop at that; he arrogated to himself the task-of lecturing the Council. He found it appropriate to sound a note of warning. This warning sounded, to say the least, ironic and sinister, considering Israel’s record of violence and 5 . 37. I have stated before-and it is a matter of record and known to ,everyone-that a long list of resolu-. tions has been ‘adopted by the Security Council and the Genera! Assembly on the status of Al-Quds Al- Sharif ‘and on ,Arab territories acquired by force by Israel. The people of the world, whose opinion is reflected in the pronouncements of the Council and’ of the Genera! Assembly, have been unanimous in’ upholding the very just <and fundamental principle of not allowing the aggressor to swallow the land and ” territories he ‘occupies. This’ is the recurring theme in al! the resolutions. . 38.. There has been complete unanimity in the world community, except for one of its members, with regard to the preservation of Al-Quds Al-Sharif-the city of peace and the spiritual centre of three monotheistic faiths of the world. It is a sad commentary that, in spite’of all the numerous resolutions of the Security Council, the General Assembly and other competent international bodies, the situation in Jerusalem and the occupied territories is rapidly deteriorating. The latest act of Israel is not an isolated incident; it seems to be part of a premeditated, systematic and deliberate policy in total defiance of the collective opinion of the civilized world on the building of new settlements, expropriation of lands, demolition of houses, expulsion of inhabitants and the letting loose of a reign of terror in an area which Israel is bound to protect and to vacate in accordance with the : terms of the Geneva Convention relative to the Pro-. tection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August !949,3 and the universal code of human conduct. This invidious ethos of Israeli intransigence has another aspect. The original residents of Al-Quds Al- Sharif have, through the process of what is euphemistically known as demographic decomposition, been gradually reduced to a minority. Israel has been, systematically taking measures in pursuit of a policy totally incompatible with its obligations under the Charter and the Geneva Convention. 39. Our memories are not short. We have heard in the Council the plea against tyranny *so movingly stated by the Mayor of Halhul, a son of the soil who is denied entry to his own home. Israeli actions have moved the world to condemn-and some in milder words to deplore-their nefarious designs, but with no effect. The Bangladesh delegation in no uncertain terms condemns the Israeli actions, and it will do so again and again until the wrongs are righted and will keep on demanding that Israel be compelled by the Council to obey its mandate. 40. The present series of meetings of the Council is being held in response to a request of the Eleventh 43. The Holy City of Al-Quds Al-Sharif occupies’ a special place not only for’the whole Islamic Ummah; its history has been intertwined with that of mankind. It embraces the spiritual and intellectual contributions of three,great monotheist,ic religions of the world representing the largest segment of mankind. It has from time immemorial remained a witness ‘to the permanent editice of coexistence, peace, love and tolerance. Let us strive to end this period of horror and nightmare ‘and decisively ensure the historical accessibility of pilgrims from all over the world to the Holy City and its shrines. The Zionist entity ‘must be compelled to refrain from further desecration and despoliation of the Holy Places and of Palestine, thereby helping to usher in an era of peace in the region and the world. 44. In his statement on the opening day of this debate [2233rd meeting], the Foreign Minister of Pakistan rightly touched on the concern of the Islamic countries on the question of Al-Quds Al-Sharif. This is the latest effort of the Islamic community in the quest for justice and peace in the Holy Land. Since the Rabat Conference of 1969, the heads of State or Government of the Islamic countries who assembled to consider the dangerous situation arising from the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque declared that the status of Al-Quds Al-Sharif should be restored without any further delay. The Lahore Summit of the Islamic Conference in 1974 also underlined in unmistakable terms the paramount importance of the immediate removal of Israeli aggression from Al-Quds Al-Sharif 48. The edifice of world civilization rests on certain fundamental values. We cannot be oblivious of, the fragile peace built upon the debris of the destruction of the First World War; that peace was achieved without the injection of the element of justice for all the parties concerned. To be durable, peace must. be conceived in the context of justice and fair play. We cannot allow Israel to persist in its policy of occupation and annexation, which is now posing the grave-st danger to international peace and security. As recently as a few days ago Pope John Paul II stated that the resolution of the question of Jerusalem is pivotal to’a just settlement in the Middle East and he also underscored the gravity of the situation. ‘* In this regard, I should like to take members back to. a historical event of more than I,$)0 years ago. The Second Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Omar, ,of blessed memory, on entering the grounds of Al-Quds Al-Sharif at the head of a conquering Muslim army, was invited to say his prayers in the shrine. He respectfully declined the invitation explaining that by offering the prayer in the premises, he would set a,badprecedent, :encouraging his followers to claim the shrine as their own. The recent decision of the Islamic Conference to bring this matter to the Council is based on that noble example, in the spirit of ‘seeking justice and practising tolerance and in the quest for a peaceful .solution of this explosive issue. ‘i 1. Engraved in bold letters on the wall of the Union of American Hebrew Congregation, at East Sixty-fifth Street and Fifth Avenue, New York, are wonderful exhortations and words of wisdom: “Do justice, love ‘mercy, walk humbly withethy God”. I do not have to go. into the significance of those wonderful words providing the code of human conduct, for tolerance and for eternal peace. Let it be practised in deeds. I,, 52; Nemesis has invariably followed injustice and intolerance. Let us avoid it while there is time; let it not engulf the guilty and the innocent alike. I’ 53. Mr. FUTSCHER PEREIRA(Portuga1): Throughottt history, almost every city in the world has at one time or another been the object of conflicts between 55.‘. Neither can we silence our dismay ‘at seeing that the Israeli authorities have ‘apparently turned a deaf ear to the wise, tolerant and conciliatory words we heard not that long ago in this very building about the problems of Jerusalem from His Holiness John Paul II. I ; 56. In the view of the Portuguese Government, any attempt by the Israeli authorities unilaterally to define the status of Jerusalem will be illegal in the ‘face of international law and contrary to the spirit of tolerance that’must preside over the relations between the three religions for which Jerusalem is a Holy Place. Likewise, any attempt to impose control over that city by force, ignoring the feelings of the three religious communities that live there and venerate its shrines, will only be illusory and will contain the seeds of new violence that sooner or later will turn against those who initiated the process. 57. A peaceful and adequate solution of the question of Jerusalem can therefore be found only if the historic and religious pluralism of that city isrecognized and taken into account, for Jerusalem is a sacred place not only for those who live .in it, but for all those, numbering almost 1.5 billion people, who follow the creeds of the three great monotheistic religions. Respect for the religious dimension of the city implies a search for a special statute that, under international guarantees, will define equal rights for the three religions, assure free access for all to the places of worship and safeguard the promotion of their spiritual and cultural endeavours. Such a solution must be found in accordance with the three religions, and Israel should therefore avoid creating any situation that will block the way to a negotiated settlement. 60. But we must not respond to such provocations. The mission of the’ Council is to guarantee intemationa! peace and security; We must ,therefore avoid assuming ,as our own the passions of those who are parties to the controversy we are called to deal with. That would only lead us to rigid positions that would stall our capacity to trigger any process of negotiation able to lead to a solution acceptable to a!!. Such a solution will be reached only if we are able to recognize and understand the legitimate anxieties and aspirations of a!! the parties involved and if, with patience and an open mind, we try to help them bridge their differences and overcome their mutual lack of. confidence and their hostility. .6!. As we stated almost a year ago, when we presented the report of the Security Council Commission established under resolution 446 (!979), the Portuguese delegation firmly believes that only by following such a course will it be possible to “make the Holy City a unique meeting place and a place of peace, a point of departure for a!! to unite in a determination to give it a status that will guarantee and encourage fruitful and fraternal dialogue between men, peoples and religions” [2156rh meeting. puru. 201.

The next speaker is the representative of Bahrain. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make a statement.

Mr. President, on behalf of my delegation, I should like to thank you and 65. We are faced today, as we have always been, with a very dangerous and alarming situation. Israel is declaring its plans to annex the Holy City of Jerusalem, thus defying the will of the international community and ignoring United Nations resolutions and the principles of international law. In fact, Israel has always adopted a negative attitude towards the decisions of the United Nations, whether in relation to Jerusalem or to the rest of the occupied Arab territories. 66. The newly declared plan is not new to the Council. Since 1967 Israel has declared that Jerusalem has been liberated from Arab conquest and will never be divided again. The reaction of the world community to that declaration has been we!! defined in several resolutions of the Council. The Council has demanded that the Israeli Government, as the occupying Power, .desist from taking any action which would result in changing the legal status, geographical nature or demographic cornposition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including the Holy City of Jerusalem. The opposition of the United Nations to the Israeli designs is in fact based on a generally recognized principle of international law: the inadmissibility of acquiring territory through war. 67. The Zionist Government often refers to the religious and spiritual attachment of the Jewish people to Jerusalem. Does that mean that the other faiths, Islam and Christianity, have no attachment to their holy places? Does it also legitimize the Israeli occupation, annexation and aggression? 68. If the Jews have an historical association with Jerusalem, others also have historical and religious ties with the Holy City. It is a part of their religious belief also. Jerusalem remains for ever in the hearts of the Muslim peoples a!! over the world. The Arabs 69. The establishment of colonies in the occupied Arab territories has always been the strategic objective and policy of the Israeli Government-first by the Labour Government until 1977, and subsequently by the Government of Menachem Begin, who pledged to do all he could to Judaize the Arab territories occupied since 1967. 70. The annexation and the change of the legal status, geographical nature and demographic composition of the City of Jerusalem by the occupying Power is irrefutable evidence of the expansionist policy of Israel towards the occupied Arab territories. As a result of that policy, the Israeli authorities resorted to demolishing houses and historical sites of great cultural value to the Arabs. They also confiscated privately owned Arab properties, and expelled the Arab inhabitants from their land. And, in certain cases, they obliterated entire quarters, as in the case of the Harat Elmaghreb quarter, which was transformed into a parking lot. 71. The expansionist policy of Israel in the Arab territories has also led to’ violence against the Palestinian population, the last of which was the crime committed against the lives of the Palestinian Mayors. 72. The Zionist hatred for the Arabs and their contempt for Islamic culture and heritage have been the basic policy of Israel since its inception. Fanaticism does not pay. Certain of my dolleagues who haite spoken in this debate warned that the designs and the aggressive policy of the Israeli authorities in occupied Jerusalem will have repercussions all over the Islamic world, for Muslim peoples will never remain silent vis-d-rfis this grave and dangerous situation. 73. As I mentioned before, the annexation of Jerusalem was not a secret. The announcement of the unification of Jerusalem is considered irrevocable by the Government of Menachem Begin. According to our information, even at Camp David, the Israeli negotiators refused to discuss the status of Jerusalem. The Americans have failed to persuade the Israeli negotiating team to include Jerusalem in the agenda of Camp David and, for that reason and many other reasons, the Camp David accords have been rejected by the Arab peoples. 74. In keeping with the provisions of the Charter and the principles of international law, both the Security Council and the General Assembly have adopted a series of resolutions condemning the Israeli illegal ‘actions in Jerusalem, the first of which were General Assembly resolutions 2253 (ES-V) and 2254 (ES-V) and the last was Council resolution 298 (1971). These resolutions were all adopted by overwhelming major- 76. It is also imperative for the Council to call on Member States not to c&operate with the Israeli authorities in realizing their expansionist designs in Jerusalem and to urge those Members which have accepted the transformation of Jerusalem into the capital of Israel to reconsider their position. 77. If Israel persists in its dkgns’ to change the demographic and cultural character of the.Holy City, the world community should expect grave and tragic consequences. 78. As a matter of fact, since the inception of the State of Israel, the Israeli objectives were the seizure and occupation of all Palestine, whidh they claimed as their Promised Land. Therefore, Israel Wants the land without its people, and at the same time it claims interest in peace in Palestine and coexistence in peace with its neighbours. Peace cannot be founded upon continued violence and hatred perpetrated against an unarmed population living captive in its own homeland. 79. In our view, peace can only be established on justice, which is ttie recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination. This is a fundamental element for establishing ! lasting peace in the Middle East. As long as Israel and its allies and supporters deny the Palestinian people its inalienable rights, the situation will reinain dangerous and explosive. The latest Israeli actions towards the City of Jerusalem will increase the already tense situation in the occupied territories and a violent reaction in the Islamic world cannot be ruled out.

The next speaker is the representative of the Sudan. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement.

Mr. President, allow me at the outset to express my delegation’s sincere appreciation and satisfaction at seeing you guiding the deliberations of the Council for the current month. The issues under consideration are of a serious nature and have serious consequences for world ,peace and security, including the present issue of Jerusalem. We are confident that you will undoubtedly enable the Council to conclude the task before it in a satisfactory manner. 82. I also take this opportunity to extend to you, and through you to the other members of the Coun- ‘m’anne~;.th‘e’Palestinlan’ Arabs had guarded the Holy Places, for all’ believers’; ,whether’ Muslims,’ Christians “ or’.Jews:‘until’ 1948 when’ Jerusalem ‘was conquered - by ‘Zionists .who used untold &i&l and’barbaric’means to expel both Muslims‘ and ‘Christians,’ and seized a large portion of the Holy City. Once more, and seemingly unsatisfied-with .what they had taken in ‘1948 by :for& and sheer :aggression, the Zionists ‘were again to conquer and expand. <In June 1967, they completed their usurpation of the entire Holy City and declared ,it. their capital. :!t might be.of much relevance in this ‘respect to re.tter#e what was, so ably stated by the * drstinguished. reprcsentatrve of the Palestine Liberatton Organization before the Council three days ago [223Jrd m,eetingJ when, he said that the history of Palestine.throughout the .ages clearly draws a distinction ’ between the pilgrims who came to pray and the con- , querors who came to usurp : “, : ,. 856,: .The Council is meeting upon a request made on behalf of 39 member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which represents approximately one third of mankind, to examine a serious and most .dangerous situation resulting from the Israeli move @‘consolidate its illegal annexation of the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Council is now sitting in judgement on a State, Member of the United Nations charged with wanton aggression and total defiance of numerous ‘resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and, indeed, by.this very Council on the status of the Holy C’ity of Jerus$lem. _I , 86. Moreover, the latest Israeli move constitutes a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and international law governing military occupation, under which Israel, like all other States, has clear obligations and responsibilities. In this context, it is perhaps worthwhile to mention the significance of the conclusions drawn by the Committee ,on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in its recent publication The Status of Jerusalem when it stated on page 26 that “Israel’s reiection of these resolutions which have declared its ‘actions and legislation in Jerusalem invalid, in no way deprives the resolutions of their own validity.*’ _' .\: , .89. The thrust of those basic principles of the Charter and practice of the, United Nations ,is the fact that Jerusalem, under the occupation of the Zionist entity, is not the Israeli capital, nor should it be. Moreover, the latest israeli. move is yet another ample proof of the *Zionist ‘laggressive acts and their expansionist intentions.. Such a defiant po!icy of aggression and expans.ion aims at making radical geographic, demographic and historical transformations in the. character and status not only of the Holy City of Jerusalem, but also in the occupied Arab territories as a whole:: . . 90. In order to forbid this obliteration, the Security Council and the General Assembly have on a number of occasions affirmed the basic principles and ,practice of,the Charter and declared Israeli measures and actions, both legislative and administrative, to be totally invalid. Israel was condemned or censured in those resolutions, the, most recent of which is resolution 465 (1980), adopted by the Council only three months ago. Outside this body, the international community has voiced its condemnation of Israel. 91. The agony and sufferings of the Palestinian people under Zionist, occupation have now become. a matter of great concern tu the entire world community. For us in the Sudan, it has been our firm belief that the Israeli practices in the Arab occupied land, including Jerusalem, and particularly Israel’s systematic and relentless pursuance of the policy of establishing new settlements not only jeopardizes the character and status of Jerusalem and the entire bccupied Arab lands, but also impairs any attemptsat reaching a peaceful, just and lasting settlement of the whole issue of the. Middle East. .’ . . 92. Such a conviction is of course now shared by,an overwhelming majority of Member States and is supported by wide-reaching international opinion. As far !?These are a!sd j0 cia&c eiamplt& of ihe -&ay thk’ State of Israel has been constructed; .but. if .the objective is. toensvre the su&val qf the Stale itself, the, Israelis will, sooner oy later have, to, .abandon these outposts beyond their’ borders-ven if it means reversing the course of Zionist history.” - 93. Arab &usaleti is now suk&nded‘ 6~’ h&h&e residential colonies constructed with a view tq formi-kg an‘effective barrier bettieen thousan$s of P@stiniatis inliabiting the Holy City and the rest oftfie tenitories in the West Bank. Israel’s naked obj&ive in such a policy of expansion’ ‘and arihexation is that A&b J&usalem be turned inio a ghetto and that links tiith’the West Bank and Jordan be acco-rdingly severed,, thus achieving the sinister ultimate design through the fina expulsion of the remaining Arabs -of tumiirg thi: ‘Holy City of great religions into the capital. of the Zionist entity. .- 94. The international cortlmunity .is n&v ‘aware of thedimension’and magnRud6 of the Pal&tini&$ticsgedy and demands that an end be put to it before the woiid is Fngulfed in a datigerous confrontation. 95.. In this respect, -my Government and, more par- ,ticuiarly, my President, Mr. Gaafar Mohamed Nimeiri, &ho has maintained close contacts with the Holy See over the issue of Jerusalem, note with appreciation the recent statement made by His Holiness Pope John Paul II, when he reaffirmed that the resolution of the question of Jerusalem was essential for the attain- -merit of a just peace in Palestine. It goes without saying that as long as the Palestinian problem remains unsolved, the Middle East region will remain a hotbed -of tension. :’ 96. Also in this respect, it is the consistent position of my Government that the Palestinian question ,is the very substance of the Middle Eastern conflict and that any solution to this question must and should take this aspect into consideration. The Palestinian people must exercise their inalienable and legitimate rights 10 establish their independent State on their own land. The PLO must be recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. .ll ’ 100’. In addressing thi ‘Council, my delegaiion< hds nothing to add to all that has been so eloquently sajd by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan in his capacity ‘as Chairman of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers [ibid.] and by other speakers who have preceded me. Those speakers ‘have dealt ,with ‘the problem of the Holy City of Jerusalem in itS entirety. They have put forward conclusive evidence to disprove Israel’s claim to Jerusalem as ‘its hist%al capital, making it quite clear that neither was the city founded by the Jews of biblical times, as is often falsely assertid, nor was the presence of biblical Israelites in Jerusalem continuous or even the presence of lonhest duration. It is an historical fact that Jerusalem was founded by the Canaanites, the forefathers of the Ptilestinians, whose presence .*in i the city has been continuous throughout its entire’existence of 38 cent&es, and that the city was in Arab and Muslim hands for more than 12 centuries, as against 5 centuries of Jewish occupation. Previous speakers have also dealt adequately with Israel’s spurious legal claim to Jerusalem as its capital city, as the successor of ,a Jewish kingdom which lapsed 25 centuries ago, and with the inhabitants of which the Jews of today, in any case, have no historical or racial links. . 102. All this and more has been heard by the Council over the past few days from speakers who are eminently more qualified and knowledgeable than I in the historical, and legal background of Jerusalem, as well as the tragic circumstances that have been the lot of the Palestinian‘ inhabitants of that city-beginning with the infamous Balfour Declaration of 1917, through the unauthorized partition of Palestine by the United Nations in 1947, to the illegal occupation of the Holy City by the followers of Zionism whose only claim to the city rests on the untenable pretext that 25 long centuries ago a Jewish Kingdom existed in Jerusalem. 103. If I am making a statement, therefore, it is not because of the paucity of facts on the history, ancient and modem, of Jerusalem or the lack of conviction on the part of the previous speakers. Were that the case there would be no need for me to speak, for I possess neither the knowledge nor the wisdom to make out a more convincing case than they have already done on the tragic matter before us. I am speaking because, as the representative of an Islamic country to which Jerusalem is sacred, I find it impossible not to add my voice to those of my brothers in Islam who have already spoken with the deepest anger and emotion at Israel’s recent moves to perpetuate its illegal annexation of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and to turn it into its capital by the introduction of a fundamental law to that effect in the Knesset. As if that were not enough to convince the world of his nefarious intentions, Prime Minister Menachem Begin has overtaken even the process of legislation by announcing the moving of his offices to the Old City, thus throwing down the gauntlet to chal- ’ lenge the international community and the Muslim world and also the Council which is currently seized with the problem. 104. In the circumstances, one may indeed wonder whether it is at all useful for the Security Council and the General Assembly to continue to adopt unending 105. It is a matter for regret that the Council cannot act effectively against Israel so long as Israel enjoys the unconditional support of one super-Power and so long as the other super-Power continues to pay lipservice to the realization of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. 106. The problem of Palestine is essentially a colonial problem. and as such is no different from the colonial situation existing in South Africa and in Namibia. In Palestine, as in Namibia and South Africa, the indigenous populations are being held in bondage while alien usurpers justify their domination on the principle of self-determination, thus making a mockery of a sacred principle which is enshrined in the Charter. But.peace in the Middle East is impossible without the full realization of the rights of the Palestinian people -as has been rightly recognized recently by the nations of Western Europe-in the same way that the attainment of peace in southern Africa is impossible without the full realization of the rights of the African peoples of Namibia and Azania. Indeed, peace and stability will continue to elude mankind so long as imperialism and colonialism, of whatever colour or creed, continue to be the order of the day on our planet. 107. At all events, the increasing momentum of the struggle of oppressed peoples against colonial and racist domination is only too evident for all to see. Only last April Zimbabwe attained independence from a minority racist regime and has since joined the comity of free nations, when not so long ago Ian Smith had refused to foresee that happening even in a thousand years. The tide of history is running strongly against the forces of imperialism, colonialism, hegemonism and oppression and with the forces of justice, liberation and freedom. 108. The Government of Israel would therefore do well to move its people-who by their own free choice have made their home in the midst of the Arab nationwith the tide of history. It should remember that even five long centuries of Jewish occupation of Jerusalem in ancient times failed to destroy the inalienable rights of the people of Palestine and that despite current attempts by Israel to destroy those rights, the Palestinian people shall in the end be victorious. 109. Finally, the Security Council, as the United Nations organ responsible for international peace and 116. The first is the fact that Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine, the. main crystallization of Palestinians expectations and aspirations and the central issue in the exercise’by the Palestinian people of their rights. Palestine,without Jerusalem is like a body without its soul or, heart. 117.. The second is the fact that Jerusalem is ai Arab city, inasmuch as Palestine is an Arabcountry, an integral part of the Arab nation,. It has maintained its Arab character throughout time. Israel’s claim to the Judaization of the city is spurious and cannot be sustained by history. We for our part cannot envisage an Arab nation without Palestine, just as we cannot envisage a Palestine without Jerusalem, the heart and soul of that country. :

The next speaker #is the representative of the United Arab Emirates. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement.

’ I wish at the outset to express my appreciation to the members of the Council for affording me the’opportunity to participate in the consideration of the situation in Jerusalem, which is of the greatest importance to my Government and people. 118. The third fact is the great religious and spiritual attachment binding Muslims to Jerusalem:No Muslim will ever accept the obliteration of its historical and religious character. Muslims have. always held Jeru-, salem as a trust for all who venerate it. The Muslims’ * belief in and veneration of the two other religions confer on them a unique role in preserving the sanctity of Jerusalem for all religions. 112. May I also express to you, Mr. President, my warmest congratulations on your assumption of the Presidency of the Council for this month. I wish also to express my admiration for the wisdom, integrity and leadership which you have shown in steering the meetings of the Council during this month. $’ 119. The fourth fact is the universal spiritual heritage and significance of Jerusalem to all religions. Its status cannot and should not be altered by Israel. The deciaration of Venice by the heads of State and Govemement of the European Community [S/14009] reaffirmed the universal consensus by stating that they will not accept any unilateral initiative designed to change the status of Jerusalem. 113. The Council has been convened in accordance with the decision taken by the Eleventh Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers held at Islamabad in May 1980. The purpose of the meeting is the consideration of the dangerous situation arising from the latest Israeli proposed legislation purporting to annex and declare Al-Quds the capital of Israel. The Muslim countries expect the Security Council to declare the Israeli legislation null and void and, in the case of Israeli persistence in its unlawful endeavour, to impose sanctions against Israel in accordance with Chapter ,VII of the Charter of the United Nations. The United Arab Emirates, as a member of the Islamic Conference, participated in the making of that decision and fully adheres to it. 120. The fifth fact is the rejection bv the world community of Israeli policies and practices affecting the character and status of Jerusalem. Such rejection was reflected in the many decisions adopted by the various organs of the United Nations and by governmental regional organizations, non-governmental organizations-both regional and international, churches, political parties and so on. 121. In view of the international consensus on nreserving the historical and religious character and-the status of Jerusalem, and in the face of Israeli defiance of this consensus, the least that may be expected of the Council is the adoption of effective measures aimed at the halting of Israel’s sinister designs on Jerusalem. Mere pronouncements of concern-whether described as deep or grave-will not be up to these expectations. We therefore urge the Council to adopt measures against Israel in accordance with Chapter VII of the Charter. Whoever obstructs such action on the part of 114. The Council is fu!Iy aware of the fact that the decisions of the Islamic Conference were not confined to one matter, namely the convening of the Council. The Conference dealt with other matters pertaining to the relationship of Muslim States members of the Conference with other countries that support Israel in its sinister design of annexing Jerusalem or encourage Israel in its colonial and aggressive policies against the Palestinian people. We in the United Arab Emirates adhere to those points in their totality and consider them indivisible. “to confirm the commitment of all the Islamic States to sever all relations with any State that supports the decision of the -Israeli enemy to annex Al-Quds Al-Sharif and consider it its capital, or that recognizes it, or contributes. to its implementation, or T\pyes its embasvy ‘9, Al-Quds”.2 . . .’ ‘1.’ ‘C., . . . . : .’ _I, ,‘I ,j .i-‘y’ .,; .(il”\ My Government,,will. be &uid&.‘b‘f:. &kse,:~&l& ,&d “. guidelines in its relations and its inter&ion with:& State in the world. 123. -The PRESIDENT: The, next speaker is the representative of Lebanon. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement.

A debate on the subject of the Holy City, whatever the specific issue at .stake, is necessarily a debate of extraordinary *importance. 1~s impact-whoever its sponsors, whatever the speeches, drafts and resolutions-is bound to have a unique historical dimension. Hence, the emphasis, and I dare say the prayer, by many of us here that we should all remember that Jerusalem cannot be dealt with in ,exclusively human terms, that it cannot and should not be looked upon as a bone of contention between nations and between policies, and that its future cannot be subjected to territorial oi strategic imperatives, no matter how vital they may be. 125. We have heard Jerusalem called “the eternal capital of Israel”, and told that it was so by divine right. This Civitus Dei is indeed the eternal capital, but it is the eternal capital of all, not of one, a universal capital if ever there was one, and it is so by faith and not by conquest. For if Jerusalem is worth warring over, does it not also deserve, as no other city does, the peace of the Lord among nationsof all faiths? 126. Where else, in what city past or present, can man, ,whatever his religion or nationality, come so close to reaching for God? This, we believe, is what prompted His Holiness Pope John Paul II to speak of Jerusalem again, last Saturday, during President Carter’s visit to Rome, in words that were surely meant to be heard and understood within the context of the international community’s present conceti about developments relating to the character and the fate of the Holy City. The choice of the occasion could hardly have been accidental; it was probably meant to accent the special role of the United States in the making of peace in the Middle East, and the particular responsibility of the President of the United States with regard to the question of Jerusalem. : 127. That the Holy Father, for. whom we have infinite gratitude, should have spoken of Lebanon while ‘129. Having said all this, allow me to emphasize that the Council is meeting in response to a very specific demand. It is of paramount importance for us all that this debate should remain in focus and that the United Nations should not be prevented-as it has been so often in the past-from exercising a very special responsibility: that of preventing Israel, as an occupying Power, from unilaterally and illegally altering the, historical, cultural, demographic and geographical character of Jerusalem. And let no one here tell us that freedom of worship is, or will be, guaranteed. To us, Jerusalem is not, and never can be, considered a temple of stones. It was, is and should remain the living congregation of believers, a continuing human presence, physical as well as moral, representing before God and history the uninterrupted communion with the Holy Land from one generation to another until the end df ages. 130. Many of us in the United Nations and in the Council would probably have wanted another debate, one which would have examined inthis, the only global framework, and in a spirit of love and in the interest of peace on earth, the ultimate status of Jerusalem. But conditions are such that we must be content at present with pre-empting the irreparable in the face of immeasurable danger. The action of the Council should therefore be viewed as one of containment. 131. Yet it is to be hoped that even limited action on an issue of infinite’impottance can become the beginning of a real process of peace, one in which the true message of Jerusalem will be heard. Has not the Palestinian representative, in his plea for peace, spoken with’ pride of our heritage, upheld by our ancestors, : :..’ The mcPting rosewt,6y.m;: I’ -.. :A 1. :. ,,, *,*. I,( ,,., )‘I :*. . ‘,. ./. L *>‘,. *:.-.r ,, ,A._ ,. ..’ ‘. I , . . .* ,,L- -, .I ? ‘,‘.; ,, ,$>. ,‘,. I,. d,, .., :,- 1. _I. I, I I i;, , ,:.‘.,, _. ‘NOTES.: ‘A ,, : ,‘.; . ‘,._ :I,, .1.. . ,~. ,,, .,. I.,‘ ? ; -,‘I’ -s ’ Ofticiul Records of the GeneralAsser&ly. Thirty-jii’urth S&ion. Plena,v Meet+p. 17th meeting, para. 24. . * A/35/419-S/14129, annex I. tesolution I&j>‘4/il~P:p:‘~ ‘,; 1” 3 United Nations, (Treuty 5eriei, vol.‘OS.:N6~973,‘p.i287. :.: .“!,.:; :. ‘,~! 1, (... : : I ,,. 2: ,‘.j .,. )_ : , . ~*. . , .“_ * : . , . ; , . . . , . , ,<.a *c ‘ -i. I _. _. : _, . * . . . HOW TO OBTAIN UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATIONS United Nations publications may be obtained from bookstores and distributors throughout-the world, Consult your bookstore or write to: United Nations, Sales Section. New York or Geneva. 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