S/PV.2460 Security Council

In accordance with decisions taken at earlier meetings on this question [2#OZst, 2412th to 2414th. 2438th, 2457th and 2459th meetings], I invite the representatives of Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cuba, Djibouti, Democratic Yemen, Egypt, the German Democratic Republic, Greece, India, Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, .Mali, Matuitania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Yugoslavia to take the places reserved for them at the side of the Council chamber; I invite the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to take a place at the Council table. At the invitation of the President, Mr. Zari,f (Afghanistan), Mr. Sahnaun (Algeria), Mr. Ai-Sabbagh (Bahrain), Mr. Wasiuddin (Bangladesh), Mr. Caballero Rodriguez (Cuba), Mr. Houjbne (Djibouti). Mr. AI-Ashtal (Democratic Yemen), Mr. Khahl (Egypt), Mr. Ott (German Democratic Republic), Mr. Dountas (Greece), Mr. Krishnan (India), Mr. Mohammad (Iraq), Mr. Rajaie-Khorassani (Islamic Republic of Iran), Mr. Abulhassan (Kuwait). Mr. Fakhoury (Lebanon), Mr. Burwin (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya), Mr. ZainaI Abidin (Malaysia), Mr. Traore (Mali), Mr. Ouid Hamody (Mauritania), Mr. Mrani Zentar (Morocco), Mr. Oumarou (Niger), Mr. Ali (Oman): Mr. Al-Boainin (Qatar), Mr. Zowawi (Saud? Arabia), Mr. San-h (Senegal), Mr. Madar (Somalia), Mr. Eljaki (Sudan), Mr‘ El-Fattal (Syrian Arab Republic), Mr. Lessir (Tunisia), Mr. Gdkce (Turkey), Mr. AI-Qasimi (United Arab Emirates), Mr. Sallam (Yemen) and Mr. Golob (Yugoslavia) took the places reserved for them at the side of the Council chamber; Mr. Terzi (Palestine Liberation Organization) took a place at the Council table.

I should like to inform members of the Council that I have At the invitation of the President, Mr. BIum (Inael) took a pIace at the Council table

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

Mr. President, I wish to thank you and the members of the Council for having afforded me the opportunity to participate in the debate on the item now under discussion. I congratulate you, Sir, on your assump tion of the presidency of the Council for this month and express our full confidence that you will guide the Council’s proceedings on this subject in which we are keenly interested with your well-known competence and integrity. 5. At a time when we are looking forward to the iust and effective fulfilment of the Council’s tasks under your presidency, we want to express our appreciation for the competence with which the work of the Council was accomplished under your predecessor during the month of July. 6. One may well wonder what inspires the policies of the Israeli entity-this entity that was created by Zionist organizations on the territory of Arab Palestine. Indeed, in all the annals of history there is nothing to compare with what is taking place in the occupied Arab territories, even during the worst ,of the defunct repugnant colonial era. At a time when the colonialist countries had already embarked on the liquidation of their colonies in occupied countries following the Second World War and the United Nations was established, the racist Zionist movement managed to usurp the homeland of another people, displacing it and setting up a foreign State on its ruins. Not content with its pm-1967 achievements, ‘the Israeli entity has since pursued a process of planned expansion and the oppression of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories for one single undisputed purpose: to’obliterate what remains of the Palestinian people, expropriate their homeland, displace the inhabitants and Judaize the Arab territories and resources in such a way that these innocent people have had no option but to abandon hearth and home and join the 2 million refugees who have been living for scores of years in a state of displacement and misery outside their homeland, in camps and neighbourhoods that, even in the Diaspora, have not been spared the ravages of Israeli campaigns of destruction and extermination. 7. As for the occupied Arab territories, the Israeli regime is carrying out a devilish design to usurp them 8. The international community is shaken daily bv. fresh criminal acts of aggression again& the Arab populaiion of the occupied territories and the neighbouring Arab countries. The latest incidents took place in the Arab city of Al-Khalil where the Jews opened fire and hurled grenades at the Islamic University of Al-Khalil during classes, killing 3 students and injuring more than 36. During that attack, the Jewish aggressors wore masks, not for fear of punishment by the Israeli authorities, but to enable the Israeli authorities, who did not want to reveal who were the perpetrators of those terrorist acts of aggression, to’ cast doubt on the identity of the perpetrators and raise the possibility that the aggression was carried out by the Arabs themselves. The Israeli authorities are oblivious to the fact that the Palestinian Arab people in the occupied territories are totally defenceless. There is not a single incident in which the Arab population has used weapons against the occupation authorities. The only weapons available in Al-Khalil and the entire West Bank are those provided by the Israeli authorities to the Jewish settlers in order to terrorize the Arab population, whose land and natural resources have been usurped in broad daylight and in full view of everyone. The Israeli authorities do not want to admit that the only Arab weapons are the stones that have sometimes been used by students as a result of the campaign of oppression and terrorism and the arbitrary measures imposed by the occupation authorities and the Jewish settlers. The Israeli authorities also forget that Al-Khalil and most of the towns of Gaza and the West Bank are under constant curfew. This curfew is imposed only on defenceless Arab towns and villages and never on the armed Jewish settlements. Thus the Jewish settlers can rampage through Arab areas, setting fires, engaging in acts of sabotage and committing murder, as had hap pened earlier in the vegetable market and the central station in Al-Khalil. 9. It is abundantly clear that the murderers who took part in the incidents at the Al-Khalil University are fanatic Jews who were armed and encouraged by the Israeli authorities. Did we not see the settlers occupy part of Al-Haram Al-Ibrahami Al-Sharif in 1968, with the sup port of those authorities? And did not the Jews establish certain settlements and Jewish neighbourhoods inside and outside Al-Khalil and confiscate Arab lands? Israel claims that the arms it supplies to the Jews in the occupied Arab territories are for self-defence and not aggressionoblivious to the fact that the presence of those settlers in the occupied territories per se constitutes an act of aggres- 10. We call on the international community .once more not to permit the Israeli authorities to disregard United Nations restilutions that express the will of the international community. It is not in the interest of the United Nations or of States, especialiy the big Powers, to apply different yardsticks to international conduct. It is not at all admissible to consider certain resistance movements as legitimate governments when they wage “wars of liberation” and at the same time to cogsider the Palestinians who are struggling against the arbitrary aggression of Israel as “terrorists”. This discrimination in international criteria will undermine the international Organization and produce excesses that may also lead to a world war. 11. As for the latest events in Al-Khalil, we urge the Council to condemn the Israeli acts in such an explicit way as to leave no doubt about them and to declare null and void all settlement measures taken by Israel..There should be a statement to the effect that the Council would be forced to take the necessary appropriate measures, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, to implement its resolutions. We hasten to say that what has happened in the occupied Arab territories would not have taken place had the Council assumed its responsibilities under the Charter. We have urged that repeatedly in order to safeguard the Charter and for the sake of international place and security.

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

Mr. President, I should like to thank you, and through you the members of the Council; for having kindly invited my delegation to participate in the discussions on the situation in the occupied Arab territories. Allow me also to extend to you, Sir, our felicitations on your assumption of the presidency for the month of August. We are certain that your outstanding qualities, both personal and professional,, will guide the deliberations of the Council. We wish you every success in the fulfilinent of your duties. 14. May I also pay a tribute to your predecessor for the manner in which he conducted the work of the Council during the month of Juii. , 16. Two main practices have been instrumental in carrying out the ambitious plans of the Zionist entity. The first is to settle as many Jewish families as possible in the newly established settlements and in the Palestinian town and villages, and the second is to evacuate as many members of the Palestinian and Arab indigenous population as possible from those territories, forcing them to seek refuge in the neighbouring Arab countries. 17. According to the norms and principles of international law, and in particular the Gepeva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12.August 1949,’ any attempt by the occupying Power to alter the physical character, demographic composition and institutional structure of territories under its occupation are strictly prohibited, and situations resulting from these attempts are considered illegal and void of any validity. 18. When considering the same issue in 1968, the Council, by its resolution 252 (1968), proclaimed illegal the settlement policy of the Government of Israel. This pronouncement was more recently confirmed in resolution 465 (1980) of the Council. 19. The Zionist regime, fully assured of the support of all kinds it receives from its Western friends, and particularly.from its patron, the United States, has so far not. only failed to pay the slightest attention to the.repeated calls of the international community but has even in recent years intensified implementation of its heinous. schemes for a Greater Israel. An ever-increasing number of incidents have brought shock and horror to peaceand justice-loving humanity. That is why we do not consider the recent escalation of terror and violence against the Palestinian Arab population of Al-Khalil as an isolated event. It is but a ring in the chain of the terrorization of the civilian population of the occupied territories to the extent of forcing them to abandon their land and property and to seek shelter in neighbouring Arab countries. 20. The military occupatidn authorities and the Zionist settlers armed by them have not fallen short of the use of any and all horrendous measures that could facilitate attainment of their goals. Consequently, the populations and the locally elected authorities of fhe occupied Palestinian Arab teiritorie‘s have been subjected’to constant acts of harassment, repression and intimidation. These acts have recognized ho boundaries, moral or otherwise. Private houses and other properties, local markets;public facilities and, in particular, schools and universities have served as permanent targets of military and settler vigilante attacks. Even highly sacred Muslim placei such as 21. During all of-last month there were repeated manifestations of these acts in the city of Al-Khalil and some other towns in the occupied Palestinian territories. Houses were attacked, Palestinian-owned buses, cars and shops were set ablaze, electricity and power supplies were cut off, the sanctity of mosques was violated and the University of Hebron was a target of grenade and gas-bomb attacks, and students and teachers were shot at. Similar incidents occurred in Nablus and Bir Zeit. During the shootings at Al-Khalil University of students and professors, 3 Palestinian Arabs died and more than 30 were wounded. The military Government of the occupying Power stood by and did virtually nothing to prevent the armed settler vigilantes engaging in these cynical attacks. 22. The Zionist authorities have implied that the recent spiral of violence against the Palestinians was justified because of an attack on a Jewish settler. Reports from different sources have indicated that the wounded settler, who was attacked by unidentified persons, was not attended by the Israeli military, which thought he was an Arab. It is established that had the wounded person been promptly taken to the hospital, he would have been saved. 23. Whatever the pretext for the Zionist elements, the main cause of violence and bloodshed is the stubborn denial of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian and Arab peoples and occupation of their land by Israel. It is evident that more and more blood will be shed and people will die unless a comprehensive, just and lasting peace is achieved in the Middle East that would ensure total withdrawal of Israeli forces from all occupied Palestinian and Arab territories and ensure effective exercise by the Palestinian people of their national rights, including the right to establish their national State in Palestine under the leadership of the PLO. 24. The international community has produced several versions of such a settlement, notably the six-point Soviet proposal [see S/15403, annex], the Fez plan [see S/15510, annex] and numerous resolutions of the General Assembly. Thanks to the flexibility of the PLO, the chances for achieving a settlement would have been tangible had they not been torpedoed by the intransigence of Israel and its overseas supporters. 25. In violation of the relevant resolutions of the Council and the General Assembly, Israel has continued with its policy of settlements in the occupied territories. During the past two months alone, three new settlements have been established and more than 30,000 dunums of land belonging to the Palestinian Arabs have been conf&cated. 26. Unless the Council adopts effective measures to force Israel to cease forthwith its illegal activities, there will be an increasing danger of outbursts of violence and armed clashes. The Council should, in our view, explore ways and means, including the adoption of measures under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, -. 27. The people of the world, and first and foremost the people of Palestine and other ‘occupied territories, have placed their confidence and hope in the Council and expect it to assume its responsibilities under the Charter. Peace, justice and tranquillity cannot be restored to the region unless an end is put to the aggression, occupation and expansionism perpetrated by the Zionist regime.

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

At the outset, I should like to take this opportunity to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency for the current month. Your outstanding skills and abilities are well known to us all, and we are confident that the deliberations of the Council will once again benefit greatly from your wisdom and experience. 30. I should also like to express our deep appreciation to your predecessor, the representative of China, for the skill he displayed in guiding the Council during the month of July. 31. The Council is addressing itself once again to the tragic situation in occupied Arab territories created by the persistence of Israel in pursuing policies of annexation, illegal settlements and endless and increasingly brutal repression. 32. We have learned with trepidation of the shocking occurrences in the city of Al-Khalil, which are yet another manifestation of the fact that Israel is adamant in the pursuit and execution of policies of repression in the Arab territories under its occupation, thus further aggravating the plight of the Arab Palestinian people and the gravity of the situation in the Middle East. The ever-increasing number of Israeli settlements in the occupied Arab territories which have been expropriated and taken over by the Israeli authorities is particularly alarming. Arab Palestinians are systematically being deprived of their land and means of livelihood. The Israeli aim appears to be the liquidation of the Palestinian cause and of the Palestinian people’s struggle for national liberation. 33. It is perhaps not necessary here to elaborate further on Israel’s record in the occupied territories, which is well known to us all. I should like to reiterate that Turkey, as a country which has always taken a resolute stand against the illegal policies of Israel in the occupied Arab territories, is convinced that to be just, lasting and comprehensive the solution to the question of Palestine must, as a 34. It is most denlorable that Israel is resolute in nursu- A . ing policies of annexation, of creating illegal settlements and of repression. The Government of Turkey calls on Israel once again to put an end to this policy. Failure to do so will result in further aggravating the situation in the occupied territories and render the realization of a lasting peace and security in the region unfeasible. In this context, Turkey offers its full co-operation to the Council in its efforts aimed at finding a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the question of Palestine.

At the very outset, Sir, permit me to congratulate you warmly on your assump tion of the presidency for the month of August. We are confident that your experience and abilities will contribute’to the efficiency and fruitfulness of our deliberations and that the Council will succeed in discharging its important duties. 36. At the same time, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the outgoing President, Mr. Ling Qing, of the People’s Republic of China, for his diplomatic skill and dedication and for the exemplary manner in which he guided our proceedings in the month of July. 37. May I also take this opportunity to join in welcoming to the Council the new representative of the Netherlands, Mr. van der Stoel, and to wish him success in his work. 38. For many years, the situation in the occupied Arab territories has been on the agenda of the Council. For a long time now, the international community has been witnessing a constant deterioration in the situation there as a result of the policy of the Israeli occupation authorities. The world has been seeing the enormous sufferings of the Palestinian people. It has been watching the steps taken by the aggressor in defiance of the Charter of the United Nations, of resolutions adopted by the Council and the General Assembly, of the provisions of international law and of world public opinion. 39. Poland’s position concerning the Israeli policies of aggression and creeping annexation has been presented many times, both in this chamber and from the rostrum 40. It goes without saying that this policy poses a serious threat to peace and security not only in the region, but also in the world at large, for the consequences for the tensions in the Middle East are on a much broader scale than the regional scale. The entire world awaits a peaceful settlement there. 41. Yet, as is known, for years the policy of the Israeli authorities has made it impossible to fmd a just and lasting solution to the crisis. It is also known that Israel alone could not afford to play the role of the spearhead of aggression. In its actions, however, it can fully rely on those forces which, in the escalation of tension in the Middle East, see the possibility of attaining their objectives. Israel knows that its war machine enjoys the unrestricted and unquestioning support and assistance of its strategic ally, the United States, which looks earnestly towards a military buildup in the region and towards tensions and aggression that serve its objectives. Advertising piecemeal approaches and separatist agreements, its foreign policy actively enhances its strategic goals. _ -. 42. Our firm point of view on the situation in the Middle East is well known. There is no need to repeat it at length once again. It is in the records of the Council, as well as in the documents of other bodies of the United Nations. _ .- .- - 43. However, my delegation cannot but strongly stress anew that the present resumed consideration by the Council of the situation in the occupied territories takes place under extremely grave circumstances. The previous cases of repression and the use of force and terror which were considered not so long ago are still fresh in our memory. The smoke from the previous shootings has barely cleared when yet another act of violence against the Palestinian Arabs has been committed. 44. The constant recurrence of acts of brutal terror and violence, such as the recent ones in the city of Hebron, should be a grim and tragic reminder that the Council should fulfil its responsibility concerning the Arab and Palestinian population in the West Bank and other occupied territories. The Council should take effective and urgent action. It should very forcefully declare the illegal- 45. One need not argue that the expanded construction of new Israeli settlements, the expropriation of Arab property to carry out these projects and the application of such methods as: the .demolition and sealing of dwellings and commercial premises constitute the integral parts of a policy directed at changing the legal, physical and demographic status of the occupied Arab territories. Proof of Israeli expansionism can be seen in .its unilateral annexation of the eastern part of Jerusalem, a deliberate coloniration effort leading to a -gradual economic and administrative integration of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with Israel, and by the extension of the Israeli juridi; cial and administrative system over the Golan Heights, as well as by the dubious practices in the southern parts of Lebanon. These practices, accompanied by various forms of repression and terror, permit us to nurture no illusions as to the true intentions of the occupation authorities. , 46. In the opinion of the Polish delegation, the provisions foreseen in the draft resolution [S/ZS895J constitute the least that the Council can do to live up to the requirements of the grave situation in the territories under Israeli occupation and to meet the expectations of the -intemational community-that an end be put to the process of deterioration of this situation -before the policy of fails accomplis in annexation of Arab territories achieves its sinister long-range objectives.

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

It gives me pleasure at the beginning of my statement, Sir, to express sincere congratulations to you on your assumption of the presidency for the month ,August. I am confident that, with your experience and ability and under your guidance, the Council’s proceedings will succeed. 49. I also wish, Sir, -to take this opportunity to express appreciation of the competence that your predecessor, the representative of China, displayed in directing the work of the Council in July. 50.. The convening of, the Council in the wake of ‘the bloody events that befell the occupied Arab city of Al- Khalilis in itself a significant indication that the situation in the occupied Arab territories has deteriorated in such a way as to jeopardize international peace and security. 51. However, this is not the first meeting of the Council to be held in response to the will of. the international community, which, in the face of the unceasing and increasingly audacious crimes of Israel, cannot but try time and time again, within the framework of its competence provided for by the Charter of the United Nations, to adopt measures that will put an end to Israel’s persist- 52. As a result of the absolute political support given to it by a super-Power, a permanent member of the Council, Israel continues to tighten its grip over the population of the occupied West Bank. Thatsupportalso frustrates the will of the absolute majority of the States Members of the United Nations as embodied in innumerable resolutions in support of Arab rights, including the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Those resolutions condemn the Israeli occupation and consider as null and void all the measures taken by Israel to annex the Golan Heights and Arab Jerusalem and to build Jewish settlements. 53. As all the members of the Council know, however, Israel’s ambitions are focused on Arab territories emptied of their indigenous inhabitants. The Palestinians have refused to submit to repressive and oppressive measures, to the confiscation of lands and to thelimitation of their freedoms; that is, they have refused to accept the artificial reality of gradual Judaization, which the occupation authorities are attempting to impose on them. Therefore, the leaders of Israel. have been possessed by an insane, blood-thirsty determination, unprecedented in modem history since the fall of nazism, physically to liquidate the Palestinian people. 54. We do not think that this obvious conclusion is an excessive one. What other explanation is there of this ferocious campaign being carried out by armed Jewish settlers against defenceless Palestinians in the West Bank? What. other explanation is there of the spoliation of schools and universities, of indiscriminate killing, of desecration of the holy places and houses of prayer in the Holy City of Al-Quds and other Arab cities, of the confscation ,of lands, of the demolition of houses, and of the dismissal of mayors and elected members of municipal councils-or, if deportation does not work, of their murder? That is only part of the list of Israel’s barbaric Israeli crimes, with which United Nations documents are replete. 55. Worse still, the, determination of the Israelis to liquidate the Palestinians.at any price has led to various barbaric campaigns aimed at harming the population of the .West Bank and Gaza, through both military and political manoeuvres. To achieve its designs, Israel did not hesitate to ravage Lebanon and to occupy its land, as it is still doing. Its leaders did not deny that their main purpose was. to eliminate the Palestinians. The proof of that-if proof were needed-is the ferocious bombardment of Beirut and the .camage at Sabra and Shatila and the~continuing massacres in occupied southern .Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaze Strip. 56. The delegation of the State of Qatar has denounced the Israeli practices in the occupied Arab territories, in particular the policy of building illegal Jewish settlements, which is,considered to be one of the main obstacles to the achievement of peace in the Middle East. My delegation

The next speaker is the representative of Sudan. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. 58. Mr: ELFAKI (Sudan) (interpretation from Arabic): It gives me pleasure, Sir, to extend to you, on behalf of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of the Sudan, our warmest congratulations on your assumption of the presidency for this month. We are fully confident that your diplomatic abilities and wide experience will enable you to lead the work of the Council to a successful conclusion. 59. At the same time, I cannot but convey our great appreciation to Mr. Ling Qing, the representative of the friendly People’s Republic of China, for the competence with which he guided the Council last month. I 60. The events and gross violations now taking place in the occupied Palestinian territories are but one link in the chain of the deliberate Zionist plot by which Israel has been seeking for many years to annihilate the Arab people of Palestine and to destroy completely the foundation of its Arab, Christian and Islamic cultural life throughout the occupied Arab territories. 61. .- -In putting into practice this criminal aggressive scheme, Israel has not confined itself to waging war after war on various spurious pretexts and justifications. Rather, after achieving large-scale expansion and occupation, it has resorted to practices runing the gamut of acts of terrorism and crimes against the Arab citizens and against their holy places and their lands in order to force them, directly or indirectly, to abandon their homes and lands and to flee for their lives. 62. Persisting in its folly and intoxicated with its own military might, Israel continues to implement its settlements scheme with all the means at the disposal both of the State and the authorities-and these means are numerous-and of the citizenry itself, through various organizations, parties and individuals. This endeavour complements and supplements the acts of the Government and is daily reflected in numerous reports of crimes, assassinations and acts of aggression committed against the population of Arab territories, who stand steadfast under occupation despite torture, humiliation and terrorism. They are defenceless save for their belief in their God, their homeland, their lands and their usurped rights. This is a condition imposed on them while groups of imported Zionist settlers are permitted to bear all kinds of weapons and use all means to carry out murder and terrorism. This is happening in a State that is armed to the teeth and, as was stated by a previous speaker the other day, one that not only acquires weapons from the most I 64. The Council has met every time that Israel carries out another phase in its criminal settler scheme, even though the Council declared three years ago that the settlements established by Israel in the Arab territories occupied since 1967 were illegal and should be dismantled, since their presence constituted a major impediment to peace, as stated in resolution 465 (1980) and other relevant resolutions of the Council. But Israel still persists in its folly, heedless of resolutions adopted by the entire world represented in the Council as the supreme international organ responsible for the maintenance of intemational peace and security. As is clearly evident from its policies and practices, Israel pays no heed to international norms and laws which consider its policy of establishing settlements in the occupied Arab territories illegal and which stipulate that the acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible. All international instruments,. foremost among them the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,’ call upon the occupying Power to respect the rights of the population of the occupied territories and prohibit their deportation or evacuation by any means, not to mention acts of terrorism which Israel persistently commits every day. Naturally, Israel realizes all of this, but, as repeatedly stated by its representative before the Council and other United Nations organs, it will not comply with resolutions nor be guided by international instruments and norms so long as it can act ~with impunity. 65. The intransigence and arrogance of Israel and its denial of the existence of the Palestinian Arab people and their legitimate rights to self-determination and to their lands, its use of terrorism, threats and force to destroy and annihilate the Palestinian Arab people, to humiliate them and bring them to their knees, instead of acknowledging their legitimate rights that have been acknowl-’ edged by the whole world, all affirm the magnitude of Israel’s dependence on and belief in oppression, war, aggression, expansion and terrorism as the sole option in its relations with the Palestinians and the Arabs. : 66. Together with others in the Council and in other important international. bodies, we have called upon Israel to realize fully that peace is indivisible and that justice is not confined to any one people. The question of Palestine and the rights of the Palestinian people are without a doubt at the core of the conflict in the Middle East. There can be no lasting, comprehensive and just peace in that region without Israel’s total withdrawal from the Arab and Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, and the restoration of the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including 67. The failure of the United Nations and of the entire international community represented in the Council so far to induce Israel to renounce its policy of establishing.settlements gives rise to concern and indignation. But we hope that the Council will this time condemn and denounce Israel’s barbaric actions in the occupied Arab territories and hold it fully responsible for those crimes. It is incumbent upon the Council, since it is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, to take such measures in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations as would put an end to the Israeli practices which fall outside the laws and norms forming the basis of relations among nations, foremost among which is international law and the Charter, We sincerely ,hope that the present meetings of the Council will not, like their predecessors, be a mere reaction to another link in the chain of acts carried out by the Israeli conspirators against the Palestinians and Arabs pending yet another link and another series of meetings of the Council. We call upon the entire international community to assume its political, humanitarian and moral duties towards the Palestinian Arab people, who have been suffering from the scourge of oppression, displacement, terrorism and deprivation-and even massacres and genocide-for half a century while the conscience of the world and humanity remains silent.

Mr. President, I should like to join others in warmly welcoming you to the presidency of the Council. I am sure that your wit and diplomatic skills will steer us safely through this period. 69. I should like also to thank the representative of China, whose skilful and courteous way of dealing with our affairs was particularly noticeable during his term as President of the Council in the month of July. 70. I can be brief. My delegation is on record many times as having deplored the dangerous cycle of violence and repression in the occupied territories. We do so yet again today. 71. The latest atrocity in Hebron is one of a series that will not be stopped until the underlying causes have been removed. 72. This atrocity has been condemned by the Israeli authorities at the highest level. We note that fact, and I am sure that others, even if they have not mentioned it in their statements to the Council, will have noted it also. 73. During this debate we have listened to an indictment of Israel and its policies delivered ,very often in highly emotional language. I know emotions run deep on both sides, but I do not believe language of this sort will have much effect on Israeli attitudes or policies. Indeed, it may well serve to reinforce Israel’s apparent imperviousness to the results of debates in the Council. Such language makes it easy for Israel to discount or to write off such debates as the mere froth of fanatics. It would be wrong to do so, but, surely, the Council should not make it easier for it to do so. I therefore dissociate myself from the tone of much of the criticism of Israel. I do not, however, dissociate myself from some of the substance. 74. We have listened to many speakers who have expressed the sincerely held fears of many Arabs that the Arabs in the occupied territories are being squeezed out of their land by pressures from Israeli policies and by acts of terrorism. 75. My Government regards Israeli policies in the occupied territories with profound and continuing concern. We are. deeply worried by the Israeli policy on settlements. It is this that lies at the heart of the mistrust and tension there. 76. I say, yet again, that we consider these settlements to be contrary to international law and to the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force. This principle is embodied in Security Council resolution 242 (1967). 77. The Israeli settlements policy undermines confidence that Israel is ready to negotiate freely about the final state of the occupied territories. My Government calls on Israel, just as President Reagan has called on Israel, to put an end now to this damaging policy and to declare an immediate settlements freeze. 78. I do not suggest that it is the Israeli settlements policy which alone prevents a move by all parties towards a negotiated settlement. That is certainly not the case. But I believe the best way to lower tension now and to start to rebuild confidence between Israel and its neighbours would be to relaunch efforts towards a negotiated settlement. 79. I call on the parties to exercise the restraint that will be required.if the necessary, but elusive, dialogue is to replace the unnecessary, but pervasive violence, which, I regret, characterizes the region at present.

I should like first of all, Sir, to congratulate you very warmly on your assumption of the presidency for the month of August. We are convinced that our work will benefit from your diplomatic skillcharacteristic of your country-and from your intelligence and experience. 82. Since the suspension of the Council’s meetings on this item, we have been kept fully informed, through letters addressed to the President of the Council, regarding the outrages and crimes of which the Palestinian people has been the victim at the hands of the Zionist Govemment and system in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories. There is no need to go into the long list of specific instances of these crimes of which the international community is well aware. Unfortunately, it is no exaggeration to say that Zionist terrorism has manifested itself in all imaginable forms-assassinations, kidnap pings, threats, imprisonment, expulsions, demolition of homes and punishment of families, landowners and entire populations. 90. The Israeli movement known as Peace Now has denounced what the Zionist Government has been saying, namely, that, since the invasion of Lebanon, Palestinians’ are “more willing to sell their land”. What that really means is that recently there has been a considerable increase in acts of violence against the Palestinian people and a systematic increase in expropriation and plundering by the Israeli military authorities. 83. Israel is indiscriminate in its abhorrent acts: children, students, women, trade unionists and refugees-all are victims of this policy. They are all considered equally guilty of what the racist regime views as a crime: being Palestinian. 91. All the mistreatment inflicted on the Palestinian people has become widespread practices that have repeatedly been denounced in the United Nations. We all know that the human rights of the Palestinians, without exception, have been crudely violated by Israel, and it is practically an institutionalized process in the United Nations to search out permanent ways of curbing those practices. As Council resolution 452 (1979) declares, Israel’s policy of establishing settlements in the occupied territories has no legal validity and constitutes a violation of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949.’ Similarly, paragraph 5 of Council resolution 465 (1980) states, inter alia: 84. As to the executioners of the Palestinian people, we can say that they are primarily the Israeli authorities, to which can be added the settlers, whose conduct has from time to time been critic&d by the Israeli Government. 85. The appeals of the Government of Israel to the settlers not to take the law into their own hands have no credibility whatsoever, primarily because they come from those who are the instigators and the prime movers of the very abuses they would control and, secondly, because punishment of the guilty is practically non-existent, the sentences imposed being ridiculously out of proportion to the seriousness of the crimes. “that all measures taken by Israel to change the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, or any part thereof ‘have no legal validity.” 86. The recent killing of Palestinians in the city of Hebron is but one link in a long chain of crimes committed by Israel in the Palestinian territories. The seriousness of the situation in the settlements is becoming more critical day by day, and the facts supplied by the PLO and Arab States should be of concern to all members of the Council. In particular, we listened attentively to the representative of Jordan when he indicated that the number of Israelis transferred to the occupied territories since 1967 had reached more than 200,000 and that Israel planned to bring that number to 200,000 persons by the end of the decade [2457rh meeting, para. Z4J. 92. Also, Israel is in flagrant violation .of the abovementioned Geneva Convention, in particular the sixth’ paragraph of article 49 which prohibits the occupying Power from evacuating or from transferring a part of its , own population to the territory occupied by it. 93. The draft resolution which has been circulated [S/l58951 is a balanced document which my delegation fully supports. This draft, which is based largely on principles accepted by the Council in earlier resolutions and adheres strictly to the norms of international law, should enjoy the unanimous support of the members of the Council. 87. According to the Israeli press, since 10 May Israeli ministries and settlement organizations have launched a “Campaign to populate the settlements in Judea, Samaria and Gaze”. That campaign is conducted by the Ministries of Agriculture, Science and Development, and Housing, together with the Organization for Settlements and other semi-official Zionist organizations. 94. Neither the tortures, harassment, threats, massive reprisals nor the plundering constitutes the most serious violation of the human rights of the people of Palestine by Israel, because all that is the result of the denial of a more basic right-the right of the Palestinian people to an exista ence. Israel does not recognize that right and has demon- 88. To attract possible settlers, the Israeli population was bombarded with propaganda about the material benefits to be gained in the settlements. 95. Equally important is the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination; its denial is the root cause of other violations of human rights of a population of nearly 4 million. The end of military and political occupation of Palestinian territory is an indispensable prerequisite if the Palestinian people is to exercise its other rights. 96. I should like here to cite the Political Declaration adopted by the Seventh Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, which held at New Delhi from 7 to 12 March. We consider particularly relevant to the Council’s deliberations the condemnation in that declaration of United States support of Israel in all fields, especially the military and political support, without which the Zionist State could not continue its policy of flouting and scorning the Council’s resolutions and decisions; nor could it continue its illegal occupation of Arab and Palestinian territories. I would also remind the Council of the appeal made in that declaration to the United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, to cease its abuse of the right of veto, which has prevented the Council from taking the necessary action to implement the universally recognixed principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territories by force, and to enable the Palestinian people to recover its inalienable rights. Also relevant to this debate is the appeal made to the members of the Security Council to play their role and discharge their responsibilities so that the Council may .mke appropriate measures, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations, to establish and guarantee peace and security in the Middle East. The time has come for the Council to take the necessary measures under Chapter VII of the Charter, -in view of Israel’s conduct ever since its establishment in Palestine in 1948 [see S/15675 and Corr. I and 2, annex]. 97. The various preparatory meetings of the International Conference on the Question of Palestine made clear that the cause. of the Palestinian people enjoys broad, world-wide support, From 11 to 15 April of this year, at the regional meeting of Latin America held at Managua, the various rights of the Palestinian people were reaffirmed and important recommendations were made to the States of the region and to the United Nations to take action to contribute to a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the problem of Palestine. Among the matters being dealt with by the Council which were discussed at that meeting and which appear in its final document I might mention the appeal addressed to the Council to investigate actions committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in violation of the norms of international law and to report the results of that investigation. 98. The Council was also asked to endorse the recommendations of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and to use all the relevant provisions of the Charter to implement those 99. Finally, the Council was urged to consider the . report of the Security Council Commission established under resolution 446 (1979) [S/Z4264 and to reactivate that commission to determine the facts regarding the establishment of unlawful settlements by Israel in the occupied territories and the consequences thereof. 100. In the light’ of these recommendations and on the eve of the International Conference on the Question of Palestine, to be held at Geneva, the time is appropriate for the Council to take action as the primary body responsi- - ble for the maintenance of international peace and security. Recommendations such as these and the actions set forth in the draft resolution now before the Council [S/Z58953 constitute urgent and immediate tasks for the Council. The Arab States, the PLO and all peoples that cherish peace and justice are hoping that the Council and its members will abide by their inescapable obligations, for failure to do so would seriously jeopardize the prestige, effectiveness and role of this distinguished body and the role it should play. 101. The PRESIDENT ‘(interpretation from Frdz): ‘he next speaker is the representative of Bahrain. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make’ his statement.

At the outset, Sir, permit me to express our congratulations on your assumption of the presidency for the month of August and to pay a tribute to your abilities and your experience in successfully conducting the work of the Council. 103. I am also pleased to express our appreciation to the representative of China for the masterful way in which he presided over the proceedings of the Council during the month of July. 104. The acts of violence that have occurred in Al- Khalil, Nablus, Bir Zeit and other towns of the West Bank are the inevitable result of Israel’s continuous occupation and of the perpetuation of its aggressive expansionist policy. Israel has confiscated about 60 per cent of the territory of the West Bank, not to mention Gaza and the Golan Heights. It resorts to systematic terrorization of the inhabitants of these territories, forcing them to leave their towns and villages. 105. The Jewish bands that ravaged the Islamic University of Al-Khalil on 26 July, killing three innocent civilians and injuring many others, were a manifestation of that systematic policy of carefully planned terrorist activities against Arab citizens in order to force them to flee their homeland. It is no secret that these repressive measures are carried out in full view and with the knowledge of the Israeli army and security forces. These activities fall within a series of acts of systematic Israeli terrorism exemplified by the massacres of Sabra and Shatila and, a few years earlier, in the massacres of Qibya and Deir Yassin. 107. Ail this has taken place against the backdrop of the impotence of the United Nations, the Security Council and the international community. Yet everyone realizes the heavy moral and political responsibility borne by the United Nations vis-cl-vis Palestine and its Arab population. 114. The State of Bahrain appeals to the Council to discharge fully the responsibilities entrusted to it under the Charter of the United Nations. It must fulfil its obligations to protect the populations of the Arab and Palestinian occupied territories from the acts of aggression being carried out by armed Israeli settlers. The great Powers, because of their special responsibilities for safeguarding peace and security in the region, and as a matter of right and justice, must also work towards that end by bringing pressure to bear on Israel in conformity with the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly. 108. Israel owes its existence to resolution 181 (II) adopted by the General Assembly on 29 November .1947. Ever since then, world public opinion has become well aware of Israel’s expansionist designs and its continuous acts of terrorism against the Arab population. In these crimes Israel has invoked historical and Talmudic claims, as well as giving security reasons. While this has taken place, there has been complete apathy of international morals and conscience. Those who claim to defend human rights should not close their eyes to what has been taking place in the occupied Arab territories in flagrant violation of human rights, which are the same for everyone and not confined to one people to the exclusion of others. The friends and allies of Israel must persuade it to comply with the Council’s resolutions. 109. Israel’s policy in the occupied Arab territories, especially in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Syrian Golan Heights, is based on annexation. To achieve that goal, it has used all means to oppose the achievement of a just and lasting peace and has frustrated all efforts and peace initiatives, the latest being the Twelfth Arab Summit Conference, held at Fez in November 1981 and September 1982 [see S/ISSlO, annex]. 110. In applying that policy, Israel has resorted to violence and the use of force, considering war a convenient way to oppose the aspirations of the Arab peoples. It has at all times sought to impose capitulation on the Arabs and to force the Palestinians to abandon their lands so that they can be settled by Zionists. 111. Side by side with this military activity is the policy of establishing settlements. The tactic foIlowed, with complete logic, has been to perpetuate chaos and disorder, leading to the dismemberment of these areas. Israel’s secui rity is based on its pursuing preemptive war against its Arab neighbours and the other States of the region. This logic led it to bombard the Iraqi nuclear reactor that was built for peaceful purposes. 112. In its resolution 465 (1980), the Council condemned the policy of settler-expansionism of Israel, declaring that all the measures taken were illegal and stated that continuation of that policy obstructed efforts to establish a just peace in the region and contravened all international norms and laws concerning war and the occupation of territories. 115. The response of the Council to the request to call this important meeting underlines the gravity of the events that have overtaken the population of the occupied Arab Palestinian territories, as well as of the threats that imperil peace and security,in the Middle East. The ques: tion of Palestine lies at the heart of the Middle East problem; the wishes of the Palestinian people must be realized and they>must be enabled ‘to have their own State on their national SoiL The Council must call for implementation of resolution’465 (1980), which stressed the illegality and illegitimacy of the Israeli settlements. The best way to end the Arab-Israeli. conflict is to reach a just and lasting peace, acceptable to all parties, through implementation of the resolutions of the Security Council. The Council must redouble its efforts’ to compel Israel to respect its relevant resolutions and to take into account the national, inalienable rights of the qaiestinian people, as well as their right to exercise selfdetermination under the leadership of the PLO. 116. Israel, as I mentioned earlier, owes both its very existence and the recognition of that existence to a United Nations resolution. It should not therefore be very difficult for the Council, with the authority vested in it under the Charter, to compel Israel to implement the Council’s resolutions concerning the illegality of the Israeli settlements, as well as other resolutions of the Council, such as resolution 242 (1967). That would be conducive to the strengthening of confidence of peoples and States in the United Nations as an edifice of peace and justice, as well as to increasing the confidence of the world in the Organization and in its ability to halt aggression and to establish peace, security and justice in a region that has experienced so much chaos and anguish, a region whose States must now turn their energies to development’in an atmosphere of genuine peace. 117. Mr. van der STOEL (Netherlands): First of all, may I extend to you, Sir, my congratulations on your assumption of the presidency. The Council will undoubtedly benefit greatly from the outstanding abilities you have shown on so many occasions. 119. This is not the first time this year-that we have met to consider the situation in the occupied Arab territories. Recent disturbances in the city of Hebron have made it imperative, however, to address this question urgently once more. The Netherlands Government condemns the recent killings committed in that city that claimed the life of one Israeli student who was stabbed to death in the town market-place on 7 July and the lives of three Arab students, as well as the wounding of many others when masked gunmen opened fiie on a crowd of students at the Islamic University of Hebron on 26 July. At present it is still’unclear who committed these shameful acts. As the occupying Power, however, the .Goverriment of Israel bears responsibility for maintaining order in the occupied territories. We note that the Israeli authorities have announced that they will investigate the various incidents in and around Hebron. We call upon them to conduct such investigations thoroughly and extensively and to see to it that those responsible for these acts are brought to justice. 120. In his letter dated I1 July 1983 [S/Z5865l, the representative of Israel has informed us of the decision of the Israeli authorities to dismiss the appointed Mayor of Hebron, Mr. Mustafa Al-Natshe, and the members of the City Council. We deplore that decision, and we disagree with the reasons given for it. In our opinion, the Mayor of Hebron can hardly be blamed for the disturbances in his city, which are caused mainly, by outside pressures. Instead of dismissing the ‘Mayor, a clear decision of the Israeli authorities not to allow the expansion of Israeli settlements into the centre of that city would have been more helpful in calming down the situation. 121. The events in Hebron are visible evidence of the negative and dangerous consequences of Israel’s settlement policy. The position of the Netherlands on this matter is quite clear. We have repeatedly stated that the provisions of the Hague Convention of 1907* and of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,’ are applicable to the territories occupied in 1967. It is therefore our firm view that the Israeli settlements in those territories, as well as the changes in the status and in the demographic structure of those territories, which are a major source of tension, have no legal validity under international law. Moreover, Israel’s settlements policy runs counter to the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war, as specified in Council resolution 242 (1967). During his recent visit to Israel, the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. ‘Hans van den Broek, reiterated this view. Moreover, we have repeatedly called upon the Government of Israel to rescind forthwith its decision further to increase the number of settlements in the occupied territories. Each construction or expansion of a settlement will only increase the strong and justified resentment of the inhabitants. of the occupied territories. 123. In conclusion, let me state that the Netherlands will cast a positive vote on the draft resolution, contained in document S/15895, concerning the situation in the occupied territories. In casting our positive vote on this draft, however, we wish to place on record that in our view the wording of operative paragraph 6 should have been more balanced. As I have stated before, the Netherlands condemns all killings which have recently taken place in Hebron.

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

I congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency for this month, and I extend thanks to you, and through you to the members of the Council, .for allowing my delegation to participate in the deliberations on this important question. 126. I should also like to express gratitude to Mr. Ling Qing, the representative of the People’s Republic of China, for his wise conduct of the Council’s work last month. 127. The Council meets once again to consider the problem of the Palestinian people and the situation in the occupied territories in general. The situation has been deteriorating from day to day as a result of the practices of the Zionist entity, or, rather, the neo-Nazi entity. These practices have been carried out consistently and systematically for more than 30 years, during which the neo-Nazis 128. The Zionist entity has committed acts of aggression against the neighbouring Arab countries, attacked the nuclear reactor in Baghdad, invaded Lebanon, where its forces are still sowing terror among the civilian population, annexed the Golan Heights and Jerusalem, despite the opposition of the international community, and has been establishing settlements illegally in the West’Bank, Gaxa and the Golan Heights. It has established more than 150 settlements on more than 50 per cent of the land in the West Bank, using more than 80 per cent of the water sources. There are more than 150,000 new invaders in the West Bank and Gaza, to say nothing of those in the Golan Heights. Since 1967, the Zionist occupation authorities have issued more than 1,000 military decrees to justify their illegal practices, in contravention of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,’ which prohibits any demographic or geographic change in occupied territories. 129. As for the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, these. have taken several forms, including depriving the Arabs of education by closing down universities and schools, expelling teachers and changing the curricula; the dismissal of elected mayors; the demolition of houses; the imposition of mass punishments; the desecration of places of worship; and the periodic imposition of a curfew on some towns in the West Bank. _ 134. The tragedy of the.Palestinian people and the instability in the Arab region should be laid at the door of successive American Administrations. The international community knows that the Zionist entity could not have ; persisted in murdering thousands of Arabs, displacing an entire people and carrying on a policy of expansion and aggression without the enormous economic and military assistance flowing unconditionally from the United States, aid which was used for murdering the Palestinian people, for repeated acts of aggression against the Arab States and for establishing settlements. 130. Those policies and practices of the neo-Nazi entity proceed from odious racist dogmas, such as those of “God’s chosen people” and “Greater Israel” and the establishment of a State in which there is room only for the Jew, as defined by Zionism. The leaders of the Zionist movement direct their aggression against the Arab people because the Zionists consider Arabs to be the major impediment to the realization of the expansionist schemes of zionism and a threat to the Jewish character of the State of Israel. 135. According to The New York Times of 26 June, American assistance to the Zionist entity has amounted over the past years to more than $25 billion; the same source states that the assistance allocated by the present American Administration to that entity amounts to 2.5 billion, including military assistance of $1.7 billion. That figures in the annual budget and is in addition to large sums proposed by some members of Congress to increase support for the Israeli warmachine. 131. Hence, the arming of the settlers is a concrete expression of the ideas of fanatical Zionists such as Rabbi Meir Kahane, who has been calling for the expulsion of all non-Jews from Israel. Even when it comes to Jews, Rabbi Kahane has a certain opinion as to who is to be considered a Jew. Thus, there is racist discrimination between adherents of the Jewish religion. This rabbi also calls for the exercise of democracy in Israel to be confined to the Jews, depriving the indigenous Arab population, 132. I do not wish to burden the Council with the details of events. Suffice it to recall the statement in this regard of our brother, Zehdi Labib Terzi, the representative of the PLO, to the Council ‘on 28 July [2457th meefitzg]. 133. The policy, of the ne&Nazi Zionist entity is one of aggression, expansion, terrorism’ and racism, which is defended sometimes by the pretext of ~security and at other times by that of religious right. This policy will persist, despite the outcry and appeals of the world conscience. As the General Assembly was told by Mr. Victor Gauci, Rapporteur of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, on 30 November 1982: “Influential voices assert with greater conviction that it is time to call a halt to this policy and to the muddled approaches of the past. “Perhaps the most poignant and significant call for a new approach was made on 26 October . . . by the novelist Amos Kenan. Let me use his own words: ‘As long as you Americans help us to stand up, we Israelis have no chance to stand on our own feet. We have no chance to have peace as long as you support us in war. We have no chance to straighten out our relationships with our neighbours as long as you help .Us forget that they, too, are legitimate children of humanity and that they, too, have legitimate rights.*‘*) 136. Nor has the unlimited support of the United States for the Zionist entity been confined to the military and _ 137. The position taken in the United Nations, and particularly in the Security Council and other international forums, by the United States Government in support of the Zionist entity is well known. It is proof of the collusion of the United States Government with the Zionist regime in its policy of aggression against the Palestinian people and the Arab nation aimed at imposing American- Zionist solutions of capitulation and American hegemony and control in the Arab region. Acts of military provocation and terrorism by United States ships and planes in the Arab region, and the American policy, which is completely biased in favour of the Zionist aggressor, have exacerbated tensions in the region, increased the threats to international peace and security and obstructed all international efforts and initiatives to achieve peace in the Middle East. 138. The actions of the United States Government have been brought about by the blackmail of United States officials and institutions by Zionist organizations and by the intervention of those organizations in United States political life and by all kinds of immoral means to control American decision-makers and put pressure on them in the service of the Zionist entitv. 139.. The United States Government uses the Zionist entity as a tool with which to control the Arab region and to sow discord among Jews, Christians and Muslims. 140. It has’been universally acknowledged that the core of the Middle East question is the question of Palestine and that any solution of that question which does not take account in the first place of the legitimate ,rights’ of the Palestinian people to ‘self-determination and to the establishment of an independent State on its territory will remain incomplete and be doomed to failure. : ,. ; 141. In order to prevent the‘Council’s current delibemtions from ,becoming another occasion on which mere concern is expressed over the plight of the Palestinian people, we call on the Council to shoulder its responsibilities under the Charter by holding the Zionist entity responsible for these acts of terrorism and condemning its expansionist Zionist practices and policies in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories. The Council must take concrete steps to deter the aggressor, end the policy of establishing settlements and dissuade States from aiding the Zionist entity in pursuing its settlements policy and its violation of human rights in the occupied territories.

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

Sir, I congratulate you, the representative of France, on your assumption of the presidency for the month of August. We believe that your 144. Our appreciation goes also to your predecessor,- Mr. Ling Qing, representative of the People’s Republic of China, who successfully guided the deliberations of the Council during the month of July with wisdom and dedication. 145. The Council is again considering the consequences of the aggressive policy of Israel, which is stopping at nothing in order -to subjugate the people and illegally acquire Palestinian and other Arab territories. This is being done by aggression, repression and persecution. The expansion into the territory of neighbouring countries is continuing. 146. The crisis in the region is continually being exacerbated, and the indiscriminate use of force and arms has brought about a situation in which peace and security have practically ceased to exist. In this environment of aggression and terror imposed by Israel, illegal settlement on Palestinian and Arab soil and property is continuing, in flagrant violation of the decisions of the General Assembly and the Security Council. 147. The Palestinian issue cannot be resolved by terror and repression in the Palestinian homeland. Violence perpetrated by the occupation forces against the Palestinian people, against its youth and its students, is aimed at intimidating them and at annihilating their resolve not to be enslaved and not to yield in the face of threats of further destruction and, usurpation. . 148. The Palestinian people has more than once shown that it will not surrender its rights to independence and freedom. No one can deprive this courageous and martyred people of those rights today; its struggle merits our full-fleged solidarity and support. 149. The peoples of Yugoslavia fought and won their freedom and independence, and they are jealously guarding it. This is one of the sources of our support of the people of Palestine and of its sole legitimate representative, the PLO, and of our belief that freedom cannot exist if it is not enjoyed by all. 150. Last week, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO, Yasser Arafat, paid a visit to Yugoslavia. The President of the Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Mr. Mika Spiljak, had talks with Chairman Arafat. Mr. Spiljak pointed out on that occasion once again that the just aspirations of the Palestinian people should receive the undivided support of all countries and peoples dedicated to freedom, independence and peace. 151. The non-aligned countries have repeatedly pointed out that the Israeli policy of aggression in the Middle East is one of the most dangerous threats to peace and security in the world. At the Seventh Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at New Delhi from 7 to’ 12 March, non-aligned countries once 152. Yugoslavia, together with other non-aligned countries, considers that the question of Palestine and the Middle East conflict can be settled only in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions. Such a settlement must be just, comprehensive and lasting; it should ensure the withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, and enable the Palestinian people under the leadership of the PLO, its sole legitimate representative, to exercise its inalienable rights to self-determination and national independence and to establish an independent and sovereign State in Palestine. 153. It is inadmissible to acquire territory by force. This is why the non-aligned countries rejected all Israeli policies designed to modify the geographical characteristics, demographic composition or legal status of the Arab and Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967 and why they do not recognize any change made by Israel in those territories. 154. Furthermore, no solution can be considered justified and comprehensive without the participation of the PLO in negotiations on an equal footing. This implies recognition of the right of all States and peoples of the region to independence within secure and recognized borders, free from the threat or use of force. 155. Sixteen years ago the Council adopted resolution 242 (1967), calling for the withdrawal of Israel from all territories occupied after 5 June 1967. After all these years, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem remain under occupation, and so do the Golan Heights and a considerable part of Lebanon. Such behaviour by Israel is a challenge to which the Council should respond. We should like to repeat here again that the right of Lebanon to independence should be upheld and its territorial integrity -restored. : 157. The realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the establishment of its own State can neither be postponed nor tampered with. In these times of trial, the Palestinian people and the PLO, as its sole legitimate representative, need and deserve our support in order to safeguard and strengthen their unity and independence. 158. It is our view that the Council should reaffirm that the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal and inadmissible and should make one more effort to exert real and effective pressure in order to halt such Israeli policy. The United Nations, and the Security Council in particular, bear a great responsibility for the achievement by the Palestinian people of the exercise of their rights and for the solution of the crisis in the Middle East, and this task is a duty of utmost priority. 159. Bearing in mind all these facts and the urgency of the situation, we urge the Council to adopt the draft resolution that has been submitted to it [S/l5895j, sponsored by the Group of Arab States. The meeting rose at 1.05 pm NOTES ’ United Nations, Treuty Series, vol. 75, No. 973. * Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Hugue Conventions and Declarations of 1899 and 1907 (New York, Oxford University Press, 1915). ’ OfJcial Records of the General Assembly. Thirty-seventh Session, Plenary Meetings, 84th meeting, para. 99 and 100. HOW TO OBTAIN UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATIONS United Nations publications may be obtained from bookstores and distributors throughout the world. 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