S/PV.2724 Security Council

As this is the first meeting of the Security Council for the mcnth of December, I should 1 ike - in violation oE my own already established principles - to pay a well-deserved tribute, on behalf of the Council, ti ?,it John Thomsar, Permanent Representative of the writed King&m of GE-~ Britain an? Northern Ireland MI the United Nations, for his service as President of the Securi~ Council for the month of NovelFber 1986. I am sure I speak for all menbers of the Council in expressing deep Appreciation to Ambassador Thorns-, who earned our gratitude for the great diplomatic skill and distinction with which he conducted tne Council *s business last month, ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA The agenda was adopted. THE SZTJATION IN THE OCCUPIED ARAB TlBlRI’lDRIES LETTER DATBD 4 DEGMBm 1986 FROM Tm EERMANSNT REPRESENTATIVE OF ZIMBABWE ‘ID TBE UNITED NATION ADDRESSED ‘ID THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY ODUNCIL (S/lesolj

I should like to infarm members of the Council that I have received lettea from the representatives of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Zimbab*we in which they request to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Colprcil*s agenda. In conformity with the usual pKaCtiCe, I pcopcse, with the coneeht ol the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in accor&nce with the relevant provisiars of the Charter and rule 37 c” the Council*s provisional rules of procedure. There being no objection, it ia 60 decided. At the invitation of the Presidztnt, Mr. Mdenge (Zimbabwe), took a place at Me Council table; Mr. nadawi (Egypt), WC. Natanyahu (Israel), Mr. Salah (Jordan), Mr. Abulhasean (Kuwait) and Mr. Slaoui (Morocco) took the plaaes reserved for them at the side of the Council Chamber. The PRESIDEHI: I ehOUla like to inform the Council that I have raceived a letter dated 5 December 1986 from the Permanent Wpresentative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Natiara, which reads as follcwst “I have the honour to request that the Security Council extend an invitation to Mr. Zehdi Iabib Terzi, Permanent observer of the Palestine Liberation Organization to the uli ted Natfons, in accordance with the COUnCil’S pMt practice, in oonnectta with the Council’s otmei*ratim of the item ‘The situation in the occupied Arab terrttorie5’.m That letter will be circukted 819 document S/18504. The proposal by the ulited At&b Bairatee is not trade purpcsuant to rule 37 or rule 39 of the Security Council98 povisfarral rules of procedure, but if approved by the Council the invitati& to participate in the debate would canfer on the Palestine Liberation Organizatton the earns rights of participation as those carferred on Me&et States when invited to participate pursuant to rule 31. We8 any member of the Council wish to speak on that prOpDsal3 Since it appears that rio other me&et of the Council wishes ta speak at thi5 Stage, I shall make the follaring t-statement in my capacity es representettfve of the mitea states. .- . -. 4be ihrwca ar;iies iiziii czi8LPs1r-x Luqus *-L--a.-.. .-be.. &-It mr4r,M ------.. thknt ~IYL~C the aeurity Council’8 provisional rules of procedure the only legal basis on which the Cou~il may grant a hearing to persons speaking on behalf of nm-cjoVernment31 entities is under rule 39. (The President) For 40 year8 the mitei Stitztw has #upported a gwreroua interprobtion of CulO 39 md would cQrtiinly not object had thir matter been raimed under that rule. We UO, howwer, opprnaed to smcial, ad hoo departures fros OKdOrly procaduee. The United State8 consequently opposes extending to the Palestine Libsraticn acganizatia, tie mae rightss to participate in the proceeding6 of the 88curity Council ea if that organisation reFemntd a i&mbef Stati of the United ~tianls. WI certainly believe in 1Ltming to a11 points of view, but nane of that tupuiru violating the tule8. In pmrtlculm, the ulited Staba &mm not agree with the raant pcactiae of the S8curity Council &hick8 appears solectivrly tp try to enhance the prwtige of thor;o who wish to speak in the Council thto@ a departure from the ruler of’ procedure. ‘#e consider this opecial ~actic4 to be uithaut legal fo&mlatioR i *d to comtitute an abuse of the rulea. invitation be put to the vote , and of couzme the llnitad r&a tes will vote agai It thr pcoptxsal. I new rauu ny function a4 PteriClent of f&u Council. If no other meirbec of the Council wiahea to apeak, I shall take it that thu Council is ready to vote on the progosaZ by the unibd Arab EWratoa. It io so decided. ’ Againet: united states of America AbSabifng: Australia, mrmxK, F~WCC, m~itsd ~i.ngdom of maat mita%-~ .md Northu'n Itelmd The PRESIDEHTr The result of the voting is a8 follawr: PO vobar in fav%u, 1 vote against and 4 rbetenticm. The pcopceal ham been a&opted. At the invitaticn of the Presidant, ?&. Twzi (Palestine Liberatiur orgmizatiar) took a place at me Comcil teble. The PRESIDENTo I dculd like to inform the Council that I have twived a let&u dated 5 IBceplber 1986 from the Chalraan of the Canmittee cn the Exercise Of the Inalien~le Rights of the Palwtinian People, whi& reads as foollaws: "I have theharour to rapmstthat1 be allowed toparticipatein the SeaWify Council’s om8itiratiar of the item @The situaticn in the oazupied Arab tecritaieB*, in accordance with the pcarisiona of rule 39 of the Council*8 provisional rule8 of pcocedute, in my caprcity a Chairman of the CommLttes 0) (he Exercise of the Inalienable tighta of the Palestinian Peq31emr On p~evicus cccaukns, the Security Council hw extended lnvititicms to rapreeentatives of otnrp mited Nations bodicr in ccmectim w! th the cwiderati~ of matters on ita agenda. In aamrdana with prret ptactia in this matter, I propa that the Comcil extend an irwitatian mder rule 39 of its pcovisiaal ruled of pzoce&re to the Chair-n of the Corraittee a, the &ercfme of the Inalienable Rights of the Palrtiaian People. There being no objectian, it is ao dmided. (The President) I should like to inform the Council tbat I have received a letter dated 5 Decetier 1986 ftoa the Permanent Bpresehtative of the Uuitsd Arab Rnirates, which roads as follows: ‘I have the hanow W request that during the Council*s d:scussicn of the item presently on Its agenda the Security Council extend an invitation under rule 39 of its pcavisiaml rules of procedure to Uis Excellency or. Clovfa Maksoud, Perament observer of the League of Arab states to the United Natime.’ That letter will be published as a doculaent of the Security Council under the syubo1 s/ 18505. If I hear no objectian, I shall take it that the Council agrees to extend an invitation under rule 39 of its pcarisicnal rules of procedure tp Mr. Claris Wksoud. There being no objecticm, it is so decided. The S?ckUiky Council will now begin its consideration of the item on i ta agenda. The Security Councik is meeting today in response to the request contained in the letter dated 4 I)sce&mr 1986 from the Pernument mpresentativa of zistmhwe to the United Nathis addressed to the PreeiQnt of the Security Council (z/lQ5Ul). I should like to draw the attention of mehers of the Council to document S/U!iOZ, Which amtains the text of a latter dated 5 December 1986 from the Tn@ first qmaker if3 the KepKeSefttirtive of Zirfbaime, w-4 wbm I now call. Mr. MUDENCE (Zimbabw) : IYr. President, my delegation is pleased to see you in the Chair for this month and feels confidant that, with your wide experience and diplmatic skills, the Council*~ affairs are in reliable hands. My delegation congratulates the repceeentative of the elf ted Kingdom on successfully presiding over the Council*8 affair8 during November. It i8 only three days since the Security Council felt constrained to issue a pceeiidential statement appealing for restraint by the parties concerned in the Middle East. It was a timely response by the Council, but, sadly, Tel Aviv has not heeded the appeal for restraint. Ome again We COIIE before the Council a8 a direct result of Israel’s actions - more opecifically , because of the actions of the Israeli faces occ%Ipying Palestinian and other Arab tscritorfes, including the Holy City of Jerusalem. Early yerrtarday morning the occupying ftices ehot and killed two unarmed Palaetinfan. stu&nts from Bit Zeft University and uour&d aany more, two of whom ate in a aitical condition. fn addition, the students, who were arly holding a sitdown strike, were teat-gass-+d and harassed. The mfversity is new under oiege. The toun of Bir zeit was yaeterday &clared a military x-e, out of bounds to the pcess. An occupy tian forot9 of nearly 500 troope, was roaming the street5 of me towns of t3ir aeit and ~arpallah, and, according to muters news aqenCYI Wevera left-wing Israeli parties -day deaandtd an urgent parliamentary debate 011 what they called the Atay ‘8 excemis ive use of face.” The atmof8pbgL.e in the Mid3lt East is almady hi@ly charged. Pales tin fan blood is being shed neecuessiy. Ai: trucic a itiiie, -L-- --a-.- --+Fint end care m,m,, HYII**+.w+.w - we - - _-- - are required - indeed, demanded - so a8 to avoid the unnteessar y spread of violence and death, we find that the Israeli tespm5e is, deliberately and predictably, to provoke mote violence and tnflict more death and suffering tqmi the Pale33~iblicn (Mr. Mudenge, Zimbabwe) There can k no excuse at all for heavily-armad troops to open fire and cause the death of, or injury to, innocent, defenceless civilians. ae action yesterday therefore stands to be condemned, and riaust be condemned, in the strongest possible terms, not only as an act of murder, but as a further damonstration of IscaQl’s total contempt for the findings and demands of this body and the General Assembly with regard to its continuing illrgal occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories, including Jerusalem, and its brutal and inhumane treatment of the Paleotinian people, who suffer under the yoke of its wcupatioo and oppression. In the recent General Assembly debates and resolutions on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East the position of the international community with regard to IsraelVs occupation and annexation of Jerusalem and its obligations towards the Palestinians and other Arab peoples under it5 control ha5 been faade quite clear. The vast majority of nations have condemned and rejected IsrnQl’a occupation of JerusalQm, and refused to recagnize the Israelis’ declaration of that city as their capital. Similarly, Israel’s Judaixation of the holy City through its decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and tiministration on Jerusalem has been judgQd by the General Assembly - mo5t recently only yesterday - as null and void and of no validity whatsoever. Israel is an occupying Power , and as such its action5 muat bee governed by the prOvisions of the Fourth GenQva Convention. It therefore has definite obligations and duties, in terma of international law, inter alla, to ensure the protection and safety at all times of the Palestinian and other Arab paoples under its control, including the inhabitants of Jerusalem. AMI in connection with Jerusalem the Security Council has pronounced itself on there and other sapects in its Gusulutions 446 (1979), 496 (1980) and 478 (19801. (Hr. Hudenge, Zinbabwet) Israel.8 recsnt activities, its deluerate policy of iqoring We rulings of this body and the toti -tempt it shGIf& for the Pnlestinian and other ~rab -plea rnder iU control necessitate and indeed &Pwd further and stronger action from the Security Council. Quite apart from the current issue whi& brings us here, and Isracl*s cuntinuing arrogance towards the usited Nations system as a whole, we believe that careful note should be taken of the vuious repx ts which were submitted to the MUal AuOPbly recanr;Ly a, the situation in tie Middle Past. Thae reports indicated a sharp and alerting deterioraticm in the situaticn there - something rprich we cannot affacd to fgmce , especially Jlen Israel appears to be doing its utmoet to exaoarbate and woram the pmiti~1. Isr8el must be restrained, and the Council ha8 the power and authority to act decisively to that end. In the General Asrerobly debates on Palestine and the Middle East there was frquent mention of, and support far, the convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East, an proposed SORIC time ago and as fully supported by the Movement of NorrAligned Countries when it tact at eumnit level in Harare earlier this year. There was equal Support for the sstablisharent by Me Security Council of 4 preparatory committee to explore the mdalitiea for holding that Conference. Thia i5 a poritive auggestim. Wa ourely should EU&kpOr t this constructive initiative. Mr. Presiknt, we urge your great country to reason with Israel on this matter. The present stalemate cannot rxmtinue for ever. fst us break it with reascn and dial-e before it breaks us with blC#d and sword. (Mr. Mudenge, Zimhahwe) In the light of the deteriorating situation within the Middle East - as evidenced hy the latest, brutal violence and the information contained in the various United Nations reports submitted during the forty-first session of the General Assembly - we ask that the United States reconsider its position and join with the majority of nations. Members of this Organisation in supporting these positive and constructive proposals, which seek only to advance the cause of peace and stability within the Middle East. Israel, like Its apartheid ally, must be laade t0 tealize that in choosing violence rather than dialogue it stands alone. The General Assembly and this body have considered many resolutions in which the basis of a comprehensive, just and durable aoluticn to the situat’on in the Middle East has been clearly established. Those resolutions call for the complete and UncCXiditiOnal withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied s?nce 1967, including Jerusalem, and for the Palestinian paolle, under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organlzation (PLO), to be enabled to exercise their inalienable rights. Those rights include the right to return and the right 10 self-determination, national independence and to establish their independent sovereign State in Palestine. AS we all know, notwithstanding t’,& resolutions that have been passed and the decisions taken, little if any real progress, has heen made towards the achievement of those goaln - a failure directly attributahle to the arrogance and intraneigence of ffwael, abetted by the political, military and flnanclal succour provided by its main bAn&iu+trl>r; Israel should not be allowed, merely becauaa it has powerful. friends and eup63f ior armament:y, to continue ite aggroeeive and expansionist po’licie~~ throughout the Middle East. Its heinous de?dn FRW+ he condemned, l.ts intransigence dec1arw-l (Mr I, Mudenge, 2 imbabwe) intolerable and its arrogance curbed by the adoption and iiPposition of measure5 under Chapter VII of the Charter aa urged by the Eighth Conference of Ileads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries. But it i8 to positive initiatives that we wish to return, and at present the establishment of a preparatory co22aittee by this Council to bring about the International PeWe Conference on the Middle East remeinu the most promising. The situation in the Middle East is fast deteriorating. It threatens international peace and security as a whole. We must act, and the time to act is now. The Council must take urgent steps to establish the preparatory committee. It must censure Israel for it8 dastardly acts in Bir Zeit and Ramallah, condemn its continued illegal occupation and arrogant abuse of the Holy City of Jerusalem and its inhabitanta, warn it against Ueluddng itself that its creeping annexation of Palestinian and other Arab lands seized by force of arms in 1967 can ever he condoned by the international community or acviesced in by the Palestinians and other Arab nations. Israel mud be told forcefully that the road to peace and aurvival passea through reason and negotiations. The slternative to peace in the Middle East is too ghastly to contemplate. The PPESID~~?I’~ I thank the representative of Zimbabwe for the kind words he addressed to me. The next epeaker ie the representative of the Palestine Liberation grganization, on whom I now call. Mr. TERZI (PaXeatine Liberation Organizationjr Lot me start by congretulatinq you, Mr. President, on assuming the stewardship of the Council. We are very encouraged by your enthusiasm, ae reflected in the statzement that you if35l1ed on OahaZE of the members of the CouncfP c;il 2 Detxmhr 1.986. With your wtmj.asjcin I ohall t:ead it os~t: ‘The arsmbets of the Security Counr:il, mindful of the sovereignty, i%depend%nce and territorial integrity of Lebanon, exprees their setiousl concern at the current escalation of violonce there, affecting the civilian population in and around the Palestinian refugee camps. The members of the Council appeal to all concerned to exercise restraint in order to end these acts of violence. They also appeal to all concerned to take necessary measures to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population. They urge all concerned to facilitate the efforts of various United Nations agencies, particularly the United Nation% Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, as well ds nun-governmental organfaations, to provide humanitarian assistance.’ (S/18492) Unfortunately, Sit, your appeal has not yer been heeded. I also wish to express our gratitude and appreciation fot the effort% of the repreeentative of the United Kingdom during his presidency of the Council last month, and in particular for hi% very hard labour and hi% efforts laet weekend. I am not going to go into any further details on that, but I should like to thank him. For a rather lcng tilne and at % number of meetings the Special Pdlitical Con\mittee of the General Assembly has considered Israeli practices affecting the human right% of the population of the occupied territories. A number of resolutions have been adopted and the General A%wn\bly, somethfng like 50 hours ago, considered the %a%e itenr irnd adopted relevant resolutions. We have no intention of atten@Png to prolong the general debate on those prnctLros; w&n .*a C..,,.. ----- ..- -mm *“*a.* ““cal.C , that the Council’% time is precious and at the %ame time of the relevance and importance of considering the event% - to u%e an understatement - that have .3t~3J~Ped in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusaicm, in the past few days. (Mc. Teczi, Palestine Liberation Organisation) Thus the international CoiCmUnity, by an overwhelming majority, almost unanimity, decided to observe the International Day of Solidarity. Palestinian8 under occupation, and thdc vanguards, namely the student8, have ths right and the duty to mar: ..ist their position in a peaceful way. They demonstrate, hut they also demonstrate to protest against the poliices and practices of the occupying Power, against the -iron fist” PCMCY, against the reaotivating of the abhorrent Emergency Defence Regulations imposed in 1945 by the British Mandate. They pcotest against the interference in the pursuit of academic life, and against the onslaught and mass8cces of thsir kin8men, of the Palestinians in the refugee camps in Lebanon, whether the perpetrators of the onslaught and holocaust and genocide ace Israeli, oc groups of Lebanese such aa the Amal group, or others. The veapons used by these student demonatratocs were not whine guns. They were not F-48 OK armoured vehicles and tanks, nor were they using gunboats or carrying out artillery shelling. The weapon8 were, and always have been, banners that carry slogan8 denouncing the illegal occupation, denouncing the pliciee and practices, a8 well as the attacks against their own folk in the refugee csmps. But also, there are banners carrying slogan8 of eupport, ehowing the adherence of these 8tudent demonstrator8 to their causeI their cause of liberation, the cause of peace; and, of course to show their adherence to their sole and legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organication. Such demonstrations ace, naturally, not to the liking of the occupyfng Power. Qih,,a +l¶a ru.#as.u-&.‘A.. a---- f&. b,i;;c;sG _---- T--v .au-ryuc*L.*. WLlllJ tc;r ihe scene ati u8es force to disperse the demonstration. But the weapons used by the demonstrators then become stonesv and a Hone-throwing battle enBue8. An& here, the *supecioritye, the "discipline", the 'hunane he'navto\u" of the occupying Yr2wem 8ucfares, and their true nlrturo (Mr. Terzi, Palestine Liberation Organization) bet us start from the moat recent event, namely, that vhich prompted the rr#Uest for an imediate meeting of the Council. On behalf of the victims of the repressive meaaurea adopted by Israel , on behalf of the Palestinians under Israeli occupation, the Palestine Liberation Organisation, their representative, vishes to extend ite thanka to the members of the Council for having responded with such prmtnees to their call and exprese the hope that the council will take whatever action it can within the powers vested in it by the Charter to put an end to the practices of the Israeli occupation forces and, it is hoped, to the real cause, namely, the occupation itself , thus sparing the Council several meeting8 to address th derivatives of foreign occupation. A particular expression of thanks and gratitude goes to the members of thb Council who joined in extending the invitation to the Palestine Liberation Otganization to participate in this debate. Hr. President, in our letter to you of 4 December, we stated that three students had been rhot dead. ft now transpires that only tvo were shot dead; the third vas critically wounded and was in such a bad state that he uas thought t0 be dead. fia remains tn very critical condition in hospital waiting for O-negative blood t;ype. In the matter of the shooting of students, it was reported that the Bir Zeit students were comnenwrating the Dkernationhl Day of Solidarity with the Paleat inian People. Aa we all know, observance oE this day was initiated by the General Assembly, which holds a special meeting in whiuh (Ilk? presidunt.s CJ~: L.Lk- Generai Aseernbiy a& i;i* :;a-cir:tj; Ci~zicil - ;;;;l.;c:: 5 z=~z- (-w*ist-o 4uataa Iprjaun $ri m”x,..a-m_ -- -- the Council - and the Secretary-General participate. There are scorers of mcssaaqes from Read5 of State or Government, Poreign Mininters ard ropPo$entative8, in addition to statements expteersing euppurk for r,l~r fnalianahls rjqhta and the jnetice of our akrqq1.e. (Mr. Terzi, Palestine Liberation Organization) is revealed. Machine guns with live bullets is their response. Students are wounded, and some are killed, as in the case under discussion. If this were to happen in an independent sovereign State, the international community would condemn that Government and label it as brutal and as having ccmmltted a flagrant violation of human rights, and the international community would have demanded from that Government the fulfilment of its responsibilities under international law. And here we ask: what will the international ccmmunity, and specifically this Security Council, demand from an occupying Power like Israel? Will it demand that Israel respect the provisions of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persona in Time of War, of 12 August 19493 We all recall that article 1 of that Convention reads: “The High Contracting parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances.” Thus the Convention makes it clear that the Powers which are parties to the Convention shall remain bound by the Convention whether or not the Powers in conflict are a party to the Convention. And we believe that the members of this Council, jointly and individually, are bound to ensure respect for the Convention. At 1537 hours on 3 December 1986, we noted with great satisfaction that all the members of the Council, together with the other Members of the united Nations, naturally with the exception of Israel, the occupying Power, voted in favour of the following: "[The General Assembly] reaffirms that the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection ot c:ivilian Peraonn in PiI& uf i?Gi, of LS Auguct 1049, ie applicable to the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since l.96Y, including Jerusalem." IGeneral Assembly resa!ution 41/63 R, - para, I.) (Hr. Terai, Palestine Liberation 0rganiaa”ion) We accorgingly reaffirm our drap aatiafaction that all Members voted in favour, and have thus coranitted themselves to that view. Again, we ank, what action will the mmbera of the Council prescribe to ensure respect for the Fourth Geneva Convention? Row will they at least express theaaelvea when the Convention is so blatantly violated, when innocent students, the hope of the future, are shot or wounded by the bullets of the mighty army of occupation? fiow would they feel if this had happened to their own children? This latest of Israeli pr8ctieea in tha implementation of tha iron-fiat policy in the occupied territory came in the wake of yet another reaolution of the General Assembly in which the General Aaaemb?y: ‘Vondemna Israeli policies and practices against Palestinian students and faculties in acbola, univeraitiea and other educational inatitutiona in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially the policy of opening fire on defenceless students, causing many casualties.* (General Aaeembly resolution U/63 G, para. 2) Within leas than 24 hours Israel gave it8 contelpptuoue reaponae to the General Assembly. some Member States had a lengthy argument about whether cpening fire on defenceless students constituted a policy or a practice. Bow funny. While Rome burns, somebody waa playing a tune, ao tha saying goes. Ie may not have made any difference, but in a *disciplined mighty array” opening fire is a form of diacherging a policy, and the net rcrault is death and injury to defenceleaa students. Why did it happen? The army of occupation had erected some check-points outside the Bir Zeit trniversity calrpus. A faculty member, a certain Saleh Abdel Jawad, waa stoppad at one of thee army check-points for almost 90 minutes. He was denied entry into the campus. He had claaaea to each, and thus insisted on his right to enter. Son-@ of hio students came to irvxubra what was happ+sling; an argument ensued, and it culiminated in bullete, resulting in the death of two people, and the wounding of a third, who is still in very critical condition. The faculty member was arrested , and our information is that he was driven away and is being held at an unknown destination. His safety and return ehould also be one of the responsibilities of this Council. A number of etudente rushed to the hospitals where some of their colleagues were being treated for the bullet wounds they had suffered, and, if need be, to donate blood. The Israeli troops broke into the hospitals and arrested a number of those students. Before I continue, Mr. President, I would ask you to permit me to conVeyl throuqh you, to the bereaved parents of the dead students, our heartfelt condolences. As you know, Mr. President, we cannot reach them, although they are our brothers and sisters. Maybe you could do it on our behalf. We join in the mourning of these dsfenceleee, heroic students. I would aleo like to mention that the University of Bit zeit has declared a three-day mourning period. Frankly, we have again witnessed racist occupation troops in action. Is this not reminiscent of those dark ages of the recent past? But this policy of atrocities is nothing new ; we Palestiniane recall the atrocities of 1948. The minutes of the Israeli Cabinet Meeting on 17 November 1948 - almost Qtl years ago - show the followin comment by a member of the Cabinet, Mr. Aharon Cieling, who wae then the Minieter of Agriculture: “I have received a letter on the subject. I must say that I have known what things have been like for some time and P have raised the issue several Cl.arct alrP&-lv h*r*; _-... -- _..- ---~ Rnwnvar after reading this letter 6 couldn’t sleep 812 night. (Hr. Terzi, Palestine Gibecation Organization) I felt the thing8 that were going on were hurting my 80~1, the soul of my family and all of us here. f could not imagine where we came from and to where we are going . . . I often disagreed when the term Nazi was applied to the British. I would not like to use the term, even though the British cOmmitted Nazi crimes. But now Jews too have behaved like Nazis, and my entire being has been shaken. . . . Obviou5ly we have to conceal these action8 from the public, and I agree that we should not even reveal that we're investigating them. But they must be investigated . . . l . The Cabinet member was commenting on report8 of atrocities cOmmitted by laceeli soldiers during the conauest of Palestine as early as 1947-1948. Then, Israel could conceal the atrocities, but it can no longer do that. Another aspect of occupation results, of neceaerity, in another derivative, namely, eettlement - which means the transfer of faraeli civilian population into occupied territory. This is another violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states, inter alia, in article 49: ‘The occupying Power shall not deport Or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupied.” The Council, by resolution 446 (1979), of 22 March 1979, established a comnission “to examine the situation relating to aettlements in the Arab territories oucupied since 1967, including JeruBalem”. The Commission carried out its mandate and submitted two reports. The Council, in resolution 465 (1980), unanimously took note of the first report and “accepted the conclusions and recommendations contained therein,“ but 80 Ear the Council has reFrained from conoiderlng the second meprt. Rowever, the reports of the CommiH:~ion alerted the Co~~ncil ta the darqer~ inherent Ln the pollcien of Israel relative to the illegal settlement af Iataeli civili'1n8 in occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, and "the cOnseauence8 of such practice8 for the local krab and Palestinian population". (resolution 465 (1980)) We recall that last week the Council wa8 seized af a derivative of that policy and practice, namely, the -called sad events in Jerusalem. what happened in the Holy City is that the occupying Power permitted the establishment of *a school for penitents, and reportedly ha8 a large number of former criminals in its student body' - a Yeshiva in which *caches of Illegal arm8 have been found in the poseesision of Jews in the Old City of Jerusalem. Those Included grenades and light weapons.” That in intelligence provided by David Kraus , Chief of Israel's national Police, to feraeli Ministers. He described ‘the persistent provocation8 by the Shuvu Banim students ngainst their Arab neighboute. One of their practice8 wa8 to hurl bags of faeces and Wine from the Yetlhiva building at Arab home8 nearby.* There is a limit to accepting humiliation and dehumanisation. The inevitable result wa8 a confrontation, and a Yeshiva student was stabbed to death. In more than one sense, the so-called Arab neighbours - who had been living there foe generation8 - were only exercising a r%ght and discharging a duty: legitimate struggle against foreign occupation. But when insult is added to 1-x..-.- rrlJ"‘y, Gziiage :z LIIk-a-L 'A.., a ..A..4 .ah, a 9.d -nrutnh ia onnugh. *..1*- -----J-~ And what was the reaction of the occupying Power? It gave the settlers a free hand to burn down the houses of the “neighbours” - notwithstanding the Commandment mLove they neighbour”; agperentLy the Commandments do not apply to mch Yeshiva Students, (Mr. Terzi, Palestine Liberation or ganization) even though they study the Torah. And the safety of the Palestinian Arabs w4S in teal danger. The President of the Higher Islamic Committee in Jerusalem extended an invitation to the Consuls General of France , the United Kingdom and the United States in Jerusalem and made the following statement to them: (spoke in Arabic’ “We welcome you and thank you for having responded to our invitation. I should like to thank you personally, as head of the Aigher Islamic COMnitteer and tell you how important we consider your interest in humanitarian aueations and in the sufferings of the Arabs in the City of Jerusalem and the other occupied territories, faced a8 they are with extremely difficult conditions, suffering and persecutions in every area of their lives under occupation. Vn accordance with a resolution adopted by the Righer Islamic Committee, I should like to inform you of three of the things from which we are suffering under cccuylat ion. “First, the event5 cccurring in Jerusalem and the attacks launched against its inhabitants and against their property have terrorized the City’s population. We continually feel threatened by certain extremist Zionist elements, particularly the racist partisans of the Kach Group. The occupation authorities have a duty to protect the property and lives of the inhabitants. They must carry out that responsibility and put an end tb the attacke by such agqregsors. The Higher Islamic Committee declares publicly that tne Arab inhabitants of Jeruoalem are not safe and that they do not feel themselves protected in tha Holy Places. We call upon the entire world to take the necessary steps to protect members of the Arab popula+=.ion and to enable tbsm to liVC in their homeland in pease an3 security. *Secondly, with regard to the Hanillah Cemetery, the Higher Islamic Cettee, which believes in high humnitariau feelings and ideals, calls upon all peace-loving forces to stand with it against the profanation of Moslem towbE in the Mamillah Cemetery by tractors and other machines being uSed to lay water conduits, a work project being carried out by the municipality ’ * Jerusalem. With all the means at our disposal we have not been able to put an end to them. For that reason, we call upon you to stand with us in solidarity to safeguard the dignity of man and respect for the dead, according to the tenets of all religions and particularly with regard to the preservation Of t-8 and the non-profanation of cemeteries. (Mr. Terzi, Palestine Liberation Organization) *The third point about which I wish to inform you relates to prisonersr their saltrcataant and the poor conditions in which they live, which run counter to the laost basic humanitarian principles. Through yoil I co11 upon the occupying authorities to create the necessary conditions, as dictated by all religions and by international law and resoluticns. “I request you to transmit to your Govefnments the message that we require the assistance of an international force to safeguard our lives and property. I thank you and hope to meet with you again in the future under better circumstances. l (continued in English) That statement was dated 25 November 1986. I am certain, Mr. President, that the united States Consul General in JerusaLem and the other Consuls General there have inforiaed their respective capitals of that request. I quoted the statement just to show the degree to which we have seen an escalation in the repressive lPeaQures and violations of human rights and of conventions governing the behaviour of the cccupying Power. At this stage one must ask whether all. these violations are accidental and what is really behind these Xsraeli policies. The aim was revealed as early as June 1948, when the then Foreign Minister of Israel, Mr. Sharett, wrote to Mr. Nahum Goldmann, President of the World Zionist Congress, that %he m8t spectacular event in the contemprary history of Palestine, in a way more spectacular than the creation of the Jewish State, is the wholesale evacuation of its Arab population. . . . The opportunities opened up by the present reality for a laating and radical solution of the mcst vexing problem 02 the Jewish State are so far-reaching as to take one’s bteath away. The reversion to the status quo ante is unthinkable”. (M! . Terzi, Palestine Liberation Organizzion) Israel plans not only to carry out the wholesale evacuation of the Arab population of Palestine, but also to eliminate it. That is manifested in Israel's role in the occupied Palestinian territories and in the shelling and bombardment of Camp5 of Palestinian refugees in South Lebanon, jointly with other elements. Will the Council respond? The PstEisIm~~~ I thank the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization for thr? kind words he addressed to me. 'Lhe next speaker is the representative of Kuwait, who wishes to make a statement in his capacity as Chairman for the month of December of the Group of Arab States. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. Mr. ASULHASSAN (Kuwait) (interpretation from Arabic)x It gives me pleasure, Sir, to congratulate you, in my capacity as Chairman of the Arab Group for this month, and on behalf of my delegation, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. 1 am confident that with Your diplmtie experience and well known expertise you will lead the work of the Council effectively and positively to a successful outcome. I should like also to convey our appreciation to your predecessor, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, Sir John Thomson, for the way in which he guided the deliberations of the Security Council in November. The Security Council is meeting once again to consider the seriousness of the PraCtiCe5 pursued by the Israeli authorities in the occupied Arab and Palestinian territories. Illhe SecurLty .- * - -= -L-L--rrrC Council p3et ~W~LU r5 PLSLLS.UYI.C b; _.._ _ -- +:*o *anrbmtntative of the Palestine Liberation Grganization (PLO), in which he informed the council about the persecution and suppression recmtly carried out by the occupying authorities, particularly in the region of El-Siroh and at Bir Zeit University. (Mr. Abulhassan, Kuwait) That statement clearly and unambiguously showed that the countless crime5 perpetrated by the Israeli occupying authorities in the occupied Arab territories constitute a flagrant violation of norm5 of international law and of the 1949 ~neVa Convention on the protection of Civilian Person5 in Time of War. They are also in flagrant contravention of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right5 and of the International Covenant on Rconomic, Social and Cultural Rights, not to mention all other human rights agreements and the Charter of the united Nations. Israel has created for itself new concept5 and rules of international law, by which it considers all resistance to its occupation - whether spoken, or in writing or even through belief in the illegality of that occupation - to be a threat to the security of the occupying authority. Such concepts require the most cruel and oppressive punishment of combatants. There is no doubt that the real intention of all these concepts and norm5 is to eliminate the Palestinian Arabs by expulsion from their homeland and by deportation. The Israeli authorities apply them through a policy whose elements include fait8 accomplia, administrative detention, collective punishment, illegal exProPriati0n of property, the closing of schoo15, universities and other educational institutions, the closing of press organs , the imposition of long-term Curfews on cities and villages, the demolition of homes, deportation, expulsion, arbitrary execution, and the destruction of the economic infrastructure. This week’s events in the occupied territorie5 are ample evidence of this. The former Israeli Foreign Minister, Abba Rban, recently wrote about the OPPreSSiOn endured by the population of the Palestinian Arab lands. fie noted that there was no reason to believe it possible for this situation to be perpetuated without a conflagration. (Kc e Abulhassan, Kuwae) The best evidence of the inhuman treatment to which the Palestinian people are subjected in the occupied Palestinian territories is provided by the report of the United Nations Special Committee to Investigate rsrauli Practices affecting the NIlPan Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories submitted to the General Assembly at its forty-first sesaion ir, docusaent ~/41/680. (Mt. Abdulhasean I Kuwait) This report enumerates all the collective arre6tO, torture, brutal treatment, imprismrant, delp~ctatiar, expulsia), clasing &wn of Schools, medical and eduucaticnal institutions, in additiar to the acte of annexation and Me establishment of settlements, as well a~ the other perv%eive practices by the Israeli occupation forces, to &ange the den0qraphic and legal status of the occupied land, thus paving the way for its full annexation. I refer to paragraph 90 of the report in rrhich Me Special Conuuittee reached the conclusiux “that the policy pursued by the avernment of Israel in the occupied territories ccntinues” as in the past , to be based upon the principle that the terri(iories ocoupied by Israel in 1967 constitute a part of the State of Israel. This is at the source of the policy of annexation and establishment Of Settlements in oocupied territories, whidr mnstitutes a flagrant violatim of the in ternaticnal obligations of Israel as a State Party to the EUurth Geneva Canvention relative to the Protectian of Civilian PersaW in Time of War . . . rhich stipulates that military occupation is to be considered as a teQPrary, de facto, situation, giving no right whatsoever to the oaxpying power aver the territorial intaqrity of the occupied territories” (~/4l/680, p . 50, para. 90). The international statue and sanctity enjoyed by the City of Jerusalem, whi& is the cradle of religions is rrndeniable. Present events in occupied Jerusalem wacn us of the grave dangers which, if allaJet to pteiet, will lead to an escalation of the situation, as a result of the military oppceesion by the occupying authatties against the peaceful resistance of innocent c vilians, students and children wanting to express their ccndemation of the cantfnued (Hr. AbdulhasBm, Kuwait) Israeli occupstian. W should like to draw the attention of this Council to the gravity of the situation in Al-Quds al-Sh&xif. Thus, the Arab GtOUp thinks that the role of this Cou~il regarding the aituatiar there should be to insist on impleplentaticn of its resolution8 and to co-1 the aggresea to co@y fully wi& their pc;nrisions. Lkopi te the fact that the year 1986 was su~sed to be the International year of Peace, peace is far remwed from We occupied Palestinian Arab territfxies. The PakstiniaR people still suffer from the inhuman gtactices and policies pursued by Israel. The time hap come for the international community to pit an end to Israel% expnnsimist policies, which run count&r to and violate the nams of intcrnatimal law as well as of other intematimal instruments. It has to live up to its responsibility of alleviating the suffering and oppression to whidr the population of the Arab Palestinian territories ie subjected. This Council should once again condemn in no uncertain arma Israel ‘8 actiaw in the occupied Arab territories and demmd that Israel put an end to its flagrmt violations of human rights. The prolonged At&b-Israeli conflict has not only led to an escalaticm of tension in the Middle East but it also jaopardizes international peace and S@O.lCi~. Unless a lasting Political and just eolutia to the queatiar of Palestine ie fomd, permanent peace in the region will never be achieved. Thet peace was scuet by the international wnauunity when it voted yesterday cm the resolutions relating to the Middle East in the General Asserd>ly and requested implementaticn of the resolution calling for the convening of the Internatiaral Peace Cmference on tfm Middle Ea8t. (Mr. Abdulhassan, Kuwait) Wa must state our view that any political, economic or military Support tn Israel will only increase its intransigence and enmurage it ta continue its oppressive and racist policy. Thus, this Council should assume its re.spOnsibilfty by Compelling Israel to implement United Nations resalutiars. I am confident that the struggle of the Pales tinian people and the support of the international co-unity will put an end +a the inhuman practices and policies plraued by the Israeli occupying autilotities against the innocent civilians. The Arab Group, which I am privileged to chair for this mocrth, expresses its deep concern at the current evanta in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Al-Quds al-Shar if. It expect3 the Secur i& Council, which is fully aware of the gravity of the current developments in the occupied Arab territories, particularly the evennte which took place this week , to discharge its dutiee in accordance with the Charter and not ta allow the Palestinian people to become a Victim Of the ruthless military force of the occupying Pawer. The PRJBIDSWT: I thank the repreeentative of Kuwait for hie kind words addressed to me. The next speaker ie the representative of Egypt. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. Mr l BPDAWI (qyptl (interpretation from Arabic): Hr. President, I am happy to see you presiding Over the Council. I ran sure that thanks to your wisdom and cOmPBtenct3 YOU will successfully conduct &c proceedings of the Council this We should also like to express our appreciation ta your predecessor, Sir John ThCWOn, for the judicious way he ccnnducted last manth’s proceedin?F. (Hr. Bmdawf, Blgypl) Only a f*v dayll ape, oy dOlegation rgdte twice in the General Auebly during it3 axwirhcation of the situation in the Wddle Baat M& the qwtion of Pale43 tin.. In our tuo atitemata we &monatrabd the danger of the pemistent paralysis of peaa efforta in the ulddle Ea8t. We laid atreSS on the expLarPive nature of me aftuation in me occupied tertitcriee, the West Bank, Gaxa and Jerusalea. (MC. Badawl, Egypt) Just a few day5 have alapled since our firat rtatement in the General Anse*ly OII 2 1 NovePrber U86, when we witnessed another explmiar taking plaa in the Holy City, during Which extremist elements attidted the peaceful Arab inhabitant@. oily yeoterday 15raeli trcopr attadtd Palestinian crtu&nts in the Bir Zeit University, ceusing a nutier of casualties awrng the students there. It does not require any particular political skill or maturity to draw the conclusiar, from an analysis of the situation in the OCCUpiQd territories #at the tensicn, and the possible eacalatian of the situation, will continue to threaten the eecurity of the Palestinians, as long a0 the policies and practice0 of the occupying authorities persist, together with the pwocatiao of the settler5 who, ever since they expropriated Palestinian land and property a, the West Eank and Gaza, have been terrCKiZiIIg, intimidating and attacking Palestiniane. Everyone knee that the pefeistence of the Israeli occupation is the tcx2t cawe of the deterioration of the eituaticm. The first days of this year SW a flagrant attempt by tie extremiet forces, t&ich pursue a policy of violence in order to achieve ttieir aisu, to att8ck the Holy msque in the city of Jetwalem. lwardn the end of 1986, we witnessed a further attempt to crush the resistance of the Palestiniane in the occupied territories. While condemning these attelspts and practices, Qypt is mnvinced that no for55 of ttrrcrism or coetcian will succeed in crushing Palcetinian reeistance. fn fact, all au& attempts will stimulate Palistinian militants to increaee their resietancs, ccnftant tht IPraeli occuPaticn authorities and aallange thtir practice5 and their intransigent attitude. In certain respect5 the present situatio-t in the occupied tecritcries is paratixical; in other respects, it gives us food for thouqht iind lead5 US inwimbly to cer In cr3ncl us iaos . The (MC. xadawi, Qypt) paradoxical aspects relate to the Speed with which Some people in Israel uho were themaelveo victime in the 1940e, seem to have forgotten the acts and crimes that were cumnitbad against them. Mat givee us food for thought is the fierce determination with whidr the young people in the occupied territories are resisting the occupsticm authorities. These young people, Wto are hardly older than thhe Israeli oazupaticn itSelf, have a Strcog naticoal feeling and are aware of their historical rights in the Palestinian territories. This awareness is the driving force in Strengthening their resolve. This means only ane thing, that Israel has not succeeded, ad never will succeed, in wet-coming the resiStance, and the Palestirrian people’s dream of recovering its right to selfAet.erminatiar, without interference frcm any source &atSoever. This leeear of sincere resistance and self-sacrifice should not be forgotten by three who imagine that tims will help them to achieve their expanaianist aims to the detriment of others, no matter what pretext is used, whether they invdte hietcry, Security considerations, cr any other cancept. Since the Arab territories - the Golan Heighte, Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gasa - were occupied by Israel, the internaticnal canmunity has realized the gravity of the situation and therefore the need to rusist not arly the &~icy of annexation of territory and the imposition of Israeli jurisdiction in @me territiriee, but also the danger of the settlements policy as it affects any poSaible future peaceful settlement of the conflict. Thus the 9acurity Council and the Gsneral Asoerpbly have opsed the measures taken by the successive Iarseli Governments eince 1967. The security Council adopted resolution 446 (19791, in which it determined that the policy and practices of Israel in eetahlishiny settlements in the Paletinian md other Arab territories occupied since 1967 have no legal validity and constitute a serious rtistcuction to a&ieving a (Mr. Badawi, Egypt) coasprebenaive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. The Security Council also abpted resolution 4 65 ( 1980) , in which the Council determined tnat all measures taken by Israel to change Ule physical character, demgraphic composition, inStitrltiaIa1 StrUCbte or StatUS Of the occupied terribries to be null and void. The SecWity COUrcil also adopted resolution 468 (1980)) in which it expressed its deep concern at the UXPUIS~CWI by the Israeli military occupation authorities of the ~yots and heads of towns in the West B~IUC. The Security Council also adopted cr?Bolution 469 (1980), in which it strongly deplored the failure of the t%vernlPent of Israel to implement Security Council resolution 468 (1980). The Cenaral Aassmbly also expressed its position with regard to Israeli measures detrimental to the future of the city of Jerusalem and the occupied territiriss. In General Assembly resolutions 2253 (ES-V) and 2254 (ES-V), Me Assetily considered that the measures taken by Israel to change Ule status of Jerusalem were invalid and called upon Israel to rescind all measures already taken and to desist Eorthwith ftcm t&ing any action that would alter the status of Jet usalem. There can be no doubt that this long series of resolutias adopted by the Security Council and the General Assembly - and I have mentioned just a few of them by way of example - demonstrate how far Israel has proceeded in it5 policy of refueing to ccmply with the demands of the international community. Xowever, this should not diminish the attachrPent of the Council to its clear principles. contrsquently, after the review of tne current situation in the occupied territotie5, E2gypt expect5 the Council to reaffirm the Eollaring points. Fir&, the Council mu5t reaffirm Ule responsibility impmed by international law upon Israel, as Me occupying Pawer , to ensure the protectiar of the interests of the inhabitants until the end of the occupation. (Hr. Badawi, Q) secondly, it must ensure that the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Civilian Persons in Time of War is applied in the occupied territories. Thirdly, it must condemn the most recent acts - the provocation against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the attacks on their property and their persons, and the use of armed force against unarmed students in Palestinian universities. Fourthly, it must call upon Israel, the Power occupying the West bank and Gasa, to refrain from all the practices which were condemned by the General Assembly only a few days ago. Egypt has no doubt that these demands , made necessary by the current situation in the occupied territories , which continues to deteriorate , should not be all that the Council does in this rqard. Indeed, the current situation and the possibility that it will deteriorate even more should induce all the members of the Council, and particularly its permanent members , to attack actively and effectively the root of the problem - that is, the perpetuation of Israeli occupation and the denial to the Talestinians of their right to live in freedom on their territory, Palestine, just as other peoples of the region live in freedom on their territories. The result of the vote - as recently as the day before yesterday - on the draft resolution relating to the convening of the International Peace Conference on the Middle East clearly reflected the amount of support in the international community for this idea as a logical and objective. means to ensure the beginning of the process of negotiations between the parties concerned, in order to find a solution to the ‘Arab-Israeli conflict. Egypt believes that this decisive attitude of members of the +ntecnational community makes it necessary for all the forces that truly cherish peace to give Serious thought to the measures that should be taken , at the level either of the Security Council or of its permanent members, to ensure the cateful preparation of (Mr. Badawi, Dgypt) The situation in the occupied territories in deteriorating, and everyone is aware that this deterioration poses a danger to the pace efforts designed to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the conflict. This danger makes it imperative that all the forces in Israel that believe in peace and a peaceful settlement should be logical and resist all extremist attempts and all attacks. This danger, which reduces trust even further, should make the Israeli &vernment reconsider its position and take the necessary measures in all the occupied territories in order to halt this deterioration. Egypt is still awaiting serious and effective measures to increase confidence among the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, in order to prepare the ground for the beginning of negotiations between the parties concerned, within the framework of an international conference, which could bring peace to the Middle East. Until the conference is convened, Egypt will continue to do everything it can to ensure that the preparatory work to that end is done. At the same time, mypt will remain faithful to its position of principle - that is, condemnation of all the acts of trle extremist forces in Israel to hamper the peace efforts. The PRESIDENTr f thank the representative of Egypt for his kind words. The next speaker is the representative of Morocco. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. Mr. SLAOUI (Morocco) (interpretation from French) t I should like first of all to exL,ld to you, Sir, my delegation’s sincerest congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council. Your outstanding personal qualities and your proven competence and experience are the best guarantees of the success of this body *s work , ensuring that it can properly discharge its main responaibilityr the maintenance of international peace and oecurity. (Mr. Slaoui, Morocco) We also appreciated all the efforts exerted by your predecessor, Sir John Thomson, who conducted the Council’s debates last month in a remarkable manner. A5 Chairman of the Group of States members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and as representative of Hi5 Majesty the King of Morocco - Chairman of that organization’s Al-Quds Committee - I thought it my duty to intervene in this debate to tell the Security Council of the great distress felt by the whole XSlamic COIImUnfty at the serious events that took place fn Al-Quds Al-Sharif on 4 December last. The Israeli occupation forces once again committe? acts of ViOlenCe in Jerusalem, opening fire On defenceless student5 at Bir Zeit University and killing or wounding some of them. These criminal acts follow on many measures of racist Provocation carried Out by the Israeli settlers against the civilian population of Jerusalem in particular and of the occupied territories as a whole. Since 1967 there have been continual acts of repression by the Israeli Occupier in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection Of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, and decisions of the Security Councils illegal measures of expropriation of inhabitants, establishment Of settlements, disrespect for fundamental human rights, profanation of KOly Places. Indeed, my delegation already had occasion to speak before the Security Council on 21 January this year on the subject of the profanation by the Israeli authorities of the Al-Haram Al-Sharif Mosque, which will always be for all Muslims the first sanctuary towards which they turn to pray and the third holy shrine of islam. The recent events therefore contribute to the escalation of the illegal act5 and ViOlence that are part of the Iaraoli plan to Judaize the cccupied territories and deny millions of Muslim and Christian believers their right to their Holy (Mr. Slaoui , Korocco) Places. It is wre necessary than ever before for the international cmunity to be firrp about haltinq this eacaration and imposing respect for the most sacred values of mankind. The Organization of the Islamic Confeeence , which itself was established immediately after the criminal fire in September 1969 that amaged the Al-Aqsa Mosque, hae eince that date worked constantly to liberate Jerusalem, to restore peace and quiet there so that it may resume the role it has played for centuries - that is, as the symbol of the convergence and omxfstence, in harmony and tolerance, of the faithful of the three monotheistic religions. (Mr. Slaoui, Morocco) Thus His Bnjesty King Hassan II, Chairman of the Al Quds Committee since its creatiar in Uay 1979, has unceasingly made intense efforts to protect Jerusalem, by personally contacting His Holiness ti:e Pope and many Heads of State to explain the danger Of Judaizntion and the breakdown of the age-old balanoe in the Holy City, as well as the urgent need to mchil ize all available means to halt the Israeli policy Of fait accompli and achieve a peaceful settlement of the questia,. Unfortunately, Israel has turned a deaf ear to this voice of reason and peace and has dro~en a policy of arrogance and defiance towards the ~~ls1i.m community, by simply annexing the city of Al Quds and then making it its administrative Capital- Hcwever , the Council has responded to the appeals of His I& jesty the King by affirming many times, particularly in its resolution 476 (1980) of 30 June 1980 that “all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, which purport to alter the character md status of the Hoi’? City of Jerusalem have no legal validity . ..” (resolutia 476 (1980), pata. 3) The General Assembly has also &clared all those measures null and void, and has COnsbntly called on Israel to respect Jerusalem’s satus. The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Nassau&a Sad, to whom we pay a heartfelt tribute, has in many reports analysed the situation prevailing in th@ occupied territories, including Jerusalem, giving an objective account of Israeli practfces of systematically denying the civilian population its rights and undermining its dignity and its most sacred convictions. (Mr. Slaoui, Morocco) The events of 4 December cannot be considered in isolation. They are clearly part of a systematic policy of repression aimed at sowing panic and making the civilian population insecure and, finally, expelling it from its native land. In the name of the principles that have always guided its action, our council must again take action 80 that the law is not trampled underfoot with impunity and so that irreparable harm may be avoided. It is not idle talk to eay that this is the price of our Crganization’s credibility. What value can be attached to the deciaiona of our Council if they are constantly ouestioned by those to whom they are addressed, without any appropriate action heing taken to recall the pre-eminence of the b&y responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security? Thus we see the importance ‘of the debates of out Council, in which millions of believers have placed all their trust ever ePnce Jerusalem was dragged into the turmfl and upheavals afflicting the Mfdale East region. That everything touching Jerusalem should be highly sensitive is understandable and legitimate. For the Security Council to adopt in this regard a clear and unambiguous position is the. surest way to strengthen the chances of an overall settlement of the Middle East at>estion, with respect for the sacred and inalienable rights of the Palestinian The Kingdom of Morocco, in discharging ita various responsibilities within the Islamic community, vi11 continue to work for the triumph of the ideal8 of tolerance, coexistence and peace, of which Jerusalem is still the eternal symbol, as the ardent cradle of universal Civilisation. The PPESIIR3NTt I thank the representative of Morocco for his kind words. The next speaker is the representative of Israel. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. Mr. NEZANYARU (Israel) : At the outset, Sir, let me congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for this month. We have no doubt that your vast expertise, experience and visdom will enable you to guide the Council’s deliberations as effectively and superbly as did your predeCeS80rr Ambassador John Thomson, last month. It is always useful to start with the facts of the situation at hand. A few days ago Israeli authorities received advance information about plans to disrupt public order in the environs of the town of Ramallah. Based on this information, the Ieraeli Defence Force (IDF) set up checkpoints on the road COnnecting Ramallah and Bir Zait. Such checkpoints are routine wears of preventing terrorist attacks and ths incitement of riots, and indeed they have done so many times in the past. At 8.30 on the morning of 4 December s vehicle enroute to Bir Zeit stopped near the checkpoint. A large group of young men got off and started advancing towards the checkpoint, crowding the few Israeli soldiers manning it. The group’s apparent leader, Salah Abdul Javad, srsociated with Bir Zeit University and affiliated vith the PLD, planted his car in the middle of the road - crossvays, so that he blocked all traffic - and refused to clear it, making sure, in fact, that the road was blocked. He began inciting the group , which quickly enlarged to a mob of about 200 people. The mob starting hurling cocks at the few IDF soldiers at the oheckpost, who attempted to clear the road and restore order. The soldiers were faced with 8 potentially uncontrollable situation. They used tear gas, and vere able to dispers tne mob. A short tine afterwards, et 11.3u, several hundred students started rioting oMzside the old campus of Dir Zeit rB?ivecsity. Simultaneously - at that very (Mt. Netanyahu, Ierael) manent - other rrtudents began blocking off all traffic on reveral roada, including the central artery leading from the Sudean mountains to the coastal plain. There were other disruptions in the whole Ramallah region, again orchestrated, timed, to begin at exactly the name moment. I should add that these simultaneous road hlocka required considerable preparation; they had to be prepared well in advance of the incident, because they involved amaacring very large objscte, such as junked cara, old refrigerators, and massive bouldera, which were amulled and prepositioned 190 that they could k activated at the appropriate time. It wae not eomething that wa8 done on an iupromptu, spontaneout3, bade on the spot. A small IDF contingent was imediately rushed to the scene. It found iteelf greatly outnumberad by hundreds of rioters, who attacked it with racker metal rods and other flying objects. The force tried to dimperae this mob, a much larger mob, with tear gas, shots in the air and rubber bullets. All of these means failed. The soldiers were virtually engulfed by the mob and were in danger of being killed. Left with no alternative, the csmmmders followed the only procedure - in fact, the last procedure - that ie available for extreme casee, life-threatening . casee. (Mr. Netanyahu, Israel) They directed fire at the feet of the riotera. mgtettsbly , several were injured, two fatally. It is important to etce5s that the sole plcpose of this limited use of force was to prevent the rioter5 from overtielming the unit. Indeed, if the force had not acted with restraint - a5 some here falsely allege - the resulti would have been radically different. It is ala0 significant that the rioter5 attempted forcibly to prevent anrlJulanoes and medical aid rushed in by the authorities from reaching the wound5d. The wounded were subeequently evacuated. ’ Despite this obstructithe authorities were able to evacuat, the wounded to the Rarpallah hoepital. Shortly afterwards, the two bodies were snatched from the ha5pita1, with the apparent purpooe of using them for further incitement and KiOt5. The bodies were later recovered. They will be brought to an orderly burial. At 1800 hours, eix o*clo& in the evening, the r icter 8 dispersed. The authorities took eevetral step5 to calm the situation and restore public order, and thie include& talk5 with local corpmunity leaders and univereity officials. These stspf3 were euccessful. As of now, the entire area is quiet. These are the essential facts of what took place. But they would be incanplete without a broader understanding of the situation of the universities in J Mea-Samar ia. Before 1967, under Jordanian rule, there was not a single univeseity in the area. All the univereities operating ta&y - there are now six, including one in the Gaza - were owned, developed and accredited as full-fledged univereities by Israel. They now include nearly 14,000 etudente and over 600 lecturera. I 8r ael has Clearly demstrated its policy of fostrtring higher edumtion - I should gay, any educatim. Since 1967 the illiteracy rate of the Arab residents of the territory has more than halved, and the n+,mbet of students ha5 mote than doubled, a5 has the nuv&er of classrooms. I would dallenge anyone hers to Bhew a higher Wt. Netsnyshu, Israel) achievement anywhere in the uorld - anywhere. In trt, this doea not only include education, it includes any field by which ue measure the standard of living - the economic an8 other fields. The reason I make this challenge is to stress a point, and the point is this; we are not denying that we have a contested dispute here. We are not denying that there is a military administration. On the contrary, we haVt OIlt because, While we wish to achieve a political settlement, there are other8 - those who convened this ueasion - vho do not want to have a political settlement. Now, ut each have - some of un who are interested in this, and Israel included - an idea how we want to resolve this political problem, hut as long 8s we Cannot arrive at a negotiating table, then wt have a responsibility to act with a military Govtrment, and I do not ate, and cannot tee, a more benign military administration in history. And these facts that I cited art a few illustrations of it. There art many more. In the universities, in ptrticular, Iorael has stressed academic freedom. In the universities in Yudta-Samaria, the curriculum is that of the Jordanian educational system; in Gaza, that of Egypt. The running of the univtrsitite academically and administratively im cowplttely in the hands of their oun governing hodite. But I should say one important thing here. Academic freedom is not a licence to riot. It does not include the disruption of public order, the threats that are ieeued or the violence. And it shoul8 be equally noted that over the yeare the PLQ has mounted an all-out effort to subvert the academic purwse of the universities, to turn them into centres of incitement, of eut*emism, and of ter rcrr. In several cases, the riots instigated by the PLO led to the temporacY shut-down of the universities, ordered not hy the Israeli authorities but by their own governing bodies. (Hr. Netsnyahu, fsrac !l) Now let me offer here Q auick exsrple of uhat 2 em talking about, and the example is simply a sample of literature, if you will, pamphlets distributed by ByI0 agitators on the campusx first, a PLO-Fatah calendar for 1986. It singles out for 5paciSl celebration the anniversaries of the PLO lliassacre of Israeli athletes in Munich in 1972 and the murder of 21 schoolchildren in Haalot in 1974. S~an celebration of academic values: Secondly, a PLO pamphlet: this paqhlet gives detailed instructions for preparing booby-trapped bORlbxx. There are headings of ‘timingm and l placement of deviceen, and under these headingo the teat reudrx Vhere are explosive devices that will e%pliXle when the ecpper touches one, and will kill him. There are vays to mislead the enemy by planting a few devices, hoping that at least one will explode while the enemy is working to neutralize the one that wao found.o This paxaphlet, by the vay, is entitled -The Art of Confrontation*. !3o much for the PLO'S idea of liberal arts. Finally, a dccutsent encapsulating the PLO’m ultimate aim. This is a map of Israel. Members will notice thir, mp doer not include aerely the disputed territories. fn fact, they are not even marked here. It includes all the tettitory of pm-1967 Israel, Haifa, Tel AVIV, Jeruaalen, every inch, and it has several exhortations written on the side. They teadx Vatah saysx ‘Paleat ine is Yours . . . all of Palestine . . . go there with your blood. ‘a The PLO was established in 1964. There ‘were no disputed territories , snd the aim warn the saxne. The aim hae not changed. The aim, fully explicit, IS ths annihilation Of Pdtael, SIR! khi8 is the material that is dirtri%.xted on these campuses right now, tcday, by the PLO. And, by the way, to drive the point home, they add graphics. Members can see the graphics, if they look carefully. There is a Kalashnikov rifle here on the (Mr. Netanyahu, Israel) left and a fragmentation grenade on the right, to let people know which means they should u8a to achieve thir aim. For those Who believe, a% ve do, that univeroitietr should foster mcderation, understanding, peaceful coexistence and tolerance for those who believe that, the P&G offers a stark alternative. Ita purposes are diametrically opposed to any of these goal& It wants violence. It vanta fanaticism. It wants riot%. It wants bloodrhed. In fact, the more the titter. And it make8 no difference vhotae blood in shed - Jevs or Araha. Either one s*rves the goal of puahing peace further away* of blacking reconciliation and the prospect of a political settlement. This is what the PLG is really afterr conflict, not coatpromiee~ liquidation, not liberation. The same attitude guided the PLC when it sent three of its Force 17 assassins froa Jenin to Jetumaleta lamt week. The explicit instruction that these killer% rcrceived wa% to kill a Jew, any Jew, it did not make any difference who. The idea here, too, was not meWely to rourder indfviduale but to murder tre prospects for peace. Pot despite the PLO’s efforts , ouch peace has been the general state of things in Jerusalem. since 1967, the Govermnent of hiirael and the municipality of Jerusalem have taken far-reaching %tepo t0 promote peaceful coexistence between the various teligioue and ethnic groupe in the city. They have guaranteed to all freedom of accem and worehip to the city’s Holy Places; they have provided municipal aefvices with ilapartialitya they have rehabilitated decayirg parta of the Old City in all its auartere. Ieraelf effort% - I think it ie widely recognized by fair-minded observero - have %uccee&d in preaervinq general ttanouillity in a city ateaped in hietorical and religious significance for many, and in potential conflict because of that. (Mr. Netsnyahu, Pecael) The rapeated tercotirt attacka of the Pto wCe the moan8 that the PLO ham aought to upnet this Belicate balance. Last week’s mucBet of the Jevinh rrtudmt Eliyahu &nedi, warn merely the lateat in a wrfea of attacks perpetrated by the PLO over the last 8ix mntha. On 8 March, a Jeviah mm wee #tabbed near tha DaIUaIICUB Gate. On 8 ~pcil, fira bombs were thcwn at a bus injuring 10 passengers. On 13 April, an Xecaell vomn urn8 shot to death near the DaM8Cu# Gate. fn June a bomb exploded in a Jecuaalem aupacnacket, a grenade hurled at a bum. Cm 15 October, five grenades vere hurled at seldieea and civilians near the Wertern Wall, the holiest place of the Jeviah people, killing one civilian and injuring 69. (Mr. Nctanyahu, Iatiael) The basic aim behind these attacks ie always the same. It ie to provoke riots and pCO!nOte Arab-Yeuish hatred. Indeed, after the murder of Eliyahu Amedi, disturbances did ensue. 18rael’ri Police took immediate action in terms of firm measures to restore calm and order. It Bumned reinforcements; it arrested suepects; it insured the safety and the well-being of all residents. The President of Israel appealed to Arabs and Jewa alike to l tcp all manifestations of violence, extremism, and incitement. And this call was echoed by Israel*8 Vice Premier, by the Speaker of the Knes8et, by the Mayor Of Jeruealem, and by many Knesset members. The municipality of Jerusalem extended all poaeible services and assistance to those Arab residents affected by the disturbances. Where appropriate, alternative dwellings were provided for the few families who needed them. The municipality simultaneously began repairing and restoring the houses affected. So the Government of Israel ard the municipality of Jeruehalem acted in a fully teeponsible manner. They moved immediately to curb civil dieorder and to COiWenSate resident8 for losses. They Called on Arabs end Jew6 to remme normal life. Thay have aought, in short, to pacify a situation deliberately provoked by the PM. In a similar manner, Israel acted yesterday at Bir Zeit. A government’s responeibility to enforce law and order does not change with the etatuc of the territory under its control. Iarael hae fulfilled that responsibility, asoumed by ita own laws as well as by international law. We cannot and we must not view yesterday’s incident at Bit zeit in isolation. It is part of a larger effort by the PLO to restore its shattered position. For the PLO hae been rapidly loving ground everywhere. And this decline - something perhaps pmple are mt normally aware of - has led to internecine warfare within (Mr. Netanyahu, Israel) the PLO ranks. Everybdly is aware of that. But within the PLO ranks, in the very cafupuses anJ universities that we are talking about, over the paet years and months, the various factions of the PLO have been busy fighting one another in the univereities. On 25 May 1985, for example , a particularly fierce confrontation erupted between students from these rival factions in the Rir Zeit University. Forty were wounded, and many of them were hoapitalized with serious injuries. The damage to ’ the campus was extensive. The Bir Zeit administration expelled five student agitators of the PLO and closed the university for several weeks. Other internal PLO flare-ups of this kind, of lesser magnitude, have occurred since. Yesterday’s well-orchestrated incitement by the Fatah was intended, among its other purposes, to re-establish Patah’e dominance over its rival factions within the PLO. This is also true of the recent terror attack8 in Jerusalem. The formula is a simple one: I murder, I riot, therefore I[ am. The PLO’s sense that it is losing ground is what led it to seek to re-establish its terror fiefdoms in Lebanon. But, aa everyone is aware, the largely Shiite population, remembering all too well the decade of PLO terror, and rape and pillage, is vigorously resisting these PLO attempts to return to Lebanon en maoae. The lead atory of The New York Times from Beirut today tell8 it very well. It says : “Tuo months of particularly savage fighting between Eebbaneee shfite Moalemr, and Paleetinians has produced suffering on a scale that is huge even by the standards of this long-suffering country. ‘According to police records, 550 have been kLl.led, 2,Wu wounded and #hole populations dislmated by the latest fighting, which has &en ragin? in (MC. Netanyahu, Israel) .As many as BOO people were killed and 3,000 wounded in two previous rounde of clashes, in 1995 and earlier thie year .I (The New York Times, 5 Decenber 1986, p. Al) The Security Council nar fin& it8elf be&are a double absurdity. The first is the abeurdity of being rrumlwnad in full face by the PLO wes the deaths, however regrettable, of two people in Bir Zeit. when the true harore just described in Lebmylan, involving the death0 and suffering of thousands, did not merit a similar meeting. Clearly, what it tells ua is that the plrpose of invoking this forum today is not to address the real prablema but to hi& then, not to ease tensions but to inflam them. Which bringa me to the eeamd &eurdity. The Security Council ie nw receiving caaplaints about violanna, in ileruaalem and Bir Zeit frorP the very paople who orchestrated this violence in the fir& plaza. The PLC and those who suppot t it know fully ~011 that uny action on this matter by the Security Council vi11 sly exacerbate a rrituation whi& haa baen Cal-d and brought back to a relative peace, with painstaking effort. This i6 exactly what the PI& want@% to miaUe the Council for propaganda and political incitement. If the Council relents by pacsing a PI@backed resolution, it will merely maDucage the PLO to &mtmt further riots and blOodShed. I do not think that the PIB can hope for a greater reward than that, ad it should be re jetted out of hand. The PRESmIM?t r thank thm mepzwentrtiwr aP Imrrel +!QC the khd vat&a he addresaed to no. I now call on the represantetive of the Palestine Liberation Crganizatian who has asked to speak in exercise of the righ’: of reply. Mt. TPRZI (Palestine Liberation Organizatian)~ We too are surprised that the Security Council nwez met to considu the victima of Israeli bonbing and shelling and botiardmnt from gunboats agafnst the refugee cam ih South Lebmar. <lnly yesterday gunboats were imrolved in bombarding theme refugee cmps. So we ‘de indeed surp*ifbed that this Council was not convened to consi&r thme crimes. But I would like to tadtle a wre impostant issue that was brought up in this meeting, or recently, by the representative of Ierael. he told the Council that Israel wished for a political aettlemeht. Is he really telling the truth? Ws noted the other day, in the plenary meting, that I.25 Metier States supported the call for convening the In tuna timal Peace Ccaference on the Middle East. Iarael was one of the three that premed the red button to obstruct the peace procees in the Middle Eafst. Of CoWBe, he @poke about the negotiating table. #& in the Palestine Liberation Orgauizatian have aaid it very clearly: that that is the beat table. As a matter of fact, thie forum of the Security Council was precisely set up to Dlaihtain ihternational peace and security. so what better table to ume for a negotiating prweaa? And, of courts, if there is to be negotiation, then bebraen &mm, if not betveeh the advuaaries to the conflict? The Palestine Liberatiar Organizatim, including through a letter directed to the Stste Departaent by Chairman Arafat, harm reaffircmd our position that we welaxm all en&avours directed to the convening of a peace conferen-. And the peace carferenoe, as we urderetaud it, is a conference in which the parties directly 4nunlurA ia Iha ‘mmnCl4rc mrrCIr4-&- tb .a‘,, r-b LA a m-11.. - -L-I mm.,.. --.----..- -.. -.- --..--m”w t”- “a”.--. ac -*a- ..YC “Y Y -r&a.*, Y au”“” -“r&J, 2: = conven ticn cm the toric. It will be a peace confecence m &he basi8 Of the pimiplw of tRe Chartar, and of all the relevant reeolutione. One cennot really hop for peace if are does not know what the basis for thhat peocess for peace is. (Hr. Tersi, Palestine Liberation Organisation) I am authorized - I have always ken ruthorized - to reiterate our position. Wo ato for a peace conference where the pettiea to the conflict, and this Council, awld be ured am the vehicle to enable ue to 8it and anwider peace. We cannot canceive of peace in any different torn. (Mr. Tersi, Palestine I,iberation Orqanization) There is an insult to everyone's intelligence here. Has military occupation ever been denied? The very term *occupation" means that occupation exists, whether the population are fed steaks or falafel - which is their national food - the occupation is an occupation. But, naturally, tne statement of the representative of Israel is full of contradictions. He says that the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has lost its power, its adherents, and so on, yet he tells us that they have to bring in all their force3 and shoot at demonstrators who support the PLO. So which is it? If the PLO has no constituency, then why should the forces of occupation shoot at the demonstrators? One thing, however, is definite: I never heard that shooting at feet could put a bullet into the heart or into the head, and that is how those victims, those martyrs, who died - one from a bullet in the head and the other from a bullet in the chest - were killed. I am sure that those bullets were aimed at those parts of the body, and not at the feet. Reference was made to the Weetern Wall, the Wailing Wall. That was a lie. There was no attack on the Western Wall. The representative should have known better. He should have known that the Wailing Wall is one of the holiest of Moslem shr lnee. That Se where the Prophet was brought by the Angel Gabriel, as far as we know, the Sahat al-Buraa - the Wal of Buraa - is as sacred to the MOSlemS, and maybe more sacred, than just the western wall of a temple area. of course, bombs were hurled at Israeli troops in the occupied territory, and that is something that the representative of Tarael never mentionedi namalv. that the a++*k on the -.-...- -1 . ----_ Israeli troop6 took place within the occupied territory, but not at the Wailing Wall. That should be rectified, somehow. With regard to the "extended hand", how can the representative of Israel explain the new law passed in Israel on 5 August of this year, under which any (Mr. Terzi, Palestine Liberation Organization) Israeli who speaks to a PLO member receives three years’ imprisonment. First, who among the Palestinians is not PLO? In the occupied territories, in particular, we have seen that almost all the Palestinians are PLO. Hew can one differentiate between one PLO and another? It is like a citizenship - that is what the PLO is: a citizenship. 'No one can really make a distinction between one national and another in a country. Yet, to show that that law was racist, a number of Jews, Israeli Jews, met with PLO members a few weeks ago in Bucharest. And what was the result? Some of them have been arrested and might he brought to trial simply because they were calling for peace. Let us see what The Jerusalem Post - a newspaper published in Jerusalem, and in my time it was called The Palestine Post - has to say. In an article it says: "Peace Now calls upon all Jews and Arahs to join in a public demonstration of peace for Jerusalem. There can be no tolerance of leniency towards Jewiah hooligans.* that was published in The Jerusalem Post. We are also aware of some action within the Rnesset, where some of its members are demanding an explanation of why the so-called authorities cannot maintain law and order in the occupied territories? In conclusion, I would say that if the call for peace and negotiations is genuine, maybe under yout presidency, Sir, we can start that process. The PRESIDEBIT: In view of the lateness of the hour, I intend to adjourn the meeting of the Security Council now. With the concurrence of members of the Count ii, the nexi; metinq c.& tile Security C&.uicii LO c&itifiiit: cCCSi&rGt:GG +f t!E item on the agenda will take place on Monday, 8 December 1986, at 10.30 a.m. The meeting rose at 6.25 p.m.