S/PV.2920 Security Council

In accordance with the decisions taken at the rxevious mtinqs on this item, I invite the reoresentatives of Afqhanistan, Alqeria, Bahrain, Banqladesh, EqvPt, India, Inhneaia, the Islamic Republic oE Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, the Libyan Arab Janrahiriya, Morocco, Nlcaraqua. Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seneqal, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the United Republic of Tanzania. Yemen and YWOslavia to take the places reserved for them at the side of the Council Chatier. I invite the At the invitation of the President, Mr. Noor (Afqhanistan), Mr. Bendjama (Alqeria) , Mr. Al-Shakar (Bahrain), Mr. Chowdhury (Bangladesh), Mr. MOUSSa (WPt), Mr. Menon (India), Mr. Sutresna ( Indonea ia) , Mr. Kharraai (Islamic Republic of Iran), Mr. Al-Anbari (Iraq), Mr. Bein (Israel), Mr. Salah (Jordan), Mr. Abulhasan (Kuwait) n Mr. Treiki (the Libyan Arab Jamahiriva), Mr. Rahhali (Moroccol, Mr. viqil (Nicaraqua) , Mr. Umer (?akistanl , Mr. Al-Nasser (Qatar), Mr. Al-Kahtany (Saudi Arabia), Mrs. Diallo (Seneqall, Mr. Awad (Syrian Arab Republic), Mr. Ghezal (Tun isial , Mr. Oudovenko (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic), Mr. Nvakvi (United Repuhlf c of Tanzania), Mr. Sallam (Yemen) and Yr. pe jic (Yuqoslavial tcok the places reserved for them at the side of the Council Chamber; Mr. Terzi (Palestine) t-k a place at the Counc?L table.

I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of Greece and Turkey in which they request to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council’s aqenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Councilr to invite those rePresentativea to participate in the discussion, without the riqht to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the &unCiL’s Provisional rules of procedure. There beinq no objection, it is so decided. At the invitation 00 the President, Mr. Sepos (Greece) and Mr. Aksin (Turkey) took the Places reserved for them at the side of the Council Chamber. The PRRqIDENTa The Security Council will now resume its consideration of the item an its acienda. Mr. WJNTEANU (Romania) !intecpretation from French) I The Roman inn deleqaticn is deliqhted to see you, Sir, presidinq over the work UT the S@CUritV Council &rinq the month of May. S offer you my conqratulations and verv best wishes fa success in the performance of your lofty functions. I wish to take this opPortunftv to express tz~ Ambassador Tadesse our cireat admiration for the brilliance with which hs quided our consultations and meetinqs Last month. I should Like tn extend my warm thanks ~TB all representatives who, in the course of the debate, have conqratulated Romania cn its election to raembership of the Security Council. 1 want to make it Clear from the very start that the msnbers of the Council, and the other &embers of the Orqanization as well, will find in the free Romania of today an active and constructive partner in our common effort to build relations amonq all States in a way entirelv in keeDinq with the qoals and principles of the United Nations. The Security Council is once aaain called upon b take UD the situation in the occupied Arab territories. The reasons for this are clear. On the one hand, earlier Securitv Council and the General Assembly decisions have not been fully respected, and this has led to a further deterioration of the danqerous situation in the occupied Arab territories; and, on the other, the hroader question of a comorehensive peace settlement in the HUddle East remains a qoal whose realization is ever more urqent. The terms of the request addressed to the Security CounciL by the Soviet Union are very clear. This request is in response to the continued settlement of immiqrsnts in the occupied Arab territories, in Particular to the trend towards steDpinq up this process. It is also in keapinq with the leqitimate concerns anA anxiety of the Palestinian people, for whom the settlinq of immiqrants in the territories occupied followinq the 1967 war is inadmissible. The purpose of the Soviet request and, consequently, of the current debate is to put an end to the policy of settlinq immiqrants on the West Bank, in Gaza and in East Jerusalem, so as to ensure scrupulous respect for the norms of international law qoverninq the status of territories acquired by force and to promote proqress towards a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East. While recoqnizinq the riqht of free movement contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Riqhts and welcominq the new attitude of the Soviet Government in this reqard, the Romanian deleqation believes that the exercise of this riqht is not of a univocal nature, and that, at the same time, it must not be prejudicial to the interests of any people. The Security Council rmst reaffirm the terms of this moral and political equatiar with reqard to the Middle East situation and call for strict respect for the international norms qoverninq this problem. The Security Council is thus called upcn to take a clear-cut position on this Problem. As has been stressed in this debate, the occupied Arab territories occupied followinq the 1967 war, includfnq the West Rank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, remain subject to the provision6 of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Pursuant to this Convention, the occuwinq Power is bound to prohibit acts likely to modify the demqraphic structure of occupied territories. If violations of tha provisions of this &cument are committed, the Security Council, by virtue of the responsibilities vested in it, has the duty of btinqinq about a cessation of such violations. (Mr. Hunteanu, mmania) It is not only leqal consideration3 that dictate .%I immdiate halt to the settlement of inunisrants in the occuoied Arab territories. That measure is essential if the efforts aimsd at establishinq a just and lastinq DedCe in the Middle East as soon as possible are to be successful. There can be no &ubt that such a peace settlement would be in keepinq with the fundamental immdiate and, above all, lonq-term interests of all peoples of the reqion, and indeed of the international community as a whole. The bases for such a settlement are clearly defined in Securitv Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973\, and other United Nations decisions. They include the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the barritor ies occupied following the 1967 war, the exercise by the Palestinian peoDle of its riqht to self-determination, and ensurfnq and quaranteeinq the riqht of all parties to the conflict to live in peace within secure and recoqnized boundaries, free from the threat or use of force. Those fundamental elements of any future paace settlement in the Middle East take into account the leqitimate interests of all parties to the conflict and are based on the cardinal Drinciples of international law. That is &v they are capable of ensurinq the viahili ty and durability of the edifice of Deace that must be built in the Middie East. For 23 years n(3w, the establishment oP peace in that reqion has always been an urcrent coal. But the urqency has never been so qreat as it is todev. The rmin directions of world develounents in political, economic and strateqic terms suqqest that the Yiddle East cannot and must not remain an island of confrontation in a world that is becominq ever more convinced that true national iniereats are no lonqer served by force. (Mr. Munteanu, Romania) In military terms, however, there remains an element that onlv enhances the urqencv of a Dence settlement in the region. I am refecrinq to the develoanent of mili tarv technaloqfes that make a new war in the Middle East unthinkable. In the Romanian Government’s view, the Security Council is &tv bound to accelerate by its action9 the peace process in the Middle East. An imDortant step in that Bite&ion would be for it to call on Israel @J honour its international obligations ati to put an end to the settlement of immiqrants in the occupied Arab territories. Other steps oould be considered subsequently with a view to GuPPortfng more actively and effectively efforts to initiate a dialoque between Palestinians and Israelis and to a>nvene an international peace mnference on the %i ddle East. yV deleqation believes that the decision tp he taken by the Security COUnCil. at the conclusion of this debate must contribute to the achievement of those vital &jeCtiVes for all the peoples of the Middle East and for international ueace and aecurl tv. The PRMIfoEN’% I thank the representative of Romania for his kind words addreased to me. The next speaker is the representative 6e Greece. I invite him to take a Place at the Council table and to make his statement. Yr. ‘03~ (Greece) t I wish at the outset to extend to you, Sir, mY warmest conqratulatiorrs QI your assumption of the presidency of the Councils and to assure you of our confidence that your well-known diplomatic skills and leaderohio . a- WILL tJudEani;ee tiie BuG;r;etreiUi siOr^ & th4 CGriiiCiL. X .Ci& ~~~it.L~~ u ~u~rr)-.~---..-- c* rrr-rlC,*lrta the Permanent Representative of Ethiopia, Ambassador Tadesse, for havinq successEully and with qreat skill conduct the work of the Council durinq the Drevious month. (Mr. BePos, Greece) As this is the first time I have spoken in the Council this vearr I take thfs apportunitv to conqratulate most sincerely its new mmbers - C&e cI*Ivoire, Cuba, Uemocratic Yemen, Romania and Zaire. I wish also tn pay a tribute to the members who retired at the end of last year - Alqeria, Brazil, Seneqal, Nepal and Yuqoslav ia - for their valuable contribution, alonqside the other members of the Council, in Promotinq the Purroses of the United Nations at a period of most notable developments, ambnq which the achievement of the independence of Namibia deserves special mention. The Persistence of Israel in cqntinuinq the practice of settlinq its mpulation and new immiqrants in occupied Arab territories, includina East Jerusalem, constitutes one of the most serious aspects oE the Middle East problem, which is petnetuatinq the Arab-Israeli conflict and preventinq a just and viable solution to the question of Palestine. Peace and securitv have for decades been in jeopardy in the troubled reqion of the Middle East. Greece, not only because of its DrOXimitV to that reqion but also because of its steadfast commitment to safequardinq the Drincimlea and purposes of the United Nations, cannot fail to reiterate its Concern at the Continuation of those unaaepable practices. The persistence of Israel in occupyins those territories since 1967 remains the main obstacle to a solution based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). The continuation of the illeqal pr,actice of attemptin? to establish settlers in the occupied territories underlines even further the need to reach a lastinq solution by Peaceful means. Mv Government believcls that the question of Paiestine can be scived by conveninq an in&in&tiohdl -poate confdience under the auspices of the United Nattons. All the parties dirsctlv interested could mrticipate in such a process, includi nq the Palestine Liberation Orqanization (PLO). (Mr. Zeros, Greece) Mv Government has cm many occasions ma& it clear that it condemns Israeli settlement practices in the occupied territories. They constitute a flagrant violation of international law. kb n party to the Fourth Geneva Convention, Greece has not failed to Specify that the Convention also applies tn all Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, includinq East Jerusalem. Israel, therefore, also &ins a Wrty to the Convention, is called upon to respect it in all its term2 and provisions. As the debate on the mntinuation of the illeqal settlements by Israel has already reached an ad*anced stage, I do not wisr; to dwell on all aspects of the problem, further aqqravated by the recent arrival of Soviet Jews in the occupied territories. I wish at this juncture to convey the deep concern and reqcet of the Greek Government at events that recently took place in the Christian Quarter of East Jerusalem, and which it has also not failed to condemn. Gn 11 April, in the wake of the continuinq illeqal practice perpetrated by Israel to which I have already referted, eettlers occupied the St. John Hospice, owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and situated in the heart of the Christian Quarter of the Old City. My Government reacted immediately with stronq dimarches to the Israeli Government, eskinq in no uncertain terms for the immediate eviction of the settlers. It alB0 demanded that the riqhta and PriVileWB of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem be respected in this reqard. There haEI been widespread international reactim to thiv most recent ralaane into illegal practices by Israel. Amonq such reactions, it would be pertinent to refer to a statement made on behalf of the Secretary-General to the effect that he wai3 followinq with deeD concern CleveloPnents in the Christian Quarter of JeruSalem’s Old City, and further, that he oPpose$ all Settlement activitv in the (Mt. Zepos, Greece) territories occupied by Xsrael since 1967 and was particularly disturbed to learn of the involvement of some Israeli officials in the financial transactions that led to the me of Jewish settlers to the Christian Quarter. I do not have to add anythins to that very eloquent and clear view held by the Secretary-General. (Mt. ZeWs. Greece) I wish to conclude with the followinq remarks Recently we have witnessed some imPortant developmenta in the Middle East, namely efforts to initiate an lsraeli-Paleatinim dialoque. The Greek Government fully supPorts these efforts as a Pirst sfzp towards a wmprehensive, just and lastinq settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict and its core, the Palestinian problem, throuqh peaceful means in the framework of an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations. My Government hopes that II) further obstacles will be raised to obstruct the initiation of such a dialoque.

I thank the representative of Greece for the kind words he addressed to me. The next speaker is the representative of Turkey. I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. Mr. AKSIN Vl!urkevl I I concratulate vou, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of May and express our full confidence that you will carry out your task with 8ucceaa. I also wan? to express my appreciation to your predecessor, Ambassador Tadeeee of Ethiopia, for the skilful way in which he aDnducted the COUnCil’S (leliberations in April. Israel’s policy of establishinq settlements in occupied Arab territories hae been a oontinuous cauee of concern for Turkey. Many resolutions of the Security Council and of the General Assembly have called Pa an end to Israel’s diereoard of its basic international obliqations. There have been numerou6 aweals for full respect for the Fourth Geneva Convention relative t;6 the Protection of Civilian Perscne in Time of Mar. aA ’ It AS a m/rt'Gi- Of i%-iet thGi= L,hGst ne=lz *-Ma -0 ..w . Q . ..-..-- unheeded . Since 1967 we have witnessed deliberate and nvetematic attemms to modify the demqraphic structure of the occupied Arab territories in Jerusalem, the West Dank (Ye. Aksin, TurkaVl and Gaza, as well as in the Golan. These activities have contributed siqnificantlv to the instabilitv of a reqion that is already wtentially exolosive. Now there is this additional element of Jewish immiqranto from the Soviet Union who are beinq encouraqed to settle in the occupied Arab territories. In conjunction with provocative statements beinq made on lonq-term ambitions with respect to occupied lands, this has resulted in increased tension and dashed hopes for earlv peace talks. MV deleqation associates itseif with all those previous speakers who called for an imnrediate end to Israel’s illeqal actions. Turkey has made its position on this matter very clear. It will be recalled that my country was amoncl the sponsors of a draft resolution at the recent meetfnq of the United Nations Conunission on Human Riqhts in Geneva dcmandinq an end to the settlement of Jewish immiqrants in occupied Arab territories. we are convinced that one of the basic conditions for reachinq a just and lastinq settlement in the Yiddle East is the withdrawal of Israel from all Arab lands, includinq Jerusalem, that have been occupied since 1967. The eetutn of the occupied lands ti their -nets is a prerequisite for Peace. Before this latest issue of Jewish Settlements Sparked renewed international concern, wsitive attempts were under way for advancinq the peace process. Just as we aPDeared to be approachinq a dialoque between the representatives of Palestine and of Israel, we fear that the latest events have set back the peace efforts. After the Palestine Liberation Orqanizatian (PLO) made the historic move of acceptinq Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), toqether with its denunciation of terrorism and, most important, its acceptance of the riqht of Israel to exist, conditions improved dramatically for achievinq a settlement in the Yi ddle East. The ?aleStinian position, baeed on realiem and conciliation, Can be the important first step leadinq to maninqful neqotiationd and, ultimately, (Mr. Aksin, Turkey) peace. llnfort unatelv, those moves have not been reciprocated with vision and qenerositv. Instead, we have witnessed a Eurther intensification oF oppressive measures aqainst t.he Palestinian people, a qrowinq Aisreqard for that DeOPle’s human riqhts, and a lack of qood faith in seekinq a mmmon understandinq with a view to beqinninq a dialoque. The increase in the settleem,nt of immiqrants in the occupied territories casts qrave doubt on Israel’s sincerity and intentions at this cri tic.4 juncture. The inbzrnational community stands united in its belief that the solution to the question of the Middle East must be based on justice, the riqht to selP-determination and the riqht of all States in the reqion to exist in peace behind recoqnized and secure borders, and that this should be achieved throuqh the participation of all interested parties in neqotiations conducted in qood faith within the framework of an international Peace conference. Turkey firmly SupWrts that position and stronqlv opposes any practice which rniqht hinder the pursuit of that ptocees.

I thank the representative of Turkey for the kind words he addressed to me. The next speaker is the representative oE Palestine, on whom I now call. Mr. TRRXI (Palestine) I It is with qreat satisfaction and Pleasure that we see the representative oE the friendly country and the friendly people of Finland preaidinq over the Security Council’s deliberatiom durinq the month of May. We hope that heEore the end of the month the Council , under your stewardship. Sir, will somehow reach some sort ot accommdation whicn wiii brinq peace to mv Part of the world, namelv Palestine. We should like alao to put on record our appreciation for the diliqsnce of your predecessor, the representative of Ethiopia. (Mr. Terzi, Palestine) The Council has been dealinq with this issue for decades. But what precisely the Council has been dealinq with latelv is the question of immiqration and settlement, and the results of that policy and practice by the occuwinq Power, Israel. We were informed a couple of davs aqo, on 1 May, by the head of the Jewish Aqency , Mr. Simcha Dinitx, that the number of Jewish immiqrants to Israel durinq April hit a new record. He added that 30,000 Soviet emiqrante have Mme to Israel since January. The Israeli press has reported that the immfwation budget will be increased to accommodate 120,000 immiqranta in the ear lY90. In the past, appropriations have been made cm the basis of 40,000 immiqrants a veat. Now, the immiqration budqet will have to be reviewed and amended on a monthly banis. Naturally, as was stated here by my Poreiqn Minister, we aqree that the riqht to depart is a riqht of individuals. But we had expected that the riqht to arrive at a desired deetination would be reciprocated. UnEortunately, it wae not. Concurrent with this policy of openinq up the qatea, it was inevitable that sonrthinq would take placer homes, houses, areas would be prepared to receive the immiqranls, whether cominq from the Soviet Union or from any other place. We were told on I Yav that the current caretaker Government in Ierael - and since it is a caretaker Governm!znt, who carea?, it can rlo whatever it llkea - has alreadv authorized the implementation of a plan to establish 14 new settlements in the occupied territories. (Mr. Terzi, Palestine) Thoee settlements are mostly in the occupied Pdlestinian territory in the West Rank, but some are in Caza. Israeli television reported yesterday that Jewish settlers will beqin IIDvinq into Dosit, a recently establiahed Gaza Strip Jewish eettlement, in about three weeks. We were also told of a statement by Michael Dekel, new the Prime Minister’s adviser On settlement affairs. We have some memories of him, for he USed to be the dewtv of the Defence Minister tie proposed and defended a policy of transfer of the non-Jewish population from Israel into the wildernea across the river. We le3rn that he had already stated that there vrJuld be a rush to establish two new settlements in the west Rank. Those two new settlemente will be Raba and Rehan B. Those things are happeninq while the Council i8 delfberatinq, trvinq to seek a way out and to brinq peace. Those settlements could not have been eStabliShed if they were not also tD be provided for financially. We learn that the United States Government has no objecticn to meetinq a requeot fa a $400 million howins loan, but that it needs a quarantee that the lcnn will not be used to establish settlement8 in the territories occupied eince 1967. To do him justice, I should add that President Bush hae made it very cleat that the West Rank md East Jerusalem are part of thase occupied territories. But that is in reference to new settlements and the $400 million. With a little bit of olavinq with the hooks, the $400 million could be uxd to help housinq on the territories of Israel, and the funds would then ame from the Ministry of Defence , say, to establish .militarv outposts” in the occupied territory. Then there would be no way to find out exactly hdW those funds were used, misused or maliciously used. The eupply of $400 million per se is encouraqement to the Government of Israel tc aatablish more settlements. Israel’s reply, oarticularly with the caretaker ChVernfImnt, has always been that no one can queatlon the riqht of Jev3 to settle wherever they want in the land (Mr. Terzi, Palestine) of Israel. But I do not know exactly what it means, because it has never told US what the borders of that State are. A11 of that seems to he conmnon knowledqe. What prompted an immediate request that the Council should continue considerinq the situation was the alarmtnq news that Israeli troops have today confined 120,000 Palestinians to their homes and sealed off half the occupi& West Rank to prevent violence at a so-called reliqious seminary established by Israeli settlers at a site in Nablus. The site is holy to Moslems and Jews, and I am sure it will he equally holy to the Christians. The issue is that the place where the Jews want to establish a new school and Put the Torah scrolls is the site of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Joseph, 1 ike Abraham, belonqs to everybody. Why choose these moment3 of tension to set dP a school there and also to supply more room to estahlfsb a kitchen, as it is said, and Perhaos have a rbrmitory? A qr.=t deal of money has CCMIP for the scroll. Unfortunately, it LB reported, the mOnev came from the British Yews. Why on earth should anybody qive money to CjStablish a school in the occupied territory to start with? We welcom the establishment of echook, even if thev are biblical schools, but whv should the British Jews be P?rmi tted to uae Rr itieh funds to establish a school in the occupied territory? As one Arab in Nablus said, “We all know hcwr the GettlementR heqin. Thev beqin with a Torah scroll and iP you dlln’t look clcealv suddenly there is a settlement there.* Prime Minister Shamir is farminq the riqhtist Government, RS we all know. What we should really be focusinq on is this: the head of the seminary o: biblical school to be established in Nahlus, a certain Rabbi Yitzak Ginaburq said *The establishment of a seminary 1s no provocation. Why should it be a provocfition to L ive in your own home?” Here he comes and settles in Nahlus, possibly in a house of an Arab and asks “Why should it he a provocation to live in VOur &rn home?” Let us qo more closelv into what is haPPeninq in Neblrrr tOday. Accotaincr to Israeli security officials , the seminary’s students are the nucleus of an anti-Arab underqround qrcup. Four of them, aqed 24 to 39, were charqed with kiLLinq a t.eenaqe sir1 durinq a ramwqe throuqh bl Arab vfifaqe a year aqo. Here are a qroup of criminals sayinq they are seminarians and want to establish themselves there. We still recall what happened in the old city of Jerusalem a few *{ears aqo. That same Rabbi Ginsburq said on Israeli radio - and I should like the Council to listen to this carefully - “It must be reCoqnized that Jewish blood and the blood of the non-Jew are not the same.” Could there be anythinq more racist in thet nvivement? Yet we know that the process oE establishinq more settlements is under way. we have approached you, Sir, as Presi&nt of the Council. and Vour Predecessor witi a number of memoranda about the affairs, incidents ar acts of aqqressfon that took Place in Jerusalem durinq HOLY Week. What happened in Holv Week was r~liciou3ly orchestrated to provoke a situation which we all tried to avoid and prevent. The statement that the St. ,lohn Hospice is not a church is obrrectt it is not. Nobody had ever claimed that it was a church. It is not a reliqious place, but it is the property of the Patriarchate, of the church trust. One Cannot expect less from an occupyinq Power than that it shall prevent clashes, fist-fishtinq. To attack the Patriarch of Jerusal.em, who, it was claimed, felt &wn as a result Of tear-qas inhalation, is the limit. More than that, we are ma& to believe that when a pact:cular monk rermved DAoef bearing the star of David which had beer, PLaceA there to cover the cross he was amused of befnq anti-Semite or anti-Jew. The Israeli Minister-without-Portfolio, Avner Sciaki, who was actinq as Minister of Peliqious Affairs, issued a sharp statement in reaction to the announcement bv the heads of the Christian churches in which, accordinq to z Jerusalem Post, he called the threatened action of the churches: “baseless, capricious and overly emotional,” land claimed that Jews had al ‘natural, ethical and leqal riqht to live in all parts of Jerusalem. . . . threats from outside sources aqainst the presence of Jews in East Jerusalem are completely intolerable, a8 this constitutes discrimination aqainst Jews.” Thus, we now are being made to realize that self-defence is viewed as beinq anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic. Naturally, we are all aware that the Christian churches had decided that on Friday, 27 April, all reliqious shrines would be closed in protest of the fstaeli practices and that church bdls would rinq the funeral &Al on that day. Jointly with the Christian churches we understand that the Moslem reliqious leaders deci&d to close the Mosque in Jerusalem ~1 that day as well. Somethinq that we should tenrembef is that the Christian churches had not closed or shut their sates for the past 800 Years. an& as far as we know, the Mosque was never cloeed. Yet, as a result of and in protest aqainst Israeli practices, that is emctlv what happened. We all know - and We thank His Holiness the Holy Father for It - of the statenmnt he issued on 30 April, in which he said 8 “I want to invire you nw tn be, toqether with me, spiritually close to our brothers in East Jerusalem, especial.ly those resmnsible for the venerable Christian churches. The grave incidents that have oCCurred recently in the Holv city and that led * the anr_rnufal *cisicr! ,,- +l*e holy Pla.zG temporarily, and in particular the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, are also for me a cause of suffetinq and profound concern.” (Mr. Terzi, Palestine) Our struqqle in Palestine is only a struqqle to attain our riqht to self-determination and to exercise it and to terminate the Israeli occupation. There is unanimity in the Council that that occupation is illeqal, and consequentlv anythinq or any move taken as a result of that occupation is tllnqal. We have never thouqht that this would he a holy war wherein the Jewish reliqious seminarists would come and occuw the Christian Dlaces. Perhaps at this juncture it would be worthwhile recallinq what the Securt tv Council has considered about Jerusalem and its fate. We recall that in Securitv Council resolution 252 (1968) the Council considered that all leqislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, includinq expropriation of land and properties thereon, which tend to chanqe the leqal status of Jerusalem are invalid and cannot change that status. Aqain, in resolution 478 (1980) of 20 Auqust 1980, the Council censured in the stconqeet terms the enactment by Israel of the ‘basic law” in Jerusalem and the refusal to Wmply with relevant Security Council resolutions. In the same resolution the Council determined that all leqislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occuwinq Power, which have altered or purport to alter the character and status of the Holy Ci tv of Jerusalem, and in particular the recent ‘basic law” on Jerusalem, are null and void and must be rescinded forthwith. Perhaps at this juncture we mfqht recall the pOsition of the Government of the United States. In 1969 Ambassador Charlea Yost stated: “The expr ,. tion or confiscation of land , the construction of housinq on =.;=+, ke..a, tt.= da-1 t c4rrm cc “*.*.-C *CL-*. ennCia&aCinn Of ilrlililinan, -- ..--- --- --.. Includi no those havina historic or reliqious siqnificance, and the application of Israeli law to o~upied portions of the city are detrimental to our collBnon interests in the Mr. Terzi, Palestine) In 197l the Security Council heard the then-Ambassador of the United States and current President of the United States. At that meetinq Ambassador Bush stated: “We teqret Israel’s failure to acknowledge its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention as well as its ,lctinns which are contrary to the letter and spirit of this Convention. WF? are distressed that the actions l>E Israel in the occupied port.ion of *Jerusalem qive rise to understandable concern that the eventual disposition oE the occupied section of Jerusalem I?V para. 354) Ambassador Rush went on to sav that: “All OE us understand, as I indicated earlier in these remarks, that Jerusalem has a very special place in the Judaic tradition, one which hm -4 qr3at meaninq for Jews throuqhout the world. At the same time Jerusalem holds a special place in the hearts of many millions of Christians and Moslems throuqhout the world. . . . An Israeli occomtion ~licv made up of unilaterally determined practices cannot help pronote a just and lastinq peace anv more than that cause was served bv the status quo in Jerusalem prior to June 1967.” (Ibid., para. 355) SO We Can understand that the position recentlv stated by His Excellency the President of the United States shows that he maintains a consistc?nt approach on the Euture and destiny of Jerusalem. And we can, OE course, realise that that Wsitian is fully consistent with - and, indeed, required bv - Article 1 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which requires the United States Governmnt not onlv to respect but ak30 -to ensure resoect for” the terms of that Convention bv other Parties, such as Israel, in all circumstances. Thus, we can see that on the question of Jerusalem there is unanimi tv. In this case, I would aqain underline the position of the Unitid States, AS stated. 1%. Tetzi, Palestine) pow, ar this issue one would have to qo back to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which is the only leqal premise on which Israel can deal with that part of Jerusalem. ~e are dealinq in particular with Article 47, which reads1 “Protected parsons who are in occupied territory shall not be deprived, in any case or in any manner whatsoever, of the benefits of the present Convention by any chanqe introduced , as the result of the occupation of a territory, into the institutions or qovernment of the said territory, nor by any aqreement wncluded between the authorities of the occupied territories and the Oooupyinq Power, nor by any annexation by the latter of the whole or part of the occupied territory.” I mention this simply to axnment that no action has been taken by the Council - or, with all due respect, by His Excellency the. Secretary-General - while awaitinq the decision of Israel’s High Court in this regard. Yet Israel’s High Court’s decision is not relevant in this case. The area is an occupied area* and it is governed by the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, not by a lease or an aqreement between two parties. (Yr. Terzi, Palestine) Then. speakins about the behaviour of the Israeli Eorces of OccuPdtion, one can still recall the responsibilities of the international community to ensure respect for the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Article 27 makes it vary clear that pzrsons under occupation “shall at all times be humanely treated, and shall be protected, especially aqninst all acts of violence or threats therebE and aqainst insults and public e.lriosiev.” So we have to focus on the has ice for this situation. Xt is to be wverned only by the Fourth Geneva Convention and not by any other consideration. We appreciate and wish to thank the Secretary-General for the statenmnt attributed to him on 24 April. Concernins behaviour, we are also mncerned over hat happened on the Islamic feast of Eid Al-Fitr. On 26 Avtil, Israeli soldiers shot and killed at least three Paleotinians in the Jabalva refuqee camp in Gaza. Accordi nq to the United Nations Relief and Works Aqencv for Palestine I&fuqeea in the Near East (UNCIWAl, an additional 215 men, women and children were injured, of whom 181 were from the Jabalya re fuqee carno* what really happened in the Jabnlva refusee camp? On 26 April, on t!!e occasion oE the Eid Al-Fitr feast, after the dawn prayer, local residents vroceeded to the Jabalya emeterv, as Well as Private houses, iq order to WV their reopects to the dead. We have a traditiar that on such days all our peovle 43 to the cemetery and remetier our dead in Prayers. Durinq the Q)urBe of the processions, local reoidents encountered a militarv force. Israeli soldiers fired tear-qas canistera into the crowd without mior warninqs. Stones were then thrcwn bv the local residents. Shortly afterwards, reinEorcemnnts were called in by the armv, includina armoured personnel Carriers, border police jeeos and helicovters. A range of (Mt. Terzi, Palestine) measures were used in the ensuinq confrontation, includinq the use k>f live and plastic ammunition, rubber-coated metal m3rbLes, tear qas fired from helicopters in huqe quantities and widespread severe beatinqs. In one hospital alone, the Ahli Hospital, 96 injured local residents were treated. The Israeli army had ample opportunity Lo Prepare for *at transpired at the Jahalva refuqee camp on 26 April. The Commander of the Southern FJeqion, a certain Yatan Wilnai, was quoted in the Israeli daily Ha’aretz of 27 April as sayinqr “We expected that a mtter of this sort would happen. ‘Ihe quiet was suspicious in cot eyes. In the end it exploded”. So it can be understood why we believe that the international community is called upon to take its obliqation seriously un&r Article 1 of the Fourth Oeneva Conventian to ensure that Israel, the occupying Power, respect the terms of the Convention. I am afraid that I have to make it clear here that our people un&r occupation believe that the signatories ta the Convention have .%I far failed to provide effective protection ti the tesidsnts of the occuPied territory. Our People demand that an effective United Nations Dresence should be established that will enable it to monitor at close canqe events such as that which occurred in the Jabalya re fuqee camp. Our People demand that the in ternatianat community urqe the Israeli authorities to quarantee the monitors of local and international human riqhts acce= to areas where human riqhts violations are fiusR?cted to have oceurrod or are osufr ins. 1 ---A- -k,+tb,er =t;e e-r....,.., Ius,- 5 PNI??c(_~ will aafiounly consider such a move or YGYY. a-, wait a couple of weeks before takinq action. Naturally we knsl that the Secretary-General came out immediately, on 26 April , with a statement in which he stated that he wa8 deeply disturbed by retorts that three Palestinians were killed (Mr. Terzi, Palestine) and scores wounded by Israeli troops. He went cn to sav that those acts of violence, which took Place on the first day of the Muslim feast of Hid Al-Fitr and occurred shortly after the incidents durinq the HoLv Week in the Christian Ouart@r of Jerusalem’s Old Citv, showed a reqrettable disregard for the sensitivities surroundinq the holiest days of the Muslim and Christian calendar!,. One wonders what the Security Council would be in a position to do. We believe all rasmbers of the Security Council are HLqh Contractinq Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention. They are called upon and are leqally obliqated to ensure respect for the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We believe and our PWPle demand that the Council should move in that direction. Would the Council move in that direction? ck would the Council still think, Vet us waft and se-? if there is a Government in Israel”? I think this is somethinq that is druqqinq the Security Council and the international communi tv. The current Prime Minister of the caretaker Government tells us very clearly that “With all due respect, I could not care less about what Yt. Raker says. 1 decide .” International obliqations aWan nothinq to him, he says, because this is the land Of the Jews and they will settle wherever thev want $ and if w) 40 into further detail we know that instructions to the army of occupation have been 5 ev ivecl t “Break their bones”. What on earth would the Secuti tv CCUnCil he prepared tQ cb, when it can invoke the powers vested in it by the Charter? Natclrallv the Council has prwed it can be effective in a number of cases0 but what prevents the Council from takfnq any action in this particular case? I need not use too much imaqinatian. The Council has had before it a draft text that has been qoinq around for weeks now , and we really do not know whether it will ever b3 put to a vote here. WE hof>e that, as a result of the most recent Israeli reaction to the call of the international axmnunity and the international Mr. Terzf , Palestine) communitv’s support for the peace initiative Dresented bv the National Council of the Palestinian people, there wllL be an effective response. We believe that the Security Council, represented by its individual members, should assume its responeibilitv and address the issue. The PRES IDENTz 1 thank the representative of Palestim for the kind words he addressed to me. The next speaker is the representative of Eqvot. I invite him to taKe a Dlace at the Council table amd to make his statement. Mr. MOWSA (Eqypt) (interpretation from ArabicLr At the outset of the brief statement I intend to make I should like to conqratulatr VW* sir, cm vQUr assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of %V. YOUr friendlv country is known for its constructiv.. P role in the international scene and for its ckfence of international leqitimacy and the rule of law. Your personal qualities in terms of diplomatic skills and experience are well-knorJn to US *LL. I should Like to express to Ambassador Tadesse of Ethiopia ouc qratitude for the skill and wisdom with which he quided the deLiberationa of the Council durinq the past month. Mr. President, you have convened the Security Council todsv to consider the recent developments in the situatim in the occupied Palestinizm territories0 even before the Council concludes its current consultations cn the draft resolution before it reqardinq the settlement by Israel of immiqrants in the OCaPied Palestinian territories, includtnq Jerusalem. The representative of Palestine has reported to the Council cn these alarminq developments and I therefore need not eKPand on his statement. If we can draw some siqnificant conclusions from the anvenins of this meetinq, the first is that because of these very developments the Yiddle f%i3t reqian has not yet bequn to enjoy the spirit of freedom, t.lace, conciliation and dialowe which have become widespread in all reqions and continents of the world. Gch a conclusion has several implications, both in the short and in the lanqer term. The swond siqnificant conclusion is that the eventa in the Middle Zaat. particularly with reqarrl to the question of Palestine, the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, have a mnstant besrino on the international scene hecauae of their mtentiaL consequenceu, which threaten the aecuci tv and st6hiLi tv of the recliOn a?d hence international maoe and secucitv as a whole. (Mr. *ussa, %vptl The third siqni ficant conclusion, which adds further to the oravity of the first two, is that the practices of Israel as a metier OE the international communi tv reflect a total diareqard for the rules of international law, in the absence of which the wor Id would in all likelihood drift, towards anarchy and disinteqration. Security Council and General Assembly records contain a mnSi.*reble bodv of resolutiom canQmninq and denouncinq Israeli practices in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories. These resolutions were adopted with reqard to a series of events, the most important of which is the persistence of occupation OE Arab tc:rritori@s and the non-compliance by Israel with the rules of international law qwerninq its status as an occupyinq Power. They also condenn the many arbitrary messuces taken by Israel aqafnst the Palestinian uprisinq an& the Palestinian people , whi& is lanquishing under the occupation. While we are consider ins the substance of a draft resolution QI t..e settlemnt of immiqrants in Israel and in the occupied Palewtinian terti tories, includins orxupled Jerusalem - which is conttstv to the orovieions of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian PerSon in Time of Mar prohibitinq the transfer or partial transfer & the occuwi~ Pmer of its copulatiorr to occupied territories - Israel continue3 to puraln its oolicv Aimed at chaoqinq the demoqraphic nature of the Palestinian Brritorie3 by expandin the exiotinq settlements and buildins new ones. Qypt vicusr with qrave concern , these practicao aa well ae the p~iciao beins -.---L--a Ec#pt holds firmly and indisputably that these measures are illeqal and inadmissible, in particular those recent measures that proclaimed the establishmnt of new settlements in the occupied territories, includinq Ged in the Gaza Strip and Ahn QI the West Bank. These measures uncovered trends that Wpt has consistently warned aqairrut and continues to warn aqainst, a3 they jeopardize and complicate every serious effort towards a peaceful settlement of the Palestine question and oE the entire situation in the Middle East. WPt mCst stranqly condems the acquisition by force of premises owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, the violence employed aqainSt Patriarch Theodorus and the Israeli Government’s role in this action. Such dn action infrinqes on the special reliqious status of the city and violates its sacred Places. It has been oondsnmed bv various countr iea and reliqious institutfom thrcwqhout the world for runnfnq counter to Israel’s obliqations under the Geneva Conventions and Security Council resolutions. Undoubtodlv, the statement issued by His Holiness. Pope John Paul II, carries a special SiqnifiCdnCe in this Connection. I should like to take this opmrtunfty to stress that the international community has repeatedly emphasised that the status of the Arab city of Al Quds Al Sharif must not be violated or unilaterally modified. FW the same token, rules of interns&ma1 law should be scrupulously observer¶ , as should United Nations resolutions, Darticularly Security Council resolutions 242 (19671, 267 (1969) and 465 (19901, which consider East Jerusalem an inteqral Dart of the occupied Arab territories. This continues ta be the firm maltion of the Government of Eavpt. as of other Governments, and this policy is unalterable. I should like ta avail myself of thie emerqency special meetinq to call on Israel to stay its hand in its repression and violence aoafnst the Palestinian (Mr. Mounsa, EqyPt) people in the occupied territories, nqainnt the Pal.esttnian cities, villages and refusee camps. History has &monatrated that violence only beqets mxe violence and tension. The valiant Palestinian uprisinq has shown, in no uncertain terms, that Palestinians will not oLve in to the overwhelminq miqht of the occuwinq Power, no matter how violent it becomes. 'be road tr> freedom is a lanq one, in which everyone vies to make more sacrifices. The Palestinian people is no less datermined than any other veople to contin= its struqqle until it attains its inalienable national riqhts, including that to self-determination. Egypt trusts that all States that believe in peace and its inevitabilitv, and that all oeoples, and political mxrements in Israel itself and throuqhout the world, will tr firmly opposed to these measurea a& practices and will not countenance the ansuinq results, considerinq them Flleqrrl, and without any riqht or obliqation whatsoever, except. in reqard to the need to reverse them and to return to the rule of law. In this connection, we call on t\e Security Council. TV ensure full respect fa all tk provisions and articles of! the Fourth Geneva Conventions which it is our comffwn ceswnsibilitv to uphold in keepinq with the first ACtiCle of the Convention. Mr. Mousse, Eqvpt) The measures taken by Israel. are totally lackinq in leqal authority and in no way consonant with the principles of human riqhts. Thev & not contribute to a solution of the current problems in the Yiddle East. Quite the contraw, they further complicate those issues. In our view, they run wunter to peace and are based on norms and principles that created negative conditions in the past. inasmuch as thev are ocposed to the adoption oE a positive attitude towards a future qoverned W cooperation, peaceful coexistence, international LeclitimaCV and the rule of law. The desired neqotiated settlement and the elimination of the multitude of PrOblema in the reqiar will be attained only by ahptinq an d~etb far-siqhted and Ctituristic approach - far removed from obduracy - that takes &ly into account the fact that the riqhts and interests of all parties should be dealt wiul on an equal footinq. This approach mrst also reooqnize that there can be no rxace or stability based on a soluticn that takes inca consideraticn the arquments and interests of one party only. A peace stemminq from such a premise would merely be a temporary, fraqile peace that would not lav the foundations fa stabilitv but would lead to tenaLons ana exploa ion. mytat. continues to hope that there will be e%edv movement towards peace, and towards dialoque, which is the lanquaqe of the aqe, and calls on Israel to put an end to its unsound pAicies in the occupied territories a0 well as to its illeqal practices therein. Israel’s refusal to neqotiate with the Palestinians , to observe the Zenova conventions and to recoqnise the Palestinian riqht to self-determination followinq the Pales tiaians * recoqnition of Israel ‘a c iqht to exist are three --No’s* that constitute, in qeneral, a reqrettable stanza. Israel’s position calls for one stand bV the international wmmunitv and warrants the unanimous adoption of a (Mr. Mwssa, Ewvt) Security Council resolution - an objective and a decisive resohtion CommwIsurate with the issue before it.

I thank the representative of Wpt for his kind words addressed to me. There are no further: speakers an my list. The newt meetins of the SeCUK~tV Council to continue consideration of the i tern cn its aqenda will be fixed in consultation with the members of the Council. The mestinq rose at 5.25 P.m.