State of Palestine, 2010

It gives

me pleasure to congratulate Mr. Joseph Deiss on his

election to the presidency at this session and to wish

him every success in fulfilling his important tasks. We

would also like to convey through you, Sir, our thanks

to His Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki for his

valuable efforts during his presidency of the General

Assembly at its sixty-fourth session.

We would like also to express our thanks and

appreciation to His Excellency Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon for his tireless efforts in strengthening the

role and work of the United Nations and its bodies in

various fields. In particular, we greatly appreciate his

efforts, and those of the United Nations entities,

especially the United Nations Relief and Works

Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which

continues to work to provide essential services to

Palestinian refugees, who have been waiting for more

than 60 years for redress of their plight and the

realization of their right to return to their homes and

properties.

I am well aware that the agenda of the General

Assembly is filled with matters and issues of pressing

concern to the entire human race and to our planet,

particularly those relating to armed conflict, wars and

the struggle of people under foreign occupation to

realize their right to self-determination, as well as

climate change, global warming, natural disasters and

the global economic and financial crises.

All of this is happening at a time when we are

witnessing rightful demands for the revitalization of

the United Nations, particularly reform of the Security

Council aimed at making it more representative and

truly reflective of the current international situation.

This is especially important in the light of the

10-55103 30

emergence of new Powers, which should be

represented in the Security Council in order to enhance

its role and effectiveness in maintaining international

peace and security.

There is also significant discontent over some

States’ non-compliance with Security Council and

General Assembly resolutions. This demands that the

international community take vigorous, effective

measures to compel those countries to respect and

implement these resolutions; to end colonization,

occupation and exploitation in our world so as to

promote the values of freedom, justice, tolerance and

coexistence; and to combat extremism and terrorism.

Indeed, the United Nations has a fundamental role to

play in promoting cooperative relations among peoples

and guiding them towards investment in the

development of societies and infrastructure, as well as

in fighting poverty, unemployment, desertification,

disease and epidemics and the lethal human and

environmental risks they pose for humanity and the

future of our planet.

Our people, our homeland, Palestine, and our

region, the Middle East, are facing extremely serious

problems that continue to push them towards violence

and conflict, wasting chance after chance to seriously

address the issues faced by the peoples of the region

and to arrive at comprehensive and bold solutions. This

is the result of the expansionist and hegemonic

mentality that still prevails in the ideology and policies

of Israel, the occupying Power, whose standard policy

is non-compliance with internationally legitimate

resolutions, including those of the General Assembly

and the Security Council. Such disrespect has rendered

those resolutions ineffective, undermined the

credibility of the United Nations and bolstered the

prevailing view that double standards are in effect,

particularly regarding the Palestinian question, and that

Israel is a State above the law, flouting all these

resolutions and engaging in oppression, arrests,

detentions, killings, destruction, demolition of homes,

blockades, settlement expansion and the establishment

of the annexation apartheid wall, violating and

undermining the existence and the rights of our people

in their own homeland.

The ancient city of East Jerusalem, capital of the

independent State of Palestine and designated by

UNESCO as a world heritage site requiring protection,

is being subjected by Israel, the occupying Power, to

actions that alter and distort realities on the ground.

Such actions destroy landmarks, cemeteries and the

religious, spiritual and historical identity of the holy

city in every aspect and as quickly as possible, aiming

to erase its historical character and pre-empt final

status negotiations. This is in addition to the

continuous excavations under the Al-Aqsa mosque, the

demolition of homes, the deportations and revocation

of the residency rights of its population and the

imposition of a siege on the city in an attempt to isolate

it from its natural Palestinian Arab surroundings and to

control it geographically and demographically.

This situation is a provocation to our people. It

antagonizes them and gives rise to anger, especially in

the Arab and Islamic world. It creates instability in our

region and constitutes a serious obstacle to the

achievement of peace and security. All of these illegal

Israeli measures and practices must cease.

This is also the case with regard to the situation

in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to an

unjust, illegal and unprecedented land, air and sea

blockade in violation of international law and United

Nations resolutions. It is also the target of harsh Israeli

military aggression that has severely damaged its

infrastructure. This illegal blockade and aggression

have resulted in the destruction of the infrastructure

and productive capacity of Gaza and destroyed 25 per

cent of its homes and nearly 75 per cent of its jobs,

leading to widespread unemployment and dependence

on international aid. The Israeli blockade is preventing

our people in Gaza from rebuilding their homes, even

though the international donor community has pledged

some $5 billion to finance reconstruction. The

blockade against the Gaza Strip must be lifted

immediately and completely, and the tragic suffering

being inflicted on our people there must be ended as

soon as possible.

We welcome the efforts of the international

independent fact-finding mission established by the

Human Rights Council concerning the Israeli attack on

the Freedom Flotilla, which was carrying humanitarian

assistance for our people in the Gaza Strip. We

welcome the conclusions reached by the mission, and

we also look forward to the submission by the Panel of

Inquiry established by the Secretary-General of its

findings to the Security Council.

To all of this I must add the fact that thousands of

Palestinian prisoners and detainees remain in Israeli

jails and detention centres. They are all fighting for

31 10-55103

freedom. They must be released and an end must be put

to their suffering. This is essential for creating a

positive environment for the attainment of peace. We

cannot reach a peace agreement that does not liberate

all of them from their chains and their imprisonment.

In spite of all of this and despite the historic

injustice that has been inflicted upon our people, their

desire to achieve a just peace that guarantees the

realization of their national rights in freedom and

independence has not and will not diminish. Our

wounded hands are still able to carry the olive branch

picked from the splinters of the trees that the

occupation forces uproot every day. Our people aspire

to live in security, peace and stability on their

Palestinian national soil, to build the lives and future of

our generations.

We are willing and ready to reach a

comprehensive, just and lasting peace, based on rights

and justice and on the resolutions of international

legitimacy. Such a settlement must lead to the

withdrawal of Israel, the occupying Power, from all the

Arab and Palestinian territories occupied since 1967,

including East Jerusalem, so that the State of Palestine,

with East Jerusalem as their capital, can enjoy

independence and sovereignty and so that peace can

prevail throughout the Middle East.

Because of our genuine desire to attain a

comprehensive peace in the region, we have decided to

enter into final status negotiations. We will exert every

effort to reach an agreement for Palestinian-Israeli

peace within one year, in accordance with the

resolutions of international legitimacy, the Arab Peace

Initiative, the road map and the vision of the two-State

solution. On behalf of the Palestine Liberation

Organization, we have reaffirmed our commitment to

the option of just peace and our determination,

seriousness and sincere intention to make these

negotiations succeed, in spite of all the difficulties and

obstacles before us.

The international community should draw lessons

from the reasons for the faltering of the political

process and the inability to achieve its goals in the

past. Restoring the credibility of the peace process

mainly requires compelling the Government of Israel

to comply with its obligations and commitments. In

particular, the Government of Israel must cease all

settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian

territory, especially in and around East Jerusalem;

dismantle the apartheid annexation wall; and put an

end to the policy of blockade and closures that restrict

the lives and movement of our people and deprive them

of their basic human rights.

Our demands for the freezing of settlement

activities, the lifting of the blockade and an end to all

other illegal Israeli practices do not constitute

preconditions that are alien to the political process.

Rather, they are consistent with the implementation of

previous obligations and commitments which have

been repeatedly reaffirmed in all the resolutions

adopted since the start of the political process.

Israel’s implementation of these obligations and

commitments will lead to the creation of the necessary

environment for the success of the negotiations and

will give credibility to its pledge to implement the final

agreement. Israel must choose between peace and the

continuation of settlements.

From this rostrum, I reaffirm that we will

continue, as we have always done, to make every

possible effort so that these negotiations will achieve

the desired objective of realizing peace by addressing

all final status issues, namely Jerusalem, refugees,

settlements, borders, water, security and the release of

all prisoners and detainees. This must be done in a

manner that will achieve freedom, independence and

justice for the Palestinian people in their homeland,

rectify the historical injustice inflicted upon them,

achieve security and safety for all their neighbours,

lead to a just peace throughout the Middle East,

including on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks, and thus

usher in a new era of stability, progress, prosperity,

coexistence and good-neighbourliness.

The political process will be put back on the right

track only if the international community assumes the

main responsibility for ending the Israeli occupation,

the longest occupation in modern history; ensures our

people’s right to self-determination in their

independent sovereign State based on the borders of

4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital; and

finds a just and agreed solution to the plight of the

Palestinian refugees. This must all be carried out

through the implementation of the principles of the

Charter, the relevant Security Council and General

Assembly resolutions, the advisory opinion of the

International Court of Justice, and the provisions of

international law, including international humanitarian

and human rights law, on the ground in the occupied

10-55103 32

Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. All of

these measures constitute the legitimate political terms

of reference for any successful negotiation leading to a

final peace settlement.

Our people, despite the profound and continued

suffering they have endured, hold steadfast to their

rights, their land and their national soil. At the same

time, they are determined to restore national unity and

the bonds between the two parts of our homeland. We

are making every effort to restore unity through

dialogue and the good, honourable efforts of our

brothers and friends, especially the Arab Republic of

Egypt. On our part, we will spare no effort to end the

division resulting from the coup against Palestinian

legitimacy and to establish democracy as an essential

foundation of our body politic.

We will also assume our responsibility for

building national institutions for our independent State

and national economy, and for ensuring the security

and safety of our citizens under a national authority

based on the rule of law, accountability, transparency

and justice. We will also continue to fulfil our

obligations under the road map and the agreements

reached between the two sides.

In conclusion, it is imperative in this context to

express our appreciation to all those who have

contributed to sponsoring and supporting the peace

process. Here, I would like to express my special

thanks to His Excellency Mr. Barack Obama, President

of the United States of America, who affirmed in his

statement before the Assembly (see ) two

days ago the two-State solution and the need to freeze

settlement activities and establish the independent

State of Palestine with full membership in the United

Nations next year. On this occasion, we reaffirm our

readiness to cooperate fully with his country’s efforts

for a successful political process to achieve a

comprehensive and just peace in the region.

We must also pay tribute to the United Nations

for preserving our cause and extending a helping hand

to our people through its resolutions and decisions,

which constitute an unshakeable foundation for peace.

From this rostrum, we call on the United Nations to

continue its pivotal role until justice is upheld, our

people have regained their usurped rights and peace

prevails in our entire region. We reiterate our

appreciation for the Organization’s tireless efforts to

stand in solidarity with the just cause of Palestine, and

we reaffirm our faith in the peace to which we and all

the peoples in the region aspire. We ask God to bless us

with a future in which we will all enjoy peace, security

and stability.