It will either be the independence of the state of
Palestine, or equal rights for all of the
inhabitants of the land of historic Palestine from
the river to the sea.
Posted
September 20, 2017
Transcript
Mr. Secretary-General
of the United Nations, Excellencies, ladies and
gentlemen, twenty-four years have passed since the
signing of the
Oslo Accords, an
interim agreement that set a five-year period for
bringing an end to the Israeli occupation, granting
hope to the Palestinian people that they would soon
achieve independence within their state and achieve
peace between Palestinians and Israelis. What is
left of this hope today?
We recognized
the state of Israel on the 1967 borders. But
Israel’s continuous refusal to recognize these
borders has put into question the mutual recognition
we signed in Oslo in 1993.
Since my speech before
your august Assembly last year, when I appealed for
2017 to be the year for ending the Israeli
occupation of the territory of the state of
Palestine, the Israeli government has relentlessly
pursued its settlement campaign on our land, in
contravention of all international conventions and
the relevant resolutions on the question of
Palestine. It has persisted with its flagrant
disregard for the
two-state solution,
resorting to delay policies and tactics and devising
pretexts to evade its responsibility to end its
occupation of the territory of the state of
Palestine.
Instead of
addressing the underlying issues and resolving the
root causes of the conflict, it has tried to
misdirect international attention to the secondary
issues actually caused by its colonial policies.
While we call – just as the international community
continues to call – for an end of the Israeli
occupation of the territory of our state, it incites
and makes false accusations, pretends there is no
Palestinian partner, and imposes unreasonable,
obstructive conditions. Israel is well aware, as you
all are, that its occupation breeds incitement and
violence, and this Israeli military occupation of
our land has now lasted for over half a century.
It is thus
very strange to hear some of those who hold the
responsibility to end this occupation referring to
it as an “alleged occupation”. Such perceptions are
totally disconnected from reality.
Israel bares
first and foremost the shame for continuation of
this occupation, but so does the international
community. The United Nations bears a legal,
political, moral and humanitarian obligation to end
this occupation and enable the Palestinian people to
live in freedom and prosperity in their independent
state of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its
capital, on the June 4, 1967 borders.
Beyond any
doubt, draining the swamp of colonial occupation of
our land and ending its unjust, oppressive and
illegal practices against our people would greatly
affect the fight against terrorism, depriving
terrorist groups of one of the key rallying cries
they exploit to promote their repugnant ideas. We
must thus reiterate that ending the Israeli
occupation of our land is of urgency and an integral
part of the efforts that must be undertaken to
confront such groups.
Mr. President, ladies
and gentlemen, we have explored every avenue and
exerted far-reaching efforts to achieve peace with
our Israeli neighbors, and together, with the Arab
and Islamic States, have adopted an invaluable
initiative – the
Arab Peace Initiative
– aimed at resolving the Palestinian and
Arab-Israeli conflict.
According to
this initiative, upon Israel’s withdrawal from the
Palestinian and Arab territories occupied in 1967,
the Arab and Islamic States would recognize Israel
and normalize relations with it. What was the
Israeli response to this initiative?
There was also the 2003
Quartet roadmap for peace,
endorsed by the United Nations Security Council and
accepted by the Palestinian side. It too was
rejected by the Israeli Government.
Indeed, there have been
countless initiatives seeking to break the deadlock
in the peace process and ensure the success of peace
efforts. The
French Initiative –
aimed at salvaging the peace process and the
two-state solution – led to the convening of the
Paris Conference
earlier this year, which was attended by seventy
states and four international organizations.
Israel not only
rejected this initiative, but boycotted the
Conference. In addition, President Vladimir Putin of
Russia and President Xi Jinping of China, have
launched initiatives for peace. And the latest of
these peace efforts, all of which we are thankful
for, is
being led by United
States President Donald Trump.
On our part,
we have also repeatedly tried to revive the peace
process and called on the Israeli Prime Minister to
affirm his commitment to the two-State solution and
sit with us at the negotiations table to delineate
the borders between Israel and the State of
Palestine in order to open a path for meaningful
negotiations to resolve all other final status
issues. Unfortunately, he rejected this offer.
Even as we
continue our genuine efforts for success of the
peace process and the achievement of its ultimate
goals, Israel continues to breach its commitments
and to obstruct efforts, guaranteeing the process’
failure by its relentless settlement activities and
undermining of the two-State solution. This
represents a real threat to both peoples,
Palestinians and Israelis, and compels us to
undertake a comprehensive, strategic review of the
entire process.
Excellencies,
ladies and gentleman, a commitment by one side to
peace is never enough to achieve peace. We have
warned in the past and continue to warn of Israeli
policies aimed at entrenching the occupation and
colonial facts on the ground in East Jerusalem.
These policies stir religious animosity and may lead
to a violent religious conflict. We have called on
the Israeli government to uphold the historic and
legal status quo of the holy sites in the city.
However, the
Israeli Government, since its occupation of East
Jerusalem in 1967, has repeatedly acted to
consolidate its unilateral annexation of the city, a
decision we rejected then and still reject today
alongside the whole international community,
including the Security Council. Al-Quds is an
occupied city and Israel’s decisions and practices
there are null and void and illegal in their
entirety. The same applies to all Israeli
settlements in East Jerusalem and the rest of the
Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Israel’s
attempts to change the historic status quo in
Al-Quds and in particular vis-à-vis the status and
integrity of Al Aqsa Mosque can only be described as
playing with fire and an infringement upon our
responsibilities as well as those of brotherly
Jordan. We caution the Israeli government of the
implications of such an aggression and hold it fully
responsible for the consequences.
Mr.
President, ladies and gentleman, despite this
ongoing occupation and its oppressive policies and
practices, we have been able to build the
institutions of our state, which has been recognized
by a majority of member states of this organization.
Here, I seize
the opportunity to once again thank all of those
countries that have recognized the state of
Palestine and that have voted for upgrading its
status at the United Nations. These steps certainly
constitute contributions to remedying the historic
injustice that has befallen our people and are steps
in favor of the principles of justice and the vision
of peace between Palestinians and Israelis and in
the Middle East region and the world.
I further
stressed in my speech last year before your august
Assembly that the status quo in the occupied
territory of the state of Palestine is not
sustainable. As the situation has only deteriorated
due to Israel’s insistence on pursuing its
occupation, aggressive policies and unending
violations of international law, we must once again
call on Israel, as the occupying power, to fully
respect and uphold all obligations stemming from
this occupation and to bear its consequences. We
cannot continue to be an Authority without any
authority, or to allow this occupation to continue
without cost. We are fast approaching this point.
The two-state
solution is today in jeopardy. We cannot as
Palestinians stand still in the face of this threat
targeting our national, political and social
existence on our land, and endangering regional and
international peace and security. We will have to
take steps or look for alternatives to preserve our
national existence and to keep open the horizons for
peace and security.
In such a
situation, it is our right to search for
alternatives that preserve our rights and protect
our land and our people from an entrenching system
of apartheid. We have called on the International
Criminal Court to open an investigation and to
prosecute Israeli officials for their involvement in
settlement activities and aggressions against our
people, and we will continue to pursue our
accessions to international conventions, protocols
and organizations, as Palestine has acquired
observer state status in accordance with UN General
Assembly resolution 67/19 of 2012. I will call for
the convening of the Palestinian National Council in
the near future to operationalize this strategic
review.
Mr. President,
ladies and gentlemen, the path we have chosen as
Palestinians and Arabs, and the path chosen by the
world is that of international law and international
legitimacy. Our choice is the two-state solution on
the 1967 borders, and we will grant every chance for
the efforts being undertaken by President Donald
Trump and the Quartet and international community as
a whole to achieve an historic agreement that brings
the two-state solution to reality, enabling the
state of Palestine with its capital East Jerusalem
to live in peace and security side by side with
Israel.
But if the
two-state solution were to be destroyed due to the
creation of a one-state reality with two systems –
apartheid – from the unchecked imposition of this
occupation that is rejected by our people and the
world, this would be a failure, and neither you, nor
we, will have any other choice but to continue the
struggle and demand full, equal rights for all
inhabitants of historic Palestine. This is not a
threat, but a warning of the realities before us as
a result of ongoing Israeli policies that are
gravely undermining the two-state solution.
From here,
I address the Israeli people, across the spectrum of
their society, and tell them: We want to live in
peace. Do not listen to those who try to convince
you that peace between us is not possible.
Our problem is
with the Israeli colonial occupation and not with
Judaism as a religion. Judaism for us Palestinians –
Christians and Muslims – will never be considered a
threat. It is a monotheistic religion like Islam and
Christianity. The Creator says in the Quran: In the
name of God the merciful “we do not distinguish
between his prophets”. Almighty God spoke the truth.
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Mr. President,
ladies and gentlemen, we have dutifully upheld
our responsibilities towards our people in the
Gaza Strip in
spite of the division since 2007. From then
until now, we have provided all forms of support
on our own to our people in Gaza, who are
gravely suffering the cruel Israeli blockade.
Further, we have repeatedly affirmed the need
for protection for our people in Gaza. We have
also repeatedly affirmed that Gaza will not be
the Palestinian state, and that there can be no
Palestinian state without Gaza.
Today, I must
express my relief at the agreement reached in Cairo
as a result of Egyptian efforts. We are thankful for
these efforts aimed at nullifying the measures
undertaken by Hamas following the division,
including the formation of a government; enabling
the national consensus government to fully carry out
its mandate in the Gaza Strip; and allowing for
general elections to be held.
Mr. President,
ladies and gentlemen, also in my speech before this
Assembly last year, I appealed to the British
Government to rectify the grave injustice it
inflicted upon the Palestinian people when it issued
the Balfour Declaration in 1917, promising Jews a
national homeland in Palestine, despite the fact
that Palestine was inhabited by the Palestinian
people and was among the most progressive and
prosperous countries, and should not have been
colonized or placed under the mandate of a great
power.
Until this
moment, the British government has not taken any
step to correct this historical injustice and has
neither apologized to the Palestinian people nor
compensated them, nor has it recognized the state of
Palestine.
The impunity
that continues to be granted by the international
community with regard to Israel’s aggressive
policies has clearly only emboldened its pursuit of
these policies. Let me remind you that Israel has
violated international resolutions since its
establishment. It has violated the United Nations
Charter and continues to do so, as well as
resolutions 181 (II), 194 (III), 242 (1967), 338
(1973), all the way to Security Council resolution
2334 of 2016.
Has the
international community surrendered itself to the
fact that Israel is a country above the law? Why
does it deal with states according to double
standards?
Mr. President,
ladies and gentlemen, to save the peace process and
the two-state solution, I urge this organization and
your honorable states to do the following:
First:
Actively pursue efforts to bring an end to the
Israeli occupation of the state of Palestine within
a set timeframe. It is no longer enough to issue
generic, endless statements calling for an end to
the occupation and the achievement of peace without
a deadline. Efforts must be made to implement the
Arab Peace Initiative, including a just solution for
the Palestine refugee question in accordance with
resolution 194 (III).
Second: Act to
bring a halt to all settlement activities in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East
Jerusalem, as demanded in numerous United Nations
resolutions, including the most recent resolution
2334 (2016), and in compliance with the 4th Geneva
Convention.
Third: Ensure
international protection to the land and people of
the State of Palestine, until the end of the
occupation, as we are unable to provide protection
to our people, land and holy sites from this
abhorrent occupation.
The actions of
this occupation cannot be met with silence; ensuring
protection to the Palestinian people is a moral
imperative before being a political or legal matter,
in line with Security Council resolutions 605
(1987), 672 (1990), 673 (1990) and 904 (1994), which
were based on the Geneva Conventions and stressed
their applicability to the Palestinian territory
occupied since 1967.
Fourth: Demand
that Israel endorse and commit to the borders of
1967 as basis for the two-state solution and set
such borders in line with international resolutions.
Once we delineate the borders, each party can act in
its territory as it pleases without affecting the
rights of the other party.
Fifth: I must
ask you, what are the borders of the state of Israel
that many states in this assembly have recognized? I
urge all member states of the United Nations that
have recognized Israel to proclaim that their
recognition is based on the 1967 borders, thus
aligning themselves with international resolutions
and reaffirming their commitment to these
resolutions and the requirements of a peaceful
solution founded upon them.
Sixth: I call
on all states to end all forms of direct and
indirect involvement with, and support to, the
illegal Israeli colonial settlement regime in the
land of the occupied state of Palestine, in
accordance with UN resolutions and with the affirmed
positions of states in this regard, and similar to
the international community’s approach towards the
apartheid regime in South Africa.
Seventh: I
urge those states that have not recognized the state
of Palestine yet to do so, in fulfillment of the
principle of equality, which can enhance the chances
of peace. I do not understand how recognizing the
state of Palestine harms the chances of peace,
especially since we Palestinians have recognized
Israel on the 1967 borders.
Eighth: We
look to the Security Council to approve our
application for full membership of the State of
Palestine to the United Nations. All those who
support the two-state solution should recognize the
other state, the state of Palestine.
Ninth: We urge
the international community to continue providing
economic and financial support to the Palestinian
people to achieve self-reliance. We also urge you to
continue providing support to UNRWA to enable it to
continue its vital humanitarian assistance and
services to the Palestine refugees in all areas of
operation. We warn in this regard against the
attempts to change the mandate of UNRWA and its
statutes. We also warn against attempts at
eliminating item 7 on the agenda of the Human Rights
Council or obstructing issuance of the list of
companies operating in Israeli settlements in the
territory of the occupied state of Palestine.
Tenth: We
once again affirm our commitment to respect human
rights and international conventions and to
implement the United Nations Sustainable Development
Agenda 2030, and the Paris Agreement on Climate
Change and all other treaties and conventions that
we have acceded to.
Mr. President,
ladies and gentlemen, the state of Palestine will
reflect on these imperatives in draft resolutions,
as appropriate, to be presented to the UN General
Assembly. We call upon you to vote in favor of these
resolutions with the clear aim of preserving the
two-state solution and salvaging and promoting the
chances for achieving peace. Your support would most
certainly be in line with your expressed concerns
for, and commitments to, ensuring security,
stability and prosperity for Palestinians and
Israelis alike, and for the peoples and states of
the region.
In conclusion,
allow me ladies and gentlemen, to salute our great
people who remain steadfast in their homeland and
continue to struggle against foreign occupation and
for the achievement of their freedom and
independence and for the preservation of their
national and human dignity.
I salute our
people in Jerusalem who gave one of the most shining
examples of peaceful popular resistance against the
Israeli colonial occupation.
I salute our
people in exile and in the Diaspora.
I salute our
people who remain steadfast in the West Bank. I
salute our people who remain patiently steadfast in
besieged Gaza.
I salute our
glorious martyrs and our courageous prisoners in
Israeli jails.
I tell them
all that freedom is coming and is inevitable, and
that occupation shall come to an end. It will either
be the independence of the state of Palestine,
living side by side in peace and security with the
state of Israel on the 1967 borders, or equal rights
for all of the inhabitants of the land of historic
Palestine from the river to the sea.
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