President Mahmoud Abbas Speech in The General Assembly of the United Nations in the Sixty-Fifth Session
President
Mahmoud Abbas Speech in The General Assembly of the United Nations in the
Sixty-Fifth Session
September 27, 2010
H.E.
Mr. Joseph Deiss, President of the General Assembly,
Your
Majesties, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We
congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election as President of this session,
wishing you every success in fulfilling your noble tasks, and we convey through
you our greetings to H.E. Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki for his valuable efforts
during his presidency of the General Assembly in its 64th session. We express as
well our appreciation to the Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his
tireless efforts to strengthen the role and work of the United Nations and its
bodies in all fields. We express highest appreciation for his role and the roles
played by these bodies, especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has worked and is still
working to provide essential services to the Palestine refugees, who for more
than sixty years still await the redress of their plight and the realization of
their right to return to their homes and properties.
We
know that the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly is replete with
matters and issues of pressing concern to the entire human race and our planet
Earth, particularly those relating to armed conflicts and wars and the struggle
of peoples living under foreign occupation for realization of their right to
self-determination, as well as climate change, global warming, natural
disasters, and the economic and financial crises. All of this is happening at a
time when we are witnessing the just demands calling for revitalization of the
United Nations and particularly the reform of the Security Council to make it
more broadly representative and truly embody the current international
situation, especially in light of the emergence of new forces, which must be
represented in the Security Council to enhance its role and efficacy in
maintaining international peace and security.
There
is also significant discontent over the non-compliance by some States with
Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, and this requires the
international community to take vigorous, effective measures to compel these
countries to respect and implement these resolutions and to bring an end to
foreign occupation, colonization and exploitation in our world in order to
promote the values of freedom, justice, tolerance and coexistence and to combat
extremism and terrorism. Indeed, the United Nations has a fundamental role in
promoting cooperative relations between peoples and guiding them towards
investment in community development and infrastructure and fighting poverty,
unemployment, desertification, disease and epidemics and their lethal risks to
the human race and the future of our planet as a whole, humanely and
environmentally.
Mr.
President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our
people in particular, our homeland, Palestine, and our region, the Middle East,
are facing dangerous problems that continue to push them into the comer of
violence and conflict, wasting chance after chance to seriously address the
issues faced by the peoples of the region and to attain comprehensive and
genuine solutions. This is the result of the mentality of expansion and
domination, which still controls the ideology and policies of Israel, the
occupying Power, which continues to occupy our land and which has made
non-compliance with resolutions of international legitimacy, including UN
General Assembly and Security Council resolutions its prevailing policy. Such
disrespect has rendered ineffective those resolutions, denigrating the
credibility of the United Nations and deepening the predominant view that there
is a policy of double standards, especially with regard to the cause of the
Palestinian people, and that Israel is a State above the law, as it has been
flouting all these resolutions and relentlessly carrying out oppression, arrests
and detentions, killings, destruction, demolition of homes, siege, settlement
expansion and establishment of the annexation apartheid wall, violating and
undermining the rights of our people and presence in their homeland without
consequence.
Mr.
President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The
ancient city of Jerusalem, capital of the independent State of Palestine and
designated by a UNESCO decision as one of the world's human heritage sites
requiring protection, is exposed to actions by the occupying Power that are
altering and distorting the realities on the ground and destroying landmarks,
cemeteries and the religious, spiritual and historical identity of the Holy City
in all aspects in an accelerated matter, aimed at erasing its historical
character and pre-empting final status negotiations. This has included the
excavations under AI-Aqsa Mosque, demolition of homes, deportations and
revocation of the residency rights of its population and imposition of siege on
the City in an attempt to isolate it from its natural Palestinian Arab
surroundings and control the Holy City geographically and demographically.
This
reality is a provocation to our people; it antagonizes them and causes anger,
especially throughout the Arab and Islamic world, creates instability in our
region, and constitutes a serious obstacle to the achievement of peace and
security. All of these illegal Israeli measures and policies must be ceased.
This
is also the case, Mr. President, with regard to the situation in the Gaza Strip,
which has been subjected to an unjust and unprecedented blockade by land, air
and sea, in violation of international law and United Nations resolutions, in
addition to being subjected to the Israeli military aggression, with the
severest ramifications. This illegal blockade and aggression have resulted in
the destruction of the infrastructure and productive capacity of Gaza and
destroyed 25% of its homes and nearly 75% of its livelihoods, leading to
widespread unemployment and dependence un international aid. The Israeli
blockade is preventing our people in Gaza from reconstruction, despite the fact
that the international donor community has pledged approximately $5 billion to
finance reconstruction. This blockade against the Gaza Strip must be lifted
completely and fully and the tragedy and suffering of our people there must be
ended.
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, and we welcome the conclusions reached by the mission, and we
also look forward to the submission by the UN Panel of inquiry established by
the Secretary-General of its findings to the Security Council.
I
must also, Mr. President, add to all of the above the fact that there remain
thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and detention centers. They
are all struggling for their freedom and must be released, bringing an end 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 cells.
Mr.
President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
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 which guarantees the
achievement of their national rights in freedom and independence has not and
will not diminish, and our wounded hands are still able to carry the olive
branch from the rubble of the trees that the occupation uproots every day. Our
people aspire to live in security, peace and stability on their Palestinian
national soil to build the life and future of our generations. We are willing
and ready to reach a comprehensive, just and lasting peace settlement, based on
righteousness and justice and on the resolutions of international legitimacy and
which leads to the withdrawal of Israel, the occupying Power, from all the Arab
and Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem,
allowing for the State of Palestine and its people, with East Jerusalem as their
capital, to enjoy independence and sovereignty and for peace to prevail in the
Middle East as a whole.
Based
upon our genuine desire to realizing a future of a comprehensive, just and
lasting 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 resolutions of
international legitimacy, the Arab Peace Initiative, the Roadmap and the vision
of the two-State solution. We have reaffirmed, in the name of the Palestine
Liberation Organization, our adherence to the just peace option, and our
determination, seriousness and sincere intention for the success of these
negotiations, in spite of all the difficulties and obstacles.
The
international community should draw lessons from the reasons for the failure of
the political process and the inability to reach 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,
particularly to cease all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, especially in and around East Jerusalem, as well as the dismantling
of the annexation apartheid Wall and an end to the policy of blockade and
closures and the removal of the checkpoints that restrict the lives and movement
of our people and deprive them of their basic human rights.
Our
demands for the cessation of settlement activities, the lifting of the siege and
an end to all other illegal Israeli policies and practices do not constitute
arbitrary pre-conditions in the peace process, but are consistent with the
implementation of obligations and previous commitments, compliance with which
has been repeatedly reaffirmed in all resolutions adopted since the very 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 the pledge to implement
the final agreement reached. Israel must choose between peace and the
continuation of settlements.
Mr.
President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
From
this rostrum, we reaffirm that we will continue, as we have always, to exert
every effort possible, so that these negotiations will achieve the aims and
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 them, and achieve a just peace in the Middle East, including the
Syrian and Lebanese tracks, and usher in a new era of stability, progress,
prosperity, coexistence and good neighborliness.
Rectifying
the path of the political process can only be achieved when the international
community itself assumes the main responsibility for ending the Israeli
occupation, the longest occupation in contemporary history, and ensuring our
people's right to self-determination in their independent sovereign State on the
basis of 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a just and
agreed solution for the plight of the Palestine refugees. This must be done via
the implementation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and
the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions and 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 Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. All
of these constitute the legitimate terms of reference for any successful
negotiations for a final peace settlement.
Mr.
President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our
people, despite the depth and extent of 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 between the two parts of our
homeland. We are exerting every effort to restore unity through dialogue and
through the good, honorable efforts by brothers and friends, especially the Arab
Republic of Egypt. We will spare no effort on our part to end the division
resulting from the coup against Palestinian legitimacy and institute democracy
as a firm foundation in our political life. We will uphold our responsibilities
in building the national institutions for our independent State and building our
national economy and ensuring security and safety for our citizens under our
national authority, which is based on the law, accountability, transparency and
justice. We will also uphold all of our obligations in accordance with the
Roadmap and the agreements reached between the two sides.
In
conclusion, it is imperative in this regard to convey our appreciation to all
those who have contributed to and are sponsoring and supporting the peace
process. Here, I would like to express our thanks to H.E. United States
President Barack Obama, who affirmed in his statement before the Assembly two
days ago the two-State solution and the necessity for a freeze of settlement
activities as well as his deep hope for the establishment of the independent
State of Palestine and its full membership in the United Nations. On this
occasion, we affirm our complete readiness to cooperate with the American
efforts for the success of the political process to reach a comprehensive, just
and lasting peace in the region.
It
is also incumbent upon me to express our appreciation to the United Nations that
has preserved our cause and has extended a helping hand to our people and
adopted resolutions and decisions, which constitute the basis that cannot be
bypassed in the search for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution. From this
rostrum, we call upon the United Nations to continue its pivotal role until
righteousness is achieved and our people have regained their usurped rights and
peace prevails in our entire region.
We
renew to you our greetings and appreciation for your tireless efforts and your
positions of solidarity with the just cause of our people as we renew our faith
in peace, which all the peoples in our region aspire to, asking God to bless us
with a future in which we will all enjoy peace, security and stability,
May
peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you.