The unresolved question of Palestine underlines the continuing importance of the Palestinian Rights Committee, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said today, during that body’s first formal meeting of 2021, warning that unliteral actions jeopardize the possibility of restarting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the opening meeting of the 2021 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, held today:
In the context of a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by COVID‑19, speakers called on Israel to end its illegal practices and enable an environment conducive to a negotiated peace with Palestinians, as the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People met today to observe the annual International Day of Solidarity.
The United Nations marks the passage of General Assembly resolution 181 (ii) of 1947 every year as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, with special meetings and events at Headquarters in New York, and at the UN offices in Vienna, Geneva, Nairobi and elsewhere, organized on or around 29 November.
Following is a statement by the General Assembly Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People:
KUALA LUMPUR, 29 February — Activism and regional support are vital to achieving the aspirations of the Palestinian people, speakers said today, at the conclusion of the International Conference on the Question of Palestine.
KUALA LUMPUR, 28 February — The unilateral announcement by the United States of its vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without any attempt at dialogue or negotiation is a mockery of international efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis, the host country’s Prime Minister told the International Conference on the Question of Palestine today.
Members of the Palestinian Rights Committee described their work today as all the more urgent in light of the new Middle East peace plan unveiled by the United States, which deviates from the long-held international consensus on the question of Palestine.
Speakers called on Israel to respect international law and halt its illegal settlement activities, amid strong objections from others to unilateral moves by the United States in the region, as the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People met today to observe the International Day of Solidarity.
The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will hold a special meeting on 27 November in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People today recommended four draft resolutions for adoption by the General Assembly, with Member States scheduled to debate and vote on these drafts on 3 December.
There is urgent need to safeguard the global consensus on the Palestinian question, the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine said today, expressing hope that forthcoming elections in both Israel and the United States will offer a path towards shifting the political dynamics around the two-State formula.
As they adressed the stalled peace process and “creeping annexation” by Israel of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, delegates, activists and policymakers participating in a high-level forum on the question of Palestine considered a variety of solutions ranging from full Palestinian statehood recognition to a bill in Ireland’s parliament to ban imported goods produced in the illegal settlements.
The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will convene the United Nations Forum on the Question of Palestine, “The threat of de facto annexation — What next for Palestine?”, on 4 April from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Trusteeship Chamber at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Updating the Palestinian Rights Committee on recent developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the observer for the State of Palestine today cautioned that the international community’s inaction, blanket support from the United States President and hate speech by Israeli politicians in the run‑up to Israel’s presidential elections in April has emboldened the occupying Power.
Marked by sporadic deadly violence, the current situation in Israel and Palestine is untenable in terms of advancing the agreed-upon two-State solution, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Palestinian Rights Committee today.
The Palestinian people’s struggle is not directed against Judaism as a religion, but against the colonial occupation of their land and people, the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine said during a special observance today.
The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will hold a special meeting on 28 November to observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in the Trusteeship Chamber from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People recommended four draft resolutions for action by General Assembly today, with its Vice-Chair saying they will be presented on 29 November, during its general debate on the question of Palestine, and on 30 November, when voting is expected.
Despite emergency support from dozens of partners, the United Nations agency charged with providing health care, education and other basic services to some 5 million Palestine refugees will soon lose its ability to carry out much of its critical work, the director of the agency’s New York office told the Palestinian Rights Committee today.
