Situation in Palestine and the Middle East – Fourteenth ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union, Decision – Letter from Malawi (excerpts)

Letter dated 12 March 2010 from the Permanent Representative of Malawi to the United Nations addressed to the President of the General Assembly

In my capacity as Representative of the current Chairman of the African Union, I have the honor to forward herewith the following documents of the African Union:

(a) Decisions, declarations and resolutions adopted by the Assembly of the African Union at its fourteenth ordinary session, held in Addis Ababa from 31 January to 2 February 2010 (annex I);

(b) Decisions adopted by the Executive Council of the African Union at its sixteenth ordinary session, held in Addis Ababa from 25 to 29 January 2010 (annex II).

I would be grateful if the present letter and its annexes could be circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under item 124 (a) of the preliminary list.

Annex I to the letter dated 12 March 2010 from the Permanent Representative of Malawi to the United Nations addressed to the President of the General Assembly

Decisions, declarations and resolutions adopted by the Assembly of the African Union at its fourteenth ordinary session

ASSEMBLY OF THE AFRICAN UNION

Fourteenth Ordinary Session

31 January – 2 February 2010

Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA

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DECISION ON THE SITUATION IN PALESTINE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Doc. EX.CL/571(XVI)

The Executive Council,  

1- TAKES NOTE of the Report on the Situation in the Middle East and Palestine; and RECALLS all resolutions and decisions adopted by the OAU/AU on the Situation in Palestine and the Middle East;  

2- REITERATES its full support for the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people against Israeli Occupation under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), their sole and legitimate representative, to obtain their inalienable national rights, including their right to self-determination, return to their homeland and to their property, and to live in peace and stability in an Independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital, in accordance with the principles of International law, all relevant United Nations (UN) Resolutions, particularly UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution 194, which calls for the return of all Palestinian Refugees to their homeland and properties, and all relevant resolutions and decisions of the OAU/AU;    

3- REAFFIRMS its support for a peaceful solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict on the basis of the principles of the international law and all relevant UN resolutions; and CALLS UPON Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian and Arab States territories;

4- STRESSES the need for the UNSC to assume its major responsibilities under the UN Charter, and calls on the UN to exercise its role in maintaining international peace and security in order to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East;  

5- EXPRESSES its deep concern about the positions of the Israeli Occupying Authorities and its refusal to accept international efforts aiming at reaching the two States solution with establishing the Independent Palestinian State with AL-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital; and CALLS UPON the Israeli Occupying Authorities to fulfil their obligations and to move forward in the peace process on the basis of resolutions on international legitimacy, signed agreements, and the principle of land for peace;

6- STRONGLY CONDEMNS the Israeli siege imposed on AL-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) and Al-Aqsa Mosque and URGES Israel to halt all settlement activities around the sacred city, and the preservation of the status of AL-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as well as of all Islamic and Christian holy places;

7- FURTHER STRONGLY CONDEMNS the Israeli brutal practices and repressive measures against Palestinian citizens in the Occupied Palestinian territory, including AL-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem),  URGES Israeli Occupying Authorities to stop these serious violations immediately; and CALLS UPON the international community to exert pressure on Israeli Occupying Authorities to abide to International and Humanitarian Laws;

8- WELCOMES the report of Goldstone Doc. A/HRC/12/48; HOLDS Israel responsible for war crimes and violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and CALLS UPON the international community to prosecute those responsible for these crimes and bring them to international courts and tribunals;

9- DENOUNCES the Israeli rejection to a peaceful, comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East; and CALLS UPON Israeli Occupying Authorities to accept the international efforts aiming at reaching the two States solution with establishing the Independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital, and to respond immediately to the demands of the international community;

10- ENCOURAGES its full support to the tireless efforts aimed at putting an end to division in the Palestinian ranks and to strengthen the Palestinian national unity, in order to ensure the geographical and political unity of the Palestinian territories; REITERATES its support for the leadership of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA); and COMMENDS the Presidential decision issued by the President of the Executive Committee of PLO to launch the Presidential and Legislative elections;

11- REITERATES its deep appreciation for the tireless efforts made by President Mahmoud Abbas for the achievement of comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, and his commitment to the Palestinian National's principles that proposed for an immediate and complete halt of the Israeli settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem), and the need to resume the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations from the point at which they stopped with the previous Israeli Government;

12- TAKES NOTE of  the position taken by U.S. President Barack Obama, his engagement in serious efforts for peace in the Middle East, and his demand of the complete cessation of settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the two States solution; with establishing the sovereign Independent Palestinian State with AL-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital; and URGES President Barak Obama and the U.S. administration to continue this approach;

13- FOLLOWS WITH DEEP CONCERN the worsening humanitarian situation and increasing sanitary and economic deterioration in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, due to the constant siege imposed on Gaza Strip, ongoing daily Israeli invasions, restrictions on the movement of persons and constant closures and blockades of the Palestinian commercial crossing points with neighbouring countries; and URGES the Israeli Occupying Authorities remove it immediately and without delay, to allow the humanitarian assistances and construction materials to reach to People, and to re-open all crossing points in order to start the reconstruction and rehabilitation;  

14- EXPRESSES GRAVE CONCERN over the deterioration of the living and health conditions of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli Jails; DENOUNCES AND CONDEMNS all Israeli inhuman practices against prisoners and detainees; and DEMANDS the Israeli Government to release all prisoners and captives from the jails of the Israeli Occupying Authorities;

15- REITERATES that the just and comprehensive peace can be achieved only through complete Israeli withdrawal from Occupied Palestinian and Arab States territories up to the boarders of the 4th June 1967, including the Occupied Syrian Golan and the lands still occupied in southern Lebanon, and through the two States solution with establishing the sovereign Independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative;

16- CALLS UPON the African Union Committee of Ten (10) Member States on Palestine, in consultation with other AU Member States in order to develop an action plan to move across the international bodies and organizations in the effort to enforce its resolutions on Palestine and the Middle East.

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