State of Palestine Calls Attention to Continuing Breaches of International Law – Letter from the State of Palestine (A/ES-10/740—S/2017/67)

Identical letters dated 24 January 2017 from the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council

I regret to inform you of the continuing grave breaches being perpetrated by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, in flagrant contempt of international law and in defiance of the international community and with devastating consequences for the two-State solution and the prospect for peace.

In the month since the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 2334 (2016), which, inter alia, reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlement activities and demanded their complete cessation as well as respect on the part of the occupying Power for its obligations under international law, the Israeli Government has been unrelenting in its rejectionist and inflammatory rhetoric, provocative decisions and illegal actions, all in direct violation of the resolution’s provisions and the long-standing demand of the international community that Israel cease its illegal settlement campaign in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and that it genuinely commit to the two-State solution on the basis of the 1967 borders, in both word and deed.

On Sunday, 22 January 2017, the occupying Power’s authorities granted approval for the construction of 566 more units in illegal settlements in Occupied East Jerusalem. The meaning of such a number must be underscored, for those units translate into the facilitation of the illegal transfer of thousands more Israeli settlers, further altering the demographic composition and character of Occupied East Jerusalem, all in deliberate violation of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions, including resolution 2334 (2016), which was patently clear as to the prohibitions and the obligations incumbent upon the occupying Power in this regard.

This illegal, provocative decision was followed today by the approval by the Israeli Prime Minister himself of another 2,500 units in illegal settlements throughout the Occupied West Bank. The Prime Minister has, among other things, brazenly declared that “we are building and will continue to build”. The implementation of such a decision will result in the further expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and related infrastructure, including the wall, in Occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem, and further entrench the occupation, rather than reverse the negative trends in this regard, as clearly called for by the Security Council and by the Quartet in the recommendations contained in its 1 July 2016 report and statements thereafter.

These actions, in addition to the crimes enumerated in the annex to the present letter, reveal the true unlawful, annexationist intentions of the Israeli Government, its intent to persist with its half-century foreign occupation of the Palestinian people and land, and the deceit of its proclaimed commitment to the two-State solution. While the global consensus is that salvaging the two-State solution based on the 1967 lines is dependent on the full, immediate cessation and reversal of all such illegal activities, the rhetoric, decisions and actions by the Israeli Government are totally to the contrary and constitute grave violations of international law and blatant contempt for the international community.

As stated today in this regard by Dr. Hanan Ashrawi on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization: “Once again, the Israeli Government has proved that it is more committed to land theft and colonialism than to the two-State solution and the requirements for peace and stability. Such a deliberate escalation of Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise constitutes a war crime and the flagrant violation of international law and conventions, in particular United Nations Security Council resolution 2334.”

We urge the international community to unequivocally reject and condemn such illegal Israeli actions and provocations. A clear message must be sent to the occupying Power that such contempt for the law and the international community will not be tolerated and that international law and United Nations resolutions must be respected by all States. No State should be given the privilege to be the exception to the law.

Furthermore, we urge that serious and practical measures be undertaken by the international community, aimed at bringing about a complete cessation of Israeli settlement activities and that Israel, the occupying Power, be held accountable for the continuation of this and any other breaches of the law. In this regard, we stress the imperative of the implementation of resolution 2334 (2016) in its entirety. We recall the obligations stipulated in the resolution, in terms of both the obligations of the occupying Power and those of States and the international community as a whole, to bring an end to this illegal situation, to reverse the negative trends on the ground that are destroying the two-State solution and to advance a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.

The viability of the two-State solution is dependent on this, as is the prospect for Palestinian-Israeli peace. At the same time, it is obvious that the credibility and viability of international law and the international system are at stake. The international community, with the Security Council at the forefront, must answer such defiance by Israel, the occupying Power, with a firm resolve for peace, commitment to the law, support for the two-State solution and rejection of all such illegal actions and provocations. The key to this is clear: working immediately and faithfully to uphold and implement resolution 2334 (2016) and the international consensus in this regard.

The present letter is in follow-up to our 602 previous letters regarding the ongoing crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, which constitutes the territory of the State of Palestine. These letters, dated from 29 September 2000 (A/55/432-S/2000/921) to 20 January 2017 (A/ES-10/739-S/2017/62), constitute a basic record of the crimes being committed by Israel, the occupying Power, against the Palestinian people since September 2000. For all of these war crimes, acts of State terrorism and systematic human rights violations being committed against the Palestinian people, Israel, the occupying Power, must be held accountable and the perpetrators brought to justice.

I should be grateful if you would have the text of the present letter distributed as a document of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 5, and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Riyad Mansour

Ambassador

Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations

__________