Settlements – Letter from OIC

Identical letters dated 8 February 2017 from the Permanent Representative of Uzbekistan
to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council

I am writing to you in my capacity as Chair of the Ambassadorial Group of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in New York to convey the Group’s alarm about the latest Israeli violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Despite the very clear demands by the Security Council, most recently in its resolution 2334 (2016) of 23 December 2016, for a halt to all Israeli settlement activities, the occupying Power persists with such illegal and destructive measures.

In addition to announcing plans for the construction of thousands more units in illegal Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank, including in and around East Jerusalem, the occupying Power has just passed a so-called “regularization bill”, which is another attempt to entrench its illegal settlements and so-called “settlement outposts” and to further facilitate the expropriation of Palestinian land with total impunity. The bill attempts to entrench another 4,000 Israeli settlement units in Occupied Palestine in addition to the thousands of settlement units illegally constructed and to which more than 600,000 Israeli settlers have been illegally transferred by the occupying Power.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation emphasizes that the aforementioned bill represents a flagrant breach of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly as well as blatant disregard for the will of the international community. Most recently, the Security Council, in resolution 2334 (2016), clearly condemned such unlawful Israeli colonization policies and called for their immediate cessation and for Israel’s compliance with its legal obligations. This latest illegal measure, however, demonstrates Israel’s total contempt for the law, for the will of the international community and for the fundamental pillars of peace in accordance with the two-State solution based on the pre-1967 borders. Rather than committing itself to peace on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions, the Madrid principles, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quartet road map, in line with the long-standing international consensus, Israel chooses over and over again to pursue illegal and unilateral policies that aim to cement its colonial occupation and are destroying the physical viability of the two-State solution and the chances of a just and lasting peace being achieved.

These most recent Israeli actions flouting the law compel us to call once again for all efforts to be exerted, in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions, to bring a halt to Israel’s systematic violations and denial of the rights of the Palestinian people and to advance the long overdue realization of their rights, including to self-determination and freedom in their independent State, and the achievement of a just and lasting solution to this conflict. It is high time to stop treating Israel as a State above the law and to hold it accountable for its violations and grave breaches of international law. Effective steps need to be taken by the international community to enforce the Security Council’s resolutions. This is imperative for bringing an end to Israel’s constant violations of international law and preserving the chances of realizing the two-State solution on the basis of the 1967 lines.

On behalf of OIC, and in view of the above-mentioned serious Israeli breach of international law, I sincerely appeal to you to do whatever is possible, in your capacity, to support the implementation of Security Council resolution 2334 (2016). Israel must be compelled to stop its violations and reverse all of its recent illegal measures, which pose serious risks to the already fragile situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the prospects for achieving peace.

Your good offices and your positive and proactive engagement with regard to this serious matter would thus be greatly appreciated.

I should also be grateful if you would arrange to 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) Muzaffar Madrakhimov

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

Chair of the Ambassadorial Group of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation in New York

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