Israeli military actions in Beit Hanoun – Resolution adopted by the League of Arab States Council, extraordinary session – Letter from League of Arab States

    Letter dated 13 November 2006 from the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

  I have the honour to transmit to you herewith resolution No. 6726 dated 12 November 2006, adopted by the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level at its extraordinary session held at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in Cairo (see annex).

  Pursuant to Article 54 of the Charter of the United Nations, I should be grateful if you would arrange for the present letter and its annex to be circulated as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Yahya Mahmassani

Ambassador

    Annex to the letter dated 13 November 2006 from the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

   [Original: Arabic]

    Ongoing Israeli acts of aggression against the Palestinian people and ways of dealing with them

  The Council of the League of Arab States, meeting at the ministerial level in extraordinary session on 12 November 2006,

  After reviewing:

 •   The note of the Secretary-General and the special report on the massacre committed by Israel at Beit Hanoun,

 •  The communiqué issued by the extraordinary session on 6 November 2006,

 •   The Security Council draft resolution on the situation in Gaza, which was vetoed by the United States of America on 11 November 2006,

  Having heard the presentation made by the head of the Palestinian delegation,

  In view of the presentation made by the Secretary-General and the interventions made by Ministers and heads of delegations,

  Acting on the Arab consensus on the centrality of the Palestinian cause and the peaceful and just resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict insofar as peace and security in the region are concerned,

  Paying tribute to the Palestinian people, who remain steadfast in the face of Israeli aggression, and affirming the right of the Palestinian people to wage their legitimate struggle to create an independent Palestinian State on all of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967 and the need to arrive at a just and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict on the basis of resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab peace initiative,

  Decides,

 1.   To condemn ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinian territory and Israeli crimes, the latest of which took place in Beit Hanoun, that target unarmed civilians — especially children and women — and are considered war crimes under international humanitarian law;

 2.   To express its profound indignation at the exercise of the veto by the United States of America in the Security Council against the Arab draft resolution, which reflects an unfriendly attitude towards the Arab States and peoples, prevents the Security Council from playing its role and assuming its responsibilities, sends a message of encouragement to Israel to continue its aggression, does not help to bring about peace in the region and damages the credibility of the United States of America and its ability to play a constructive role in establishing peace in the region;

 3.   To immediately break the embargo imposed on the Palestinian people and to call upon the international community to end all embargo measures imposed on the Palestinian people;

 4.   To call upon all Palestinian factions to quickly form a government of national unity in order to confront the grave challenges facing the Palestinian people;

 5.   To demand the release of Palestinian prisoners, particularly women, the elderly and children;

 6.   To demand the immediate release of Palestinian government members and officials and of the Israeli soldier;

 7.   To demand the cessation of Israeli military activities and acts of violence against civilians;

 8.   To express also its profound indignation at the interference with the role of the Security Council in dealing with the course of events in the Arab-Israeli conflict and at the silence of the Quartet and its failure to live up to its responsibility to revive the peace process;

 9.   In view of the interference with the Security Council in the discharge of its responsibilities:

 (a)   To refer the matter to an emergency special session of the General Assembly to be convened pursuant to General Assembly resolution 377 (V) “Uniting for Peace”,

 (b)   To call for an international investigation into the massacre perpetrated at Beit Hanoun and Israeli violations committed against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Territories and the dispatch of international forces to protect the Palestinian people,

 (c)   To call for an emergency session of the Human Rights Council to consider Israeli violations committed against Palestinians,

 10.   To call for the convening of a peace conference to be attended by the Arab parties, Israel and the permanent Member States of the Security Council in order to arrive at a just and comprehensive solution to all aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict in accordance with relevant international resolutions and the principle of land for peace;

 11.   To form an Arab ministerial delegation, made up of the current President of the Council of the League of Arab States, the Arab member of the Security Council and the Secretary-General to engage in consultations and undertake the necessary contacts with various international actors, particularly the Quartet and the permanent member States of the Security Council, in order to follow up on the implementation of this decision and to continue efforts to revive the peace process and to see that each party assumes its responsibilities;

 12.   To call upon the international community to assume its responsibilities and resume assistance to the Palestinian people and the Palestinian National Authority and to demand that Israel should immediately release the tax revenues of the Authority;

 13.   To call on Arab States and organizations, private-sector companies and Arab civil society organizations to immediately launch a campaign to rebuild what was destroyed in the recent Israeli aggression against the town of Beit Hanoun and other Palestinian cities;

 14.   To affirm the commitment of Arab States to continue providing financial support for the budget of the Palestinian National Authority in accordance with relevant decisions adopted by the Council, the latest of which was the Khartoum Summit decision (2006);

 15.   To keep the Council in session in order to monitor any developments or eventualities in the situation.

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