Palestinian women – Third Cttee debate – Summary record (excerpts)

Third Committee

Summary record of the 15th meeting

Held at Headquarters, New York, on Friday, 15 October 2004, at 3 p.m. 

 Chairman:   Ms. Groux (Vice-Chairman) ………………………………………………….  (Switzerland)

Contents

Agenda item 98: Advancement of women ( continued)

Agenda item 99: Implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women and of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”( continued)

The meeting was called to order at 3.20 p.m.

Agenda item 98: Advancement of women (continued ) (A/59/38, Parts I and II, A/59/135, A/59/185, A/59/185/Corr.1, A/59/281, A/59/313 and A/59/357)

Agenda item 99: Implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women and of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century” (continued) (A/59/115, A/59/214 and A/59/281)

…

8.  Mr. Al-Enezi (Kuwait) …

…

10.   In addition, a number of women’s organizations were assisting in post-conflict situations in various regions of the world, such as Kosovo, and southern Lebanon following clashes with Israel, which exerted heavy pressure on women and children in the occupied Palestinian territories. Violence against women was a flagrant violation of their fundamental political rights and of international humanitarian law, hence women in situations involving armed conflict must be given preferential treatment.

…

15.  Ms. Al Haj Ali (Syrian Arab Republic) …

…

19.   Women’s empowerment and the promotion of their human rights were distant goals for women who lived under foreign occupation, which violated basic human rights, international law and the relevant Security Council resolutions. The Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese Arab women living under Israeli occupation in the Golan Heights, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon continued to be deprived of all their basic human rights, including protection, medical care, education, employment and others. They were victims of an odious form of discrimination, manifested by the occupation of Arab lands, the implementation of a policy of repression and blockade by the Israeli occupation forces and the establishment of Israeli settlements. Women’s organizations would continue to monitor the situation of Syrian women in the occupied Golan Heights with a view to providing them with every possible assistance and guaranteeing the full realization of their human rights, particularly the right to live in peace, and on land free of occupation. Women’s advancement was not possible unless the occupation was brought to an end.

…

64.  Mr. Israeli (Israel), speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said that certain delegations from countries whose record on their own treatment of women was hardly sterling would have the committee believe that his country sought to make Palestinian women suffer. Nothing could be further from the truth. His Government was doing all it could to improve the situation of Palestinian women, from supplying them with humanitarian aid and medical attention to educating and training them so that they could be productive and independent members of the world community. His country strove to protect Palestinian women’s civil and human rights as much as possible, while still protecting its own population. The Palestinian leadership should end incitement of terror, as demanded by its commitments under international law and the road map. In so doing, both parties could return to the peace process and Palestinian women could regain the quality of life they had had prior to the previous four years of Palestinian terror.

65.   As for the accusation that Israel was occupying parts of southern Lebanon, he drew the Committee’s attention to Security Council resolution 1559 (2004), stating clearly that the only foreign military force on Lebanese soil was the one maintained by Syria.

…

The meeting rose at 5.10 p.m.

This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned within one week of the date of publication to the Chief of the Official Records Editing Section, room DC2-750, 2 United Nations Plaza, and incorporated in a copy of the record.

Corrections will be issued after the end of the session, in a separate corrigendum for each Committee.