SecGen report on the work of the Organization/GA 67th general debate/Question of Palestine – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly 

Sixty-seventh session 

6th plenary meeting 

Tuesday, 25 September 2012, 9 a.m. 

New York 

Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization (A/67/1)

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The winds of change in the Arab world and elsewhere will continue to blow. After decades of harsh occupation and humiliating restrictions in almost every aspect of their lives, the Palestinians must be able to realize their right to a viable State of their own. Israel must be able to live in peace and security, free from threats and rockets. The two-State solution is the only sustainable option, yet the door may be closing for good. The continued growth of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory seriously undermines efforts towards peace. We must break that dangerous impasse.

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The President: I thank the Secretary-General for his presentation.

Agenda item 8

General debate

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The President: On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations Her Excellency Ms. Dilma Rousseff, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, and to invite her to address the Assembly.

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With our eyes still set upon the Middle East, where some of the most important challenges to international peace and security lie, I wish to once more touch upon the Israeli-Palestinian question. I reiterate my words of 2011, when I expressed the Brazilian Government’s support for the recognition of the Palestinian State as a full Member of the United Nations. I added then, and I repeat today, that only a free and sovereign Palestine will be able to fulfil Israel’s legitimate desires for peace with its neighbours, security in its borders and regional political stability.

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The President: On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

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Among Israelis and Palestinians, the future must not belong to those who turn their backs on the prospect of peace. Let us leave behind those who thrive on conf lict, those who reject the right of Israel to exist. The road is hard, but the destination is clear: a secure, Jewish State of Israel and an independent, prosperous Palestine. Understanding that such a peace must come through a just agreement between the parties, America will walk alongside all who are prepared to make that journey.

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The President: On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Boni Yayi, President of the Republic of Benin, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

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Peace in the world is possible. We cannot ignore the situation in the Middle East. Today the United Nations has the means to find a fair and sustainable solution to the Palestinian problem, and under no pretext should it shirk its duty and historical responsibility. We are talking about security, stability and peace, not only in the Middle East, but for the entire world. Africa is fully in favour of the “one land, two States” solution to restore lasting peace in the Middle East, because in the end the two peoples — Palestinians and Israelis — must be able to live in love, friendship, peace and prosperity.

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The Acting President: On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Sauli Niinistö, President the Republic of Finland, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

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The Syrian conflict has overshadowed the Middle East peace process. That is something that the parties and the international community can ill afford. A two-State solution, within which an independent, viable and contiguous Palestinian State lives in peace and security with the State of Israel, is slipping out of reach. The Palestinians have waited patiently. The negotiations must restart. That is the only way forward. Renewed negotiations need to result in a sustainable solution that leads to the establishment of a Palestinian State, while respecting Israel’s legitimate security concerns. Settlements are squarely a contravention of international law and a growing obstacle to peace.

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The President: On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Demetris Christofias, President of the Republic of Cyprus, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

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Against that background of significant changes in the region, the Middle East peace process continues to be at an impasse. It is imperative to resume negotiations that can eventually lead to the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and the establishment of a free and independent Palestinian State on the basis of the pre-1967 borders. At the same time, the solution must address Israel’s legitimate security concerns.

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The President: On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

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Despite all the suffering in the Middle East, the core problem remains the Palestinian question: the continued Israeli occupation of the Arab territories in the West Bank, the Golan and Shaba’a farms in southern Lebanon, the stifling blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and the continued arrest and imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians in Israeli prisons. The peace process has stalled because of the current Israeli position that insists on continuing the policy of settlements in the Palestinian territories and Jerusalem and refusing to cede them.

Sometimes I would like to ask why the international community does nothing to implement the relevant resolutions on the Middle East. Why does the Security Council not adopt a resolution under Chapter VII that would force Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza and stop its settlement activity, a resolution that would return the peace process to the comprehensive track instead of the piecemeal approach, which does not lead to results? I find no answer to my questions.

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The Acting President (spoke in Spanish): On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Rossen Plevneliev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

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At the same time, the need to reactivate the Middle East peace process seems now more pressing than ever. Bulgaria looks forward to the resumption in good faith of direct negotiations and expects both parties to demonstrate their continued commitment to a peaceful solution that respects the legitimate interests and sensitivities of the Israeli and Palestinian people. All efforts should made to create an environment conducive to a comprehensive peace settlement between the two States, a two-State solution. In that respect, we urge both the Palestinians and the Israelis to refrain from any unilateral actions that could be destructive to the peace process.

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The Acting President (spoke in Spanish): On behalf of the General Assembly, I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations His Excellency Mr. François Hollande, President of the French Republic, and to invite him to address the Assembly.

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The third urgent issue is at last to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The status quo is not a response; it is an impasse. France will make every effort to re-establish the basis for negotiations leading to the coexistence of the two States in question; everyone knows that this is the only solution that could lead to a just and lasting peace in the region.

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The meeting rose at 3.05 p.m.

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-506. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.