SUPR Monthly Bulletin, Vol. IV, No. 6-7, CERPP, SUPR bulletin (June/July 1981) – SUPR publication

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SPECIAL UNIT ON

PALESTINIAN RIGHTS

June/July 1981

Volume IV, Bulletin No. 6 – 7

Contents

 

1.    Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People: Activities during June and July 1981

2.    Representation of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People at the Twelfth Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Conference, held in Baghdad, Iraq from 1 to 5 June

3.    Resolution adopted at the thirty-fourth World Health Assembly on health conditions of the Arab population in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine

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1.  Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable

Rights of the Palestinian People;

Activities during June and July 1981

The 66th meeting of the Committee was held on 10 July 1981. The Chairman of the Committee reported on his missions to the Twelfth Islamic Conference of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, held in Baghdad and the Eighteenth Summit Conference of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) held in Nairobi. The text of the statement made by the Chairman at the Twelfth Islamic Conference is reproduced below.

At the same meeting, the Committee welcomed Morocco and the United Arab Emirates who expressed a wish to participate in the work of the Committee as observers.

During this period the Acting Chairman of the Committee addressed a letter to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council in connexion with the most recent reports regarding the establishment of new settlements by Israel in the illegally occupied Arab territories. Annexed to the letter was a copy of a document by Mattityahu Drobless, the author of the Master Plan, of September 1980, entitled "Settlement in Judea and Samaria – Strategy, Policy and Plans". According to reliable information the report was adopted by the Government of Israel in January 1981.

The Chairman of the Committee also addressed a letter to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council expressing deep concern for the desecration of the Muslim cemetery in Istiqlal, carried out in order to clear the land for the construction of administrative offices and commercial centres. The full text of both letters is reproduced below.

On 3 June the Acting Chairman, on behalf of the Committee in a statement denounced the brutal assassination of Nairn Khader Representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Brussels.

On behalf of the Committee, the Acting Chairman issued a statement on 23 July 1981 strongly condemning the bombing by Israeli aircraft of Palestinians in and around Lebanon.

Letter dated 19 June 1981 from the Acting Chairman of the

Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the

Palestinian People to the Secretary-General

(A/36/341 – S/14566)

As Acting Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, I refer to the most recent reports regarding the establishment of new settlements by Israel in the illegally occupied Arab territories. According to these reports, Prime Minister Begin reiterated the intention of his Government to build even more settlements.

The continuation of this policy of changing the demographic character of the occupied territories in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949 1/ and in defiance of international opinion and General Assembly and Security Council resolutions constitutes a threat to international peace and security, already endangered by Israel's recklessness.

It will be recalled that, on 18 October 1979, the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People addressed a letter to the President of the Security Council and to the Secretary-General (A/34605-S/13582), to which he annexed a copy of a document of the World Zionist Federation  entitled "Master plan for the development of settlement in Judea and Samaria, 1979-1983". That master plan was clearly indicative of Israel's total disregard of the fundamental principles of international law, and of its intention to proceed with its policy on settlement regardless of the consequences to international peace.

Annexed hereto is a copy of another "document by the author of the master plan, Mattityahu Drobless, of September 1980, and entitled "Settlement in Judea and Samaria Strategy, policy and plans". According to reliable information, the report was adopted by the Government of Israel in January 1981. Foot-notes have been added to the report to include figures and information obtained from the updated Hebrew text of the report, issued in January 1981. Perusal of this document leaves one in no doubt of Israel's intention to annex the Arab territories it has illegally occupied. It proves, moreover, that the autonomy that Israel speaks of for these occupied territories will not apply to the territories but only to "the Arab population thereof". The report speaks also of lands being seized right away for the purpose of establishing settlements and cutting off the Arab population in order to make it difficult for it to form a territorial and political Continuity. Israel's cynicism and total lack of credibility is evidenced, moreover, in the statement which reads: "In the light of the current negotiations on the future of Judea and Samaria, it will now become necessary to conduct a race against time."

Plans also appear to be in hand to establish 12 to 15 settlements per annum over the next five years, with an intended increase of the Jewish population by 120,000 to 150,000 people.

It is essential that urgent and vigorous action be taken by the United Nations, especially the Security Council, the international community is not to be exposed to the dangers to which Israel's arrogant defiance of world public opinion and international law is exposing it.

WORLD ZIONIST FEDERATION

SETTLEMENT DIVISION

SETTLEMENT IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA

STRATEGY, POLICY AND PLANS

By

MATTITYAHU DROBLESS

Jerusalem, September 1980

THE CURRENT STATE OF THE SETTLEMENTS IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA till settlements have so far been established – or are in the process of being established – in Judea and Samaria: 21 communal settlements, 12 urban settlements, 3 moshavin, 3 kibbutzim, 3 industrial villages, 1 regional center and 1 industrial center. 35 settlements have been or are being established in Judea and Samaria over the past 3 years, since 1977 (see attached list of settlements in Judea and Samaria). The Jewish population in these regions totals some 10,000 people today.

The majority of the settlements in Judea and Samaria are communal villages.

The communal settlement is a relatively new form of settlement.  Such a settlement is designed to have a population of 300 families, in order to enable the development of an intensive and productive fora of communal life, a closed rural society capable of generating a quality of life and services on a higher level than normally found in- larger and open urban societies on the sane economic level. In this form of a smaller and closed society there is room for mutual cooperation and for taking decisions in principle which call for greater efforts being exerted in order to preserve the definite nature of the settlement. All the members of a communal settlement are members of a Joint cooperative association. For a new member to Join the association, he has to undergo the accepted absorption procedures required by agricultural settlements and to have his membership approved by an absorption committee composed of representatives of the Settlement Division and the settlement movement to which this particular settlement belongs and of one representative from the settlement itself. Each candidate has to meet the criteria as required by the nature of the settlement, by the regulations set by the association and in accordance with the nature of the founding settlement movement. This, in order to guarantee the greatest possible adjustment among the members, which is the precondition for the proper functioning of a small settlement. The association takes care of municipal services (gardening, roads, garbage, water, etc.) of welfare services (education, health, relief, etc.), of cultural, social and entertainment activities, and also assists the members in the productive-economic sphere (financing and marketing), preserves the nature of the settlement and represents it in dealings with external elements.

The Settlement Division assists in the financing of public investments and infrastructure work in the communal settlements. The assistance is given in the form of a long-term loan, in accordance with regulations and procedures applicable in agricultural settlements. The productive activity in the settlement is conducted by the members or by corporations of members with the responsibility resting with the members. The Settlement Division assists in financing the required investments in productive plants set up by the members or the association, in accordance with settlement standards. Such an assistance is only provided to permanent residents of the settlement working in that particular plant, and only after the economic rentability of the plant was examined and confirmed by Settlement Division experts.

The Settlement Division assists the rural villages in constructing their own means of production, with the aim of rapidly reducing the need of settlers to commute over long distances in order to cake a living – an undesirable phenomenon from the social, the economic and the security aspects. Owing to the shortage of land and water in the hilly regions which reduces the possibility of making a living on agriculture: it becomes necessary to establish means of livelihood for these settlements based on industry, tourism and sophisticated agriculture requiring a relatively small quantity of land and water.

It should be noted that notwithstanding the relatively scanty resources invested in the means of production, the settlers have managed to make a decent living. The social condition in most of the settlements is excellent and the atmosphere is pleasant and warm, abounding with intensive cultural and social activity. Therefore, most of the settlements established in Judea and Samaria are firmly established and function properly. At first we had to overcome numerous difficulties, but compared with other regions these settlements have managed to function properly within a brief period of time and with a relatively small investment being required. At first we had to provide water for the settlements by tankers alone, but now the large majority of the settlements are connected to water pipes. In various settlements (Kedumim, Shiloh) water drillings were carried out. The proper infrastructure has also been established and all of the Samaria settlements will soon by connected to the national electricity grid. In many settlements infrastructure work is already under way for putting up permanent housing units in accordance with the "Build Yourself a Home" method.

Hereunder details will be Riven about four communal settlements in Samaria, serving as a representative sample of all such settlements:

1. Ofrah

Ofrah – the first Jewish settlement in Samaria – was established 5 years ago on a high hill near the ancient city of Ofrah, at the foot of which lies the road lending to Eretz Hamirdafim (the terrain whore the IDF pursues terrorists) and to the Jordan Valley and near the hilly road along the southern border of Samaria. There are 72 2/families living in the settlement today with 300 children and with the total number of residents amounting to 500.3/  The social and cultural life, public services, maintenance and economic activity are pointly conducted by the settlement. So far, 72 provisional housing units have already been established, and 10 more arc due to be established this year. In addition, the construction of 50 permanent housing units is already under way, so that by the end of this year 80 4/ families will reside in Ofrah. About 80 percent of the residents of Ofrah make their living in the settlement proper and the rest earn their livelihood in the vicinity. There are 3 steel mills in the settlement, 3 carpentry workshops, a printers' workshop and an institute for removing honey from hives.  An office for computer programming services was also established in the settlement, in which 18 programmers and planners who reside in the settlement are employed. In addition, there arc also in Ofrah a field school employing 15 residents, a college for Jewish studies and a youth hostel, as well as accountants' and translation offices with clients in Jerusalem and a land surveyor's office. The Settlement Division planted for Ofrah a 90-dunam plantation of cherries, plums and apricots, and the territory of the plantation is to be expanded this year to 150-200 dunams. Industrial structures have also been put up during this year extending over a 2,100 sq. km. territory, in order to expand and establish the existent projects which are meantime scattered in provisional structures. The construction of 4 hen runs is also planned.

2. Beit-El

The settlement is located near the biblical Beit-El, near a military base on the right of the Ramallah-Nablus road, some 2 kms north of the road junction leading to Ofrah and some 20 kms north of Jerusalem. The Beit-El residence took occupancy of the settlement some two and a half years ago,5/ in November 1977.  There ore 65 6/ families residing in the settlement, with 170 children and with the total number of residents amounting to 300.7/ 74 housing units were established there. The construction of 50 permanent housing units has already been approved and infrastructure work is already under way. There is a large grocery store, a health clinic and a physician in the settlement and a child care clinic is soon to be opened there. In addition, there is also a library for children and adults, a youth club, a Bnei-Akiva Youth Movement club, and an intensive cultural and biblical studies activity. The settlers make their living on local and regional work and some of them -work in other places outside the region. A toy factory employing 3 residents and a cosmetics institute have already been established. The Settlement Division established in Beit-El a structure for industrial work extending over 660 square meters and fit to house between 3 and 6 factories. The setting up of a gas station with a snack bar and other facilities has already been approved and is soon to be started. Other possibilities for establishing economic projects in Beit-El during the coning budget year ore also being looked into.

3. Kedumim

Was established four and a half years ago.  It is located near the village of Kadum, some 7 kms west of Nablus.  The number of families residing in the settlement is 120, 8/ with 360 9/ children, 10 singles and 60 10/ yeshiva students  some 700 11/ people in all. So far, 130 "Ashkubit" housing units have been put up and 10 caravans. In addition, the infrastructure work for the construction of permanent housing in the "Build Yourself a Home" method is already under way. A synagogue, a central eating hall and kitchen, a crèche, administration offices, a school (9 classrooms), a yeshiva complex, a health clinic, a structure for a large grocery store and 8 structures for housing various types of shops for daily use have already been established. About 60 percent of the residents rake their living in the settlement proper. Two house plant nurseries, 3 hen as, a steel mill, an insecticide factory, a sewing workshop for children's clothes, a book-keeping office, a stencilling workshop, a paper mill (in partnership with a Japanese citizen who is an Israel sympathizer), a carpenter's workshop and a paint factory have also been established. The Eretz Yisrael College in the settlement employs 6 families and offers courses on the Judea and Samaria region in particular and on Eretz Yisrael in general.

4. Elon Moreh

The settlement was established in January 1960 in its present location on Mount Kabir and is situated some 4 kms east of Nablus. The number of families residing in the settlement is 35, 12/ with 130 13/ children and 6 singles – totalling some 200 14/ people altogether. So far, 41 Troumasbest housing units have been set up as well as 7 public buildings: a sinagogue, a kindergarten (2 class-rooms), a creche (3 rooms), a school (4 classrooms), a health clinic, administration offices and a large grocery store. A wide access road was paved to the settlement, and the paving of the road bypassing the village of Dir-el-Khatab is about to be concluded.

The Settlement Division is constructing at present an industrial complex on Mount Kabir, extending over 1,200 square meters and scheduled to house a locksmith's workshop and other plants (an insecticide factory, for example). The construction of an additional industrial complex is also being planned. Educational and cultural activities are conducted in a kindergarten, a creche and a youth club.  The absorption of additional families in the settlement is planned for the near future, so that by the end of this year the number of families residing in it will amount to around 40.15/

THE SETTLEMENT STRATEGY IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA

A large eastern rejectionist front which includes Syria, Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia is facing us today.  These countries, which have huge resources at their disposal and which ore united in their hostility towards Israel, are posing today a constant threat to our eastern border.  The lessons we learned from previous wars indicate that we ought to ensure that the border be drawn as far as possible from our dense urban, industrial and economic centers on the coastal plain, so as to provide ourselves with an adequate breathing space for mobilizing our army reserve forces on which we have to depend owing to the large superiority in number enjoyed by the Arab armies. Therefore, a creator distance between our eastern border with Jordan and our own population centers contributes a lot to the security of the entire state of Israel.

However, only a military presence in the territories west of the Jordan is not sufficient for the security of this sensitive region. The civilian presence of Jewish settlements is vital for the security of the state, since all the settlements in Judea and Samaria are located on high hills presiding over important axes which are not easily passable by armoured or any other types of vehicles. It should be noted that in light of the lessons drawn from the last war, all necessary measures have been taken to enable the settlers in the territories to defend themselves in the eventuality of a surprise attack being launched against them. Thus, it will not only become unnecessary to evacuate them in the eventuality of a var breaking out, but this dense chain of settlements situated on hilltops will be able to servo as a proper block against the united eastern front which is now threatening Israel, or at least to ward off an Arab attack until the reserve forces are mobilized and ready to fight. This buffer of settlements will also give a greater sense of security to the settlements in the Jordan Valley, which serve as our foremost defence wall on the east, and will keep them from getting into the position of being pressed from both the cast and the vest by hostile populations.

In light of the current negotiations on the future of Judea and Samaria, it will now become necessary for us to conduct a race against time. During this period, everything will be mainly determined by the facts we establish in these territories and less by any other considerations. This is therefore the best time for launching an extensive and comprehensive settlement momentum, particularly on the Judea and Samaria hilltops which are not easily passable by nature and which preside over the Jordan Valley on the east and over the Coastal Plain on the west.

It is therefore significant to stress today, mainly by means of actions, that the autonomy docs not and will not apply to the territories but only to the Arab population thereof. This should mainly find expression by establishing facts on the ground. Therefore, the state-owned lands and the uncultivated barren lands in Judea and Samaria ought to be seized right away, with the purpose of settling the areas between and around the centers occupied by the minorities so as to reduce to the minimum the danger of an additional Arab state being established in these territories. Being cut off by Jewish settlements the minority population will find it difficult to form a territorial and political continuity.

There mustn't be even the shadow of a doubt about our intention to keep the territories of Judea and Samaria for good. Otherwise, the minority population may get into a state of growing disquiet which will eventually result in recurrent efforts to establish an additional Arab state in these territories.

The best and most effective way of removing every shadow of a doubt about our intention to hold on to Judea and Samaria forever is by speeding up the settlement momentum in these territories.

Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria will mainly be carried out on state-owned lands or on uncultivated ownerless barren lands, and is by no means designed to dispossess people living on their land. Such a policy creates a reasonable prospect for a peaceful coexistence. Furthermore, the cohabitation of Jews and Arabs side by side for a long period of time is the only chance for developing a good neighbourly relationship as time goes by, for the gradual awakening of a mutual understanding and for the essential creation of common interests. It can be learned from historical experience that personal and close relations between hostile populations usually contribute to the creation of a de facto state of peace more than any political agreements signed by the leaders of these populations normally do.

SETTLEMENT POLICY IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA

Experience indicates that the situation must be averted of any one settlement being left isolated in whatever region, both owing to the need of relying on shared services together with neighbouring settlements and because of the security aspect. Thus, it is necessary to establish additional settlements near every existing settlement in Judea and Samaria, so as to create settlement clusters in homogenous settlement regions and to make it possible to develop shared services and means of production. It is not altogether unlikely that the expansion and development of these settlements will eventually result in some cases in their natural decision to merge and create a single urban settlement containing all the settlements of the same cluster. In order to make a large deployment of settlements possible and in order to establish settlements with a high quality of life, the majority of settlements in Judea and Samaria were and will continue to be established in the form of rural-communal villages. The population in these settlements will amount at the first stage to between 50 and 300 families which will find their means of livelihood mainly in industry, tourism and services and to a much lesser extent in sophisticated agriculture, owing to the shortage of agricultural means of production in these territories. Regional services in the educational , health and cultural spheres are planned and set up at the very first stage of the implementation of the settlement program – in each and every bloc, in one of the central settlements thereof. The setting up of these services as early as possible will contribute to the welfare of the new settlements. The establishment of the settlements is preceded by forming a group of potential settlers and getting then ready for taking occupancy of the land. The absorption unit of the Settlement Division sets up the framework for social assimilation activities among the settlers (both new immigrants and veteran citizens), in coordination with the various settlement movements and with other social bodies. It should be noted that the current potential for settlement is very high. There is an increasing stream of applications submitted by people wishing to settle in Judea and Samaria, and the number of families wishing to settle in these territories – either by setting up new settlements or by Joining existing ones – amounts to many thousands, both in Israel and in the diaspora.

Over the next 5 years it is necessary to establish 12-15 rural and urban settlements per annum in Judea and Samaria, so that in five years from now the number of settlements will grow by 60-75 and the Jewish population thereof will amount to between 120,000 and 150,000 people. More details about this plan can be found in the brochure submitted by me in October 1978 to the government and the inter-departmental settlement committee, entitled "A Master-plan for Settlement Development in Judea and Samaria for the years 1979-1983" and published by the Rural Settlement Division of the World Zionist Federation.16/ 

SETTLEMENTS ALREADY ESTABLISHED OR NOW BEING ESTABLISHED IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA 17/

(Altogether 13 urban settlements handled by the Construction Ministry)

Total: 44 settlements

Footnotes.  (The following figures and other information are as they appear in the Hebrew text of the report dated January 1981)

1.  About 78 settlements, with about 17.600 persons, have been and are being established in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley. In the last three years 56 settlements have been established in these areas, and the Jewish population increased in that period by 14,300 persons.

In Judea and Samaria (excluding the Jordan Valley) about 54 settlements have so far been established or are in the process of being established (of which 46 were established during the last three years). Of these, 27 communal settlements, 12 urban settlements, 4 industrial villages, 3 kibbutzim, 1 moshav, 1 regional centre, 1 industrial centre and 5 other settlements. The Jewish population in Judea and Samaria totals about 14,600 persons today.

2.   Now 80

3.   Now 600

4.   About 130

5.   About three years ago

6.   Now 73

7.   Now 500

8.   Now 130

9.   Now 400

10.   Now 80

11.   Now 800

12.   Now 40

13.   Now 150

14.   Now 300

15.   Now 70

16.   Over the next 5 years it is necessary to concentrate on the fast expansion of the existing 54 settlements in Judea and Samaria, the development of the infrastructure (roads, electricity, water and communications), creating sources of employment in the settlements and their vicinity, and the establishment of additional 10 settlements. These activities would increase the Jewish population of Judea and Samaria by about 100,000 people. Thus in 5 years some 120,000 Jews would be living in about 80 rural and urban settlements in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley.

17.   See attached

Settlements already established or being

established in Judea and Samaria

(According to the January 1981 version of the report)

Letter dated 13 July 1981 from the Chairman of the Committee on

the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People

addressed to the Secretary-General

(A/36/382-S/14593)

I have been instructed by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to express the Committee's deer concern at the complete disregard shown by Israel for the rights of the Palestinian people, examples of which can be found almost daily in the Israeli press.

According to these reports, the military occupation authorities continue to interfere in the education dispensed in the occupied territories and close schools and universities on the slightest pretext.

At the same time, the Israeli authorities continue to seize land and to proceed with the establishment of new settlements in defiance of the resolutions of the United Nations and of world public opinion.

The Committee is also concerned at the rumours that Dr. Abdul Shafi, Director of the Palestinian Red Cross in Gaza, has not been authorized to leave Gaza and that his freedom of movement in the region has been curtailed.

The Committee is likewise shocked to learn of the desecration of the cemetery, Istiqlal, situated in the centre of Haifa: it is reported that sone 3,000 "bodies have been exhumed in order to clear the land for the construction of administrative offices and. commercial centres.

The Committee feels that the United Nations, and in particular the Security Council, should take urgent steps to draw Israel's attention to the dangers inherent in such policies, which are pursued in defiance of world -public opinion.

2.  Representation of the Committee on the Exercise

of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian

People at the Twelfth Conference of Foreign

Ministers of the Islamic Conference,

held in Baghdad, Iraq from 1 to 5 June

The Chairman of the Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Ambassador Massamba Sarré made the following statement at the Twelfth Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Conference, held in Baghdad:

Statement

By Ambassador Massamba Sarré, Chairman

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights

of the Palestinian People at the Twelfth Conference of

Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Conference,

Baghdad, 1-5 June 1981

Mr. President,

I should like first of all to thank the organizers of this Conference, of the Iraqi Government and the Secretary-General of the Islamic Conference, for inviting me, in my capacity as Chairman of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of Palestinian People, to attend the proceedings of the Twelfth Conference of Foreign Ministers of States Members of the Islamic Conference.

Mr. President,

I should also like to extend to you our sincere and warm congratulations on your election to the Presidency of the Conference. Your talents as a great diplomat and your knowledge of international relations are a sure guarantee of the success of our work.

As you know, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, which I am representing today, is a United Nations Committee whose specific task is the promotion and implementation of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, national independence and return to its homeland. Its work is comparable to that of the Committee on decolonization and the Committee Against Apartheid. Its origin is linked to the history of the Palestinian question in the United Nations.

Mr. President,

The question of Palestine has been on the agenda of the General Assembly and of the Security Council since the very beginnings of the United Nations.

Approaching the problem with a view to finding a Just and equitable solution to it has often, unfortunately, resulted in misunderstandings which have only served to delay a long-awaited settlement. In spite of the obstacles, some Member States of the United Nations, to whom tribute is due, have spared no effort for the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people. Thanks to their spirit of openness and dialogue, the General Assembly adopted on 22 November 1971 the historic resolution 3236 (XXIX), defining the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. In paragraphs 1 and 2 of that resolution, the General Assembly:

"1. Reaffirms the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in Palestine, including:

"(a) The right to self-determination without external interference;

"(b) The right to national independence and sovereignty;

2. Reaffirms also the inalienable right of the Palestinians to return to their homes and property from which they have been displaced and uprooted, and calls for their return."

For the implementation of those rights, the General Assembly adopted on 10 November 1975 resolution 3376 (XXX), establishing a Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The mandate of the Committee is:

"to consider and recommend to the General Assembly a programme of implementation, designed to enable the Palestinian people to exercise the rights recognized in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Assembly resolution 3236 (XXIX), and to take into account, in the formulation of its recommendations  for the implementation of that programme, all the powers conferred by the Charter upon the principal organs of the United Nations".

The Committee began to carry out this mandate by formulating, in 1976, recommendations on ways and means of implementing the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

These recommendations are addressed in particular to the Security Council.  The emphasis is on the rights of the Palestinian people as defined in General Assembly resolution 3236 (XXIX), namely: The right of return; The right to self-determination, independence and national sovereignty.

I might add that all the recommendations made by the Committee are based on resolutions or decisions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly or Security Council.

In the course of its work, the Committee has paid special attention to the Palestinians' right of return. This right was recognized by the General Assembly in its resolution 194 (III), by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by Security Council resolution 237 (1967) and, lastly, by Israel itself in resolution 273 (III) of 11 May 1949, admitting it to membership in the United Nations.

In resolution 194 (III), the General Assembly had laid down the principles for a settlement of the refugee problem and resolved:

"that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by Governments or authorities responsible".

The right of the Palestinian refugees to return or to receive compensation was also reaffirmed subsequently in more than 30 other United Nations resolutions.

As regards ways and means of ensuring that the right of return can be exercised, our Committee proposes two phases,the first involving the 1967 refugees, whose return should be effected immediately and unconditionally pursuant to Security Council resolution 237 of 14 June 1967. This resolution has mandatory force, as laid down in Article 25 of the Charter of the United Nations Charter.

While this first phase is being implemented, the United Nations, in co-operation with the States directly concerned and the Palestine Liberation Organization, will make the necessary arrangements to ensure, during the second phase, the return of the Palestinian refugees driven from their lands between 19^8 and 1967.

In this connexion, we would stress that the only reason for this two-phase arrangement is the need to be realistic and that it is not to be interpreted as placing any restriction whatever on the right of return that must belong to all the exiled Palestinians.

In the case of those Palestinians who do not choose to return, the Committee has stipulated, in accordance with resolution 194 (III) that they should receive just and equitable compensation.

The second aspect of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is the right to self-determination, independence and national sovereignty. While the purpose of the implementation of the right of return is to promote the return of the Palestinians to their homeland, that is by no means sufficient to ensure that they can exercise their right to self-determination. In order to do so, the Palestinians must be able to express themselves freely as a sovereign people, and that is why the Committee calls for the evacuation of the Arab territories illegally occupied by Israel so that the Arab territorial entity provided for in resolution 181 (II) may be established there thus enabling the Palestinian people to take control of their own destiny.

Such a decision is in line with the responsibilities already assumed by the United Nations when it solemnly proclaimed "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war".

Our Committee, being convinced that the Israeli occupation of the Arab territories is, both in principle and as regards the methods employed, viewed with disapproval by the international community and that, moreover, it constitutes an obstacle to the exercise of the right of the Arab Palestinian people to self-determination and national sovereignty, proposed the adoption by the Security Council of the following measures designed to put an end to this state of affairs:

1.   The establishment of a time-table for evacuation of the occupied areas, with 1 June 1977 as the deadline;

2.   The stationing of temporary peace-keeping forces;

3.   The establishment of a temporary United Nations administration with the task of handing over the evacuated territories to the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Pending completion of the evacuation of the territories, Israel should renounce all violation of human rights in the occupied territories and its policy of establishing Jewish settlements.

Mr. President,

Our Committee, as you can see, has based its work entirely on the relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly and the Security Council, whether dealing with the refugee question, the evacuation of the occupied Arab territories or the implementation of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people. Similarly, all the measures it recommends are in accordance with the spirit and letter of the United Nations Charter.

The implementation of this programme requires the active co-operation of the Security Council. Unfortunately, the Council has so far been unable to approve this programme because of the attitude of certain countries – I say certain countries because on four occasions between 1976 and 1980, when the Council had to consider the recommendations of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, a permanent member of the Security Council blocked any decision by using the veto.

Meanwhile, the General Assembly, in its resolutions 31/20, 32/40, 33/28 and 34/65, reaffirmed the full validity of the recommendations of our Committee. In its resolution 34/65 A, the General Assembly "Once again urges the Security Council to consider and take as soon as possible a decision on the recommendations endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolutions 31/20, 32/40 A and 33/28 A and in the present resolution".

On the same occasion, the Assembly "Authorizes and requests the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in the event of the Security Council failing to consider or to take a decision on those recommendations by 31 March 1980, to consider that situation and to make the suggestions it deems appropriate".

Following the veto by a permanent member of the Security Council at the conclusion of the Council's debate on Palestine in March/April 1980, the Committee, through its Chairman, requested the convening of an emergency special session of the General Assembly on the question of Palestine.

The emergency session, in which there was broad participation by the international community, provided an opportunity to adopt important decisions. For instance, the Secretary-General was requested to take the necessary measures towards the implementation of the recommendations of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

The Security Council was also requested, "in the event of non-compliance by Israel with the present resolution, to convene in order to consider the situation and the adoption of effective measures under Chapter VII of the Charter".

As the members of this distinguished assembly will have heard, Israel has refused any co-operation with the Secretary-General.

The Committee is therefore obliged to turn once again to the Security Council with a view to persuading it to take effective measures to induce Israel to co-operate in the implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

In the view of our Committee, recognition by the Security Council of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people cannot fail to be a positive contribution to any discussion which seeks a Just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Middle East problem. Since the Palestinian problem is at the heart of the Middle East conflict, it seems to us unrealistic to try to find a solution to it while disregarding the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, wherever they may be.

Mr. President, Your Excellencies,

Israel's attitude towards the national rights of the Palestinian people has had the effect of further isolating that State within the international community.

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People has been encouraged in its task by the successes which the Palestinian cause is achieving throughout the world. The EEC countries have recognized the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people. The Seventh Summit Conference of the States members of the Organization of African reaffirmed the support of the African countries for the struggle of the Palestinian people to recover their usurped national rights. At the last summit meeting of the non-aligned States, held in Havana, the cause of the Palestinian people received the firm support of more than 90 countries. Recently, other countries in Europe have stated their position on the rights of the Palestinian people. Such a trend is striking proof of the broad consensus which is gradually emerging in the international community on the necessity of taking account of the national rights of the Palestinian people in any effort for peace in that part of the world.

Israel's increasing isolation is reflected in the resolutions adopted almost unanimously in 1980 by the Security Council on the question of Israeli practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Thus, in its resolution 465 (1960) which was adopted unanimously, the Security Council stated that all measures taken by Israel to change, inter alia, the demographic composition and the status of the Arab and Palestinian territories occupied illegally since 1967 had no legal validity.

The Council also called upon Israel to dismantle the existing settlements and in particular to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment of new settlements in the occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem. The Council strongly deplored the Israeli Government's policy of establishing settlements and termed it a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, Just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

The Security Council subsequently adopted, again unanimously, several other resolutions, including resolution 476 (1980), in which it "Reconfirms that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, which purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and also constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, Just and lasting peace in the Middle East".

Mr. President, Your Excellencies,

The emerging concensus against Israeli violations of international law was further illustrated after the adoption by the Israeli parliament of a law making Jerusalem the capital of Israel.

This attitude was rejected by the international community through the adoption of Security Council resolution 476 (1960) and General Assembly resolution 35/169 E. In addition, a number of countries in Europe and the Americas indicated their disapproval of the "Israeli law" by transferring their embassies from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.

Our Committee, which abides by the international definition of the status of Jerusalem contained in General Assembly resolution 181 (II), will continue to work for the termination of the Israeli occupation.

Mr. President, Your Excellencies,

A number of attempts to settle the Middle East question have been made recently. Our Committee, which follows these attempts closely, is in principle in favour of efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the question of the Near East. We feel, however, that if such attempts are to produce results satisfactorily to all they must not only take into consideration the rights of all the parties, as defined in the Charter and in all relevant United Nations resolutions, but also allow the participation of all interested parties, including the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

With regard more particularly to the settlement of the question of Palestine, the Committee believes that it should be based on the following principles:

(a) The question of Palestine is at the heart of the Middle East problem and, consequently, no solution can be envisaged in that region without taking full account of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people;

(b) Full implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to return to their homes and property and to accede to self-determination, independence and national sovereignty will contribute decisively to a comprehensive and final settlement of the Middle East crisis;

(c) The inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force and the consequent obligation for Israel to withdraw completely and speedily from all territory thus occupied, in accordance with Security Council resolution 242 (1967);

(d) The participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, on a footing of equality with the other parties on the basis of General Assembly resolutions 3236 (XXIX) and 3375 (XXX) is essential in all efforts, deliberations and conferences on the Middle East undertaken under United Nations auspices.

As you have seen, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People keeps the Security Council constantly informed of developments in the occupied Palestinian territories. It also tries to present to international public opinion a true picture of the Palestinian question, namely, that of a people unjustly deprived of its national rights.

It is in this context that the seminars which are being held on the Palestinian problem should be viewed. The most recent were at Arusha in July 1980 and at Vienna in August 1960. Two more are scheduled for 1981, in Latin America and Asia. In the same spirit, our Committee participates in the meetings of certain international institutions, such as the Islamic Conference and the meetings of the non-aligned countries.

The Committee's purpose, in calling on the United Nations to adopt resolutions on the implementation of the rights of the Palestinian people is to draw the attention of world public opinion to the urgent and vital need to find a Just and equitable solution to the Palestinian question, which is of course in the interest of international peace and security.

The results, while encouraging, are not yet sufficient. That is why the priority task of the Committee is to continue to work for the adoption by the Security Council of the Committee's recommendations since the Security Council is the only United Nations organ able to take mandatory decisions.

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, because it is working for a noble and Just cause in the service of international peace and security, has instructed me tell you that it will continue to work with the same faith and the same determination for the implementation of the rights of the Palestinian people. The difficulties we shall encounter will only strengthen our determination to find a just and equitable solution for the Palestinian cause. We know that the cause of the Palestinian people, like that of all the oppressed, will finally be understood and will thus triumph.

Our Committee wishes to make its contribution, however modest, to that triumph. That triumph will restore peace and stability to a region which is so dear to mankind.

3.   The Thirty-fourth World Health Assembly adopts a

resolution on the health conditions of the

Arab population in the occupied Arab

territories, including Palestine

The World Health Assembly at its fourteenth plenary meeting on 20 May 1981 adopted the following resolution:

The Thirty-fourth World Health Assembly,

Mindful of the basic principle laid down in the WHO Constitution which provides that the health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security;

Aware of its responsibility for ensuring proper health conditions for all peoples who suffer from exceptional situations, including foreign occupation and especially settler colonialism;

Bearing in mind that the WHO Constitution provides that "health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity";

Affirming the principle that the acquisition of territories by force is inadmissible and that any occupation' of territories by force gravely affects the health, psychological, mental and physical conditions of the population under occupation and that this can be only rectified by the complete and immediate termination of the occupation;

Considering that the States parties to the Geneva Convention of 12 August pledged, under Article One thereof, not only to respect the Convention but also to ensure their respect in all circumstances;

Recalling the United Nations resolutions concerning the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination;

Affirming the right of Arab refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes and properties from which they were forced to emigrate;

Recalling all the previous WHO resolutions on this matter, especially resolution WHA26.56, dated 23 May 1973, and subsequent resolutions;

Recalling resolution 1 (XXXVII), 1981, adopted by the Commission on Human Rights, which condemns Israel's violations of human rights in occupied Arab territories, including Palestine;

Taking note of the report of the Special Committee of Experts;

I

REQUESTS the Director-General to increase collaboration  and coordination with the Palestine Liberation Organization concerning necessary assistance to the Palestinian people;

II

Having examined the annual report of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East;

Deeply concerned by the deterioration of the situation suffered by the Agency concerning its budget and services provided, due to the repeated Israeli aggression;

1.  REQUESTS States to increase their contribution to enable the Agency to continue carrying out the tasks assigned to it;

2.  REQUESTS the Director-General to continue his collaboration with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, by all possible means and to the extent necessary to ease the difficulties it is facing and increase the services it provides to the Palestinian people;

III

1.  EXPRESSES its deep concern at the poor health and psychological conditions suffered by the inhabitants of the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, and condemns Israel's attempts to incorporate Arab health institutions into the occupation authorities' institutions;

2.  CONDEMNS all acts undertaken by Israel to change the physical aspects, the geography, the institutional and legal status or context of the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, and considers Israel's policy in settling part of its population and' new settlers in the occupied territories a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and the relevant United Nations resolutions;

3.  CONDEMNS the establishment of Israeli settlements in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, and the illicitly exploitation of natural wealth and resources of the Arab inhabitants in those territories, especially the confiscation of Arab water sources and their diversion for the purposes of occupation and settlement;

4.  CONDEMNS the inhuman practices to which Arab prisoners and detainees are subject in Israeli prisons, resulting in the deterioration of their health, psychological and mental conditions, and causing death and permanent physical disability;

5.  CONDEMNS Israel for its refusal to apply the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949;

6.  CONDEMNS Israel for its refusal to implement World Health Assembly and other international organization's resolutions calling upon it to allow refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes;

7.  CONDEMNS Israel for its arbitrary practices and its continuous shelling of Palestine refugee housing settlements in southern Lebanon which affects the physical, social and psychological health conditions of the Arab inhabitants, and considers that its refusal to implement resolutions of the World Health Organization constitutes an explicit breach of the letter and spirit of the WHO Constitution;

8.  ENDORSES the opinion of the Special Committee of Experts that "the socioeconomic situation of a!population and its state of health are closely related" and that the sociopolitical situation existing in the occupied Arab territories including Palestine is favourable neither to the improvement of the state of health of the population concerned nor to the full development of services adapted to the promotion of human welfare;

9.  CONDEMNS Israel for not allowing the Special Committee freedom to carry out its tasks according to World Health Assembly resolution WH33.18, especially with respect to visiting prisoners;

10. REQUESTS the Special Committee to continue its task with respect to all the implications of occupation and the policies of the occupying Israeli authorities and their various practices which adversely affect the health conditions of the Arab inhabitants in the occupied Arab territories including Palestine, and to submit a report to the Thirty-fifth World Health Assembly, bearing in mind all the provisions of this resolution, in coordination with the Arab States concerned and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

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