DPR Monthly Bulletin – Vol. XXIV, No. 3 – CEIRPP, DPR bulletin (April – August 2001) – DPR publication

April – August 2001

Volume XXIV  Bulletin No. 3

Contents

I.   LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES ADOPTS TWO RESOLUTIONS ON JERUSALEM

At its one hundred and fifteenth regular session, held in Cairo on 12 March 2001, the League of Arab States adopted resolution 115/6053, entitled “Question of Jerusalem”, and resolution 115/6057, entitled “Dubious attempts by Israel to have a number of archaeological sites in East Jerusalem inscribed on the World Heritage List”.  The text of the resolutions was transmitted to the United Nations in separate letters, dated 15 and 17 May 2001 respectively, from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary General (A/55/943-S/2001/490 and A/55/944-S/2001/491).  The texts of the resolutions are reproduced below:

115/6053.  Question of Jerusalem

The Council of the League of Arab States,

Having considered:

Noting with concern the deteriorating situation in the city of Jerusalem caused by ongoing Israeli practices aimed at its Judaization and at the expulsion of its Palestinian residents and the seizure of their property and resulting from the expansion of existing settlements and the repeated imposition of closures,

Decides:

1. To affirm Palestinian sovereignty over East Jerusalem and the importance of the city both as the capital of the State of Palestine and in order to ensure geographical contiguity and the freedom of movement and of economic activity of the Palestinian people;

2. To affirm the Arab character of Jerusalem and of its antiquities and Holy Places, and in particular the status of the Buraq Wall (Western Wall) as an Islamic, Palestinian and Arab monument; and to confirm the December 1930 findings of the Commission appointed by the British Government, with the approval of the Council of the League of Nations, concerning the Arab right to the Western or Wailing Wall [A/7057/Add.1-S/8427/Add.1];

3. To hold Israel responsible for any danger to the Buraq Wall, of any kind whatever, arising out of any threatened assaults upon it by the Israeli authorities or by Jewish extremists;

4. To affirm the established Arab position concerning the illegal character of moves to relocate the embassy of the United States of America to Jerusalem; and to recall the resolution adopted by the Eleventh Arab Summit Conference, held in Amman in 1980, concerning the severance of relations with countries that relocate their embassies to Jerusalem or recognize the city as the capital of Israel;

5. To urge the international community to bring pressure to bear on Israel to halt all of its illegal practices and measures in Jerusalem, which are in violation of all the relevant international covenants and conventions, and to do so in particular in relation to settlement activities, the expropriation of land, excavations, the withdrawal of identity documents and the imposition of blockades;

6. To call upon humanitarian and human rights organizations to support the litigation seeking to establish that the leasing by the United States of America of the land on which it intends to build its embassy is illegal;

7. To intensify efforts with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to give effect to Executive Board decision 159 EX/3.4.1, relating to Jerusalem, and to General Conference resolution 30 C/28 in order to ensure the completion of the mission entrusted to the American expert Oleg Graber, who, in accordance with the spirit of the 1972 Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, was commissioned to prepare a report on the cultural heritage of Jerusalem;

8. To appeal to the United Nations and its specialized agencies as well as to other international and regional organizations to refrain from participating in conferences held in Jerusalem as long as the city is occupied and no agreement in its regard has been reached;

9. To request the Secretariat to intensify its consultations with all the members of the Security Council and with other States in order to explain the issue of Jerusalem, affirm the Arab position in its regard and state that position at international conferences and in international forums and to strive for compliance with the resolutions that embody international legitimacy, specifically Security Council resolution 242 (1967), in which the Council emphasizes the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force, and resolution 252 (1968), in which it considers Israeli measures for the Judaization of the city of Jerusalem to be illegal;

10. To take the necessary measures to have the Al-Aqsa Fund play a more active role in funding projects for the preservation of the Arab and Islamic identity of Jerusalem and for enabling the Palestinian economy to develop its indigenous capacities, disengage from the Israeli economy and cope with the policy of isolation and blockade.

115/6057. Dubious attempts by Israel to have a number of archaeological sites in East Jerusalem

inscribed on the World Heritage List

The Council of the League of Arab States,

Having considered:

Decides:

1. To condemn Israel's dubious attempts to assert its sovereignty over Jerusalem and certain areas of the West Bank by seeking to have a number of archaeological sites in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories inscribed on the World Heritage List;

2. To have member States establish the necessary contacts, at the ministerial level, with the States members of the World Heritage Committee in order to convey to them the Arab position that Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories have since 1967 constituted occupied territory under the terms of resolutions that have the force of international law and the resolutions of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; and to have member States make the necessary endeavours for the deferral of any action on the Israeli request to the World Heritage Committee;

3. To request the Secretary-General, as a matter of urgency, to form a committee of experts  on legal matters and on matters  relating to Jerusalem, open to representatives of all member States and meeting at League headquarters, to consider the question of the Israeli endeavours to have a number of archaeological sites in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories inscribed on the World Heritage List and to submit a report to the Council at its next session;

4. To request the Secretary-General, acting in coordination with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, to hold consultations with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and to report to the Council at its next session.

At its meeting in Amman on 28 and 29 March 2001, the League of Arab States issued a final communiqué and adopted the Declaration of Amman.  The communiqué and the declaration were transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in a letter dated 6 April 2001 from the Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United Nations (A/55/892-S/2001/342).  Excerpts concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict from the communiqué and from the declaration are reproduced below:

Final communiqué

…

6.  In this context, the leaders reviewed the grave situation in which the Palestinian people finds itself as a result of the large-scale aggression being waged by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinians, using all modes of oppression and all types of weapons, including those internationally prohibited, in addition to the intensification of the economic blockade, the continuation of the settlement policy, the assassinations, the destruction of homes and the despoiling of the environment, in flagrant violation of agreements and agreed deadlines and in clear breach of the rules of international law, custom and international covenants.

7. The leaders hail with great pride the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, its valiant Intifadah in the face of the ferocious attack being launched by Israel and the opposition it is presenting to the savage repression being practiced by the occupation authorities.  They laud and hail the valiant martyrs of the Intifadah, commend the spirit of dedication and steadfastness of the Palestinian people, which has been able, with its national leadership and with unswerving resolve and unlimited readiness for self-sacrifice, to oppose the Israeli measures of oppression and frustrate the policy of fait accompli whereby the occupation authorities have sought forcibly to impose their unjust conditions on the Palestinian people and the Palestinian negotiating partner. The leaders declare that they stand with the Palestinian people in its heroic struggle and support its Intifadah and its legitimate right to oppose the occupation in order that it may achieve its just national demands, namely the right of return, the right to self-determination and the right to establish the independent State of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital.

8. The Arab leaders hail the steadfastness of the Syrian citizens in the occupied Syrian Arab Golan and their adherence to their national identity.

9. The leaders condemn the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. They also condemn Israel’s massive violations of human rights, particularly the collective punishments, the dismemberment of the Palestinian territories and the ongoing attacks on vital facilities and Palestinian national institutions, which constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and racist practices. All these constitute a massive breach of the rules of international humanitarian law, and this situation must be remedied. The upshot is that these Zionist practices still constitute a form of racism. The leaders also call for the resumed convening of the Conference of States Parties to the fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 as soon as possible for the adoption of measures to protect Palestinian civilians.

10. The leaders express their extreme displeasure at the United States’ use of the veto in the Security Council against the draft resolution concerning the protection of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories and the establishment of a United Nations observer force in those territories. They express their total rejection of the United States excuses, inasmuch as this position is absolutely inconsonant with the responsibility of the United States of America as a sponsor of the peace process and a permanent member of the Security Council, bearing special responsibility with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security.

11. The leaders reaffirm their call to the Security Council concerning the need to assume responsibility for providing the necessary international protection for the Palestinian people suffering under Israeli occupation and the creation of an international force to this end. They call upon the States members of the Security Council, in particular the permanent members, to take the necessary steps for the implementation of those measures.

12. The leaders call upon the Security Council to bring to trial the Israeli war criminals who have perpetrated massacres and other crimes against Arab citizens in all the occupied Arab territories and elsewhere, especially in the light of what was stated in the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Mary Robinson.

13. The leaders welcome the decision of the Higher Council for the Al-Aqsa Fund and the Al-Quds Intifadah Fund to respond as a matter of urgency to support the budget of the Palestine National Authority by disbursement of the sum of $15 million out of the interest-free loan in the amount of $60 million authorized by the Higher Council on the basis of the proposal made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  In view of the harsh financial and economic circumstances which the Palestinian people is experiencing, they have instructed the Higher Council for the two Funds to comply with the request of the Palestinian National Authority to disburse the additional sum requested, namely $180 million, to support the Authority’s budget for the next six months.

…

14. The leaders reaffirm their adherence to the Security Council resolutions concerning the City of Jerusalem, in particular resolutions 252 (1968), 267 (1969), 465 (1980) and 478 (1980), which declare null and void all measures taken, or to be taken, by Israel to change the character of this city, and they urge the world’s States to refrain from relocating their embassies to Jerusalem. In this context, the leaders reaffirm the resolutions adopted by the Arab Summit in Amman (1980), Baghdad (1990) and Cairo (2000), calling for the severance of all relations with States that relocate their embassies to Jerusalem or recognize the city as the capital of Israel.

15. The leaders affirm their continuing adherence to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East based on the resolutions of international legitimacy and the principle of land for peace and guaranteeing legitimate Arab rights and the achievement of security and stability in the region.

16. The Arab leaders warn of the consequences of the Israeli Government’s renunciation of the bases, terms of reference and principles upon which the 1991 Madrid peace process was built and the consequences of diverging from them or of putting forward alternatives that do not comply with the principles of international legitimacy. They affirm the inseparability of the Syrian and Lebanese tracks and their close link with the Palestinian track for the achievement of the Arab goals of reactivating all tracks. They warn of the Israeli practices aimed at isolating one track from another and call for Arab coordination. They reaffirm that the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace in the region requires as a precondition complete Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to the line of 4 June 1967 and from the remaining occupied Lebanese territory up to the internationally recognized borders, including the Shab`a farmlands, in implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978) and the principle of land for peace; enabling the Palestinian people to reclaim its inalienable national rights, including the right of return, compensation in accordance with United Nations General Assembly resolution 194 (III) for the damage sustained as a result of the Israeli occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State on its national soil with Jerusalem as its capital; and the release of all Arab prisoners from Israeli jails.

17. The leaders charge Israel with full legal responsibility for the existence of the problem of the Palestinian refugees and for their forced displacement. They affirm their rejection of all projects and endeavours aimed at the resettlement of these refugees outside their homeland. They also hold Israel responsible for compensating the Arab host States for the financial burdens that they, in lieu of the international community, have sustained as a result of hosting these refugees.

18. The leaders resolve to continue the suspension of participation by the Arab States in multilateral negotiations and of all measures and activities for regional and economic cooperation with Israel and to hold Israel responsible for such  steps and measures as may be taken by the Arab States with regard to Israel and are necessitated by the suspension of the peace process and the escalation of the repressive measures and the blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities on the Palestinian people. The leaders affirm their resolution taken at the Extraordinary Summit in Cairo in 2000 to oppose resolutely Israel’s attempts to penetrate the Arab world, under any designation, and to suspend the maintenance of any relations with Israel. They hold Israel responsible for the measures and decisions to be taken by the Arab States in connection with their relations with it, including their severance. They demand the reactivation of the Arab boycott of Israel, through regular convening of the periodic boycott conferences, called for by the main boycott office, with the aim of preventing business with Israel in application of the rules of the boycott.

19. The leaders also affirm their complete solidarity with Syria and Lebanon and reject the Israeli threats that have escalated recently against these fraternal countries. They also reject the dangerous threats directed by Israeli officials against the Arab States, the Palestinian people and its leadership. They condemn the logic of the threat of use of force and affirm the need to study closely the serious situation arising from that and from the Israeli reversal to its racist policy. They call for the drawing up of a clearly defined Arab strategy to expose Israeli plans that do not serve peace and which threaten security and stability in the region. They also reject Israeli attempts to level accusations of terrorism against Arab States that undertake the duty of legitimate national resistance against Israeli occupation of their territory

…

21. The leaders affirm that for lasting peace and security in the region to be achieved, Israel must accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and place all of its nuclear facilities under the international inspection and monitoring regime. They also affirm in this connection the extreme importance of ridding the Middle East region of nuclear weapons and of all weapons of mass destruction as a necessary and indispensable precondition for the establishment of any regional security arrangements in the future.

22. The leaders reaffirm that adherence to the peace process requires Israel to implement the agreements and meet the deadlines already arrived at and to build on what has already been achieved. It also requires the resumption of negotiations on all tracks from the  point where they stopped, in accordance with their original terms and conditions.  The sponsors of the peace process, in particular the United States of America, must assume their responsibilities and obligations in respect thereof on the basis of justice and neutrality.

23. The leaders urge all States concerned with the peace process, in the forefront of which are the States of the European Union, to assume an active role in overcoming the obstacles that impede the peace process in the Middle East.

24. The Arab leaders call upon the United Nations, with its responsibility for preserving international peace and security and as the source of international legitimacy, to play a more active role in implementing its resolutions concerning settlement of the Middle East question.

Amman Declaration

27 and 28 March 2001

…

Proceeding from pan-Arab responsibility and the desire to strengthen and develop Arab relations so as to achieve the overriding objectives of the Nation, preserve its dignity and safeguard pan-Arab security, declare our resolve:

…

– To provide full support for our Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese brothers in their struggle for the reinstatement of their legitimate rights, affirming that Israeli with-drawal from all Arab territories occupied in 1967, primarily Jerusalem, as well as from the Syrian Golan Heights to the borders of 4 June and from the Lebanese territory still under occupation, is the only approach to the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, such achievement being the sole guarantee of security for all, just as the achievement of lasting peace in the region is linked to ridding it of all weapons of mass destruction, in particular Israeli nuclear arms. We appeal to all effective forces and the parties concerned with the maintenance of international peace and security to shoulder their responsibilities in that regard as part of a comprehensive and balanced methodology and singular criteria; …

The Commission on Human Rights held its fifty-seventh session in Geneva from 19 March to 27 April 2001. The Commission considered issues relating to the question of Palestine under agenda items 8 and 5 entitled “Question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine” and “The right of peoples to self-determination and its application to peoples under colonial or alien domination or foreign occupation” respectively.

Under item 8, the Commission had before it a report by the Special Rapporteur, Mr. Giorgio Giacomelli (E/CN.4/2001/30), the report of the human rights inquiry commission established pursuant to Commission resolution S-5/1 of 19 October 2000 (E/CN.4/2001/121) and Ms. Mary Robinson’s report on her visit to the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel, Egypt and Jordan from 8 to 16 November 2000 (E/CN.4/2001/114).

On 6 April 2001, the Commission on Human Rights discussed item 5 and adopted resolution 2001/2. On 18 April 2001 the Commission discussed item 8 and adopted resolutions: 2001/6, 2001/7 and 2001/8. The texts of the four resolutions are reproduced below:

2001/2.   Situation in occupied Palestine

The Commission on Human Rights, 

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular the provisions of Articles 1 and 55 thereof, which affirm the right of peoples to self-determination, and reaffirming the need for scrupulous respect of the principle of refraining in international relations from the threat or use of force, as specified in the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 2625 (XXV) of 24 October 1970,

Guided also by the provisions of article 1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which affirm that all peoples have the right to self-determination,

Guided further by the provisions of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted in June 1993 by the World Conference on Human Rights (A/CONF.157/23), and in particular Part I, paragraphs 2 and 3, relating to the right of self-determination of all peoples and especially those subject to foreign occupation,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 181 A and B (II) of 29 November 1947 and 194 (III) of 11 December 1948, as well as all other resolutions which confirm and define the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, particularly their right to self-determination,

Recalling also its previous resolutions in this regard, the latest of which is its resolution 2000/4 of 7 April 2000,

Reaffirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the relevant United Nations resolutions and declarations, and the provisions of international covenants and instruments relating to the right to self-determination as an international principle and as a right of all peoples in the world, as it is a jus cogens in international law, and a basic condition for achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region of the Middle East,

1. Reaffirms the inalienable, permanent and unqualified right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including its right to establish its sovereign and independent Palestinian State, and looks forward to the early fulfilment of this right;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to transmit the present resolution to the Government of Israel and all other Governments, to disseminate it on the widest possible scale and to make available to the Commission, prior to the convening of its fifty-eighth session, all information pertaining to the implementation of the present resolution by the Government of Israel;

3. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-eighth session the item entitled "The right of peoples to self-determination and its application to peoples under colonial or alien domination or foreign occupation" and to consider the situation in occupied Palestine under that agenda item, as a matter of high priority.

43rd meeting

6 April 2001

Adopted by a roll-call vote of 48 votes to 2,

with 2 abstentions.

2001/6.  Human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan

The Commission on Human Rights,

Deeply concerned at the suffering of the Syrian citizens in the occupied Syrian Golan due to the violation of their fundamental and human rights since the Israeli military occupation of 1967,

Recalling Security Council resolution 497 (1981) of 17 December 1981,

Recalling also all relevant General Assembly resolutions, including the latest, resolution 55/51 of 1 December 2000, in which the Assembly declared that Israel had failed to comply with Security Council resolution 497 (1981) and demanded that Israel withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan,

Reaffirming once more the illegality of Israel's decision of 14 December 1981 to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan, which has resulted in the effective annexation of that territory,

Reaffirming the principle of non-acquisition of territory by force in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law,

Taking note with deep concern of the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories (A/55/453) and, in this connection, deploring the Israeli settlement in the occupied Arab territories and regretting Israel's constant refusal to cooperate with and to receive the Special Committee,

Guided by the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and reaffirming the applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, and the relevant provisions of the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 to the occupied Syrian Golan,

Reaffirming the importance of the peace process which started in Madrid on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973 and the principle of land for peace, and expressing its concern at the stoppage of the peace process in the Middle East and its hope that peace talks will be resumed on the basis of the full implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) for the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace in the region,

Reaffirming also its previous relevant resolutions, the most recent being resolution 2000/7 of 17 April 2000,

1. Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to comply with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and of the Security Council, particularly resolution 497 (1981), in which the Council, inter alia, decided that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void and without international legal effect, and demanded that Israel should rescind forthwith its decision;

2. Also calls upon Israel to desist from changing the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure and legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan, and emphasizes that the displaced persons of the population of the occupied Syrian Golan must be allowed to return to their homes and to recover their properties;

3. Further calls upon Israel to desist from imposing Israeli citizenship and Israeli identity cards on the Syrian citizens in the occupied Syrian Golan and to desist from its repressive measures against them, and from all other practices mentioned in the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories;

4. Determines that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken or to be taken by Israel, the occupying Power, that purport to alter the character and legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan are null and void, constitute a flagrant violation of international law and of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and have no legal effect;

5. Calls once again upon Member States not to recognize any of the legislative or administrative measures and actions referred to above;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all Governments, the competent United Nations organs, the specialized agencies, regional intergovernmental organizations and international humanitarian organizations and to give it the widest possible publicity, and to report to the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-eighth session;

7. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-eighth session, as a matter of high priority, the item entitled "Question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine".

61st meeting

18 April 2001

Adopted by a roll-call vote of 29 votes to 2,

with 21 abstentions.

2001/7. Question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine

The Commission on Human Rights,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations as well as by the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

Guided also by the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

Taking into consideration the provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949, the provisions of Additional Protocol I thereto, and the Hague Convention IV of 1907,

Recalling the resolutions of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights relating to the applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem,

Reaffirming the applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem,

Recalling the General Assembly resolutions on Israeli violations of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, occupied since 1967,

Recalling also the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted in June 1993 by the World Conference on Human Rights (A/CONF.157/23),

Welcoming the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (E/CN.4/2001/114),

Welcoming also the report of the Special Rapporteur, Mr. Giorgio Giacomelli (E/CN.4/2001/30), and his report (E/CN.4/S-5/3) submitted to its fifth special session, held from 15 to 19 October 2000,

Welcoming further the report of the Human Rights Inquiry Commission established pursuant to Commission on Human Rights resolution S-5/1 of 19 October 2000 (E/CN.4/2001/121),

Expressing its deep concern at the failure of the Government of Israel to cooperate with the human rights inquiry commission and its failure to cooperate with other relevant rapporteurs,

Gravely concerned at the deterioration of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and by the gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, in particular extrajudicial killings, closures, collective punishments, settlements and arbitrary detentions,

Expressing its grave concern at the continuing violence and the resulting deaths and injuries, mostly among Palestinians,

Taking note of the reports of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories submitted to the General Assembly since 1968,

Expressing its grave concern at the continued Israeli refusal to abide by the resolutions of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights calling upon Israel to put an end to the violations of human rights and affirming the applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since 1967,

Convinced that the progress made on all major issues during the last negotiations should form the basis for future talks on permanent status, and that the basis of negotiations, and of a just and lasting peace, must be Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973 and other relevant United Nations resolutions and include the inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by war, the need for every State in the area to be able to live in security and the principle of land for peace,

Recalling all its previous resolutions on the subject, including the latest, resolutions 2000/6 of 17 April 2000 and S-5/1 of 19 October 2000, adopted at its fifth special session,

1. Expresses its grave concern at the deterioration of the human rights and humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories;

2. Condemns the disproportionate and indiscriminate recourse to force, which cannot but aggravate the situation and increase an already high death toll, and urges the Government of Israel to make every effort to ensure that its security forces observe international standards regarding the use of force;

3. Strongly deplores the practice of so-called "eliminations", or extrajudicial killings, of certain Palestinians carried out by the Israeli security forces, which are not only a violation of human rights norms and contrary to the rule of law, but are also damaging for the relationship between the parties and therefore obstacles to peace, and urges the Government of Israel to respect international law and cease this practice;

4. Expresses its grave concern at the closures of and within the Palestinian territories, which contribute together with other factors to the unrest and violence that have been prevailing in  the  zone  for several months,  calls  upon  the

Government of Israel immediately to put an end to the practice of closures and reiterates that collective punishment is prohibited under international law;

5. Expresses its concern at the large number of persons, including children, who have been detained during recent months and at the continued detention of some detainees without any criminal charges having been brought against them;

6.  Expresses its grave concern at the Israeli settlement activities in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem, such as the construction of new settlements and the expansion of existing ones, the expropriation of land, the biased administration of water resources, the construction of roads and house demolitions, all of which violate human rights and international humanitarian law, besides being major obstacles to peace, urges the Government of Israel to implement the relevant United Nations resolutions as well as the recommendation of the Commission regarding the Israeli settlements, and calls on the Israeli security forces to ensure the protection of the population in the occupied territories, including preventing, investigating and prosecuting acts of violence committed by Israeli settlers;

7. Reaffirms that the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War is applicable to the Palestinian territory and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including East Jerusalem, and considers any change in the geographical and demographic status of the city of East Jerusalem from its situation prior to the June 1967 war to be illegal and void;

8. Condemns the expropriation of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem, the revocation of identity cards of the citizens of the Palestinian city of Jerusalem, the imposition of fabricated and exorbitant taxes with the aim of forcing the Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem, who cannot afford to pay these high taxes, out of their homes and  out  of their city,  preparing in this  way  the

path for the Judaization of Jerusalem, and calls upon the Government of Israel to put an end immediately to these practices;

9. Also condemns the use of torture against Palestinians during interrogation, as it constitutes a grave breach of the principles of international humanitarian law and the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and calls upon the Government of Israel to put an end immediately to such practices;

10. Welcomes the efforts of the Government of Switzerland, in its capacity as depositary of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, to consult the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on the reconvening of the adjourned Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, and looks forward to their early conclusion on the basis of agreement by a large majority of the Parties and in accordance with the statement adopted on 15 July 1999 by the Conference upon adjournment, with a view to fulfilling the joint obligation of the High Contracting Parties to ensure respect for the Convention and to improve the deteriorating humanitarian situation on the ground;

11. Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to desist from all forms of violation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and other occupied Arab territories, and to respect the bases of international law, the principles of international humanitarian law, its international commitments and the agreements it signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization;

12. Also calls upon Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, occupied since 1967, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and the Commission on Human Rights, as a basic condition for achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East;

13. Calls upon the relevant United Nations organs urgently to consider the best ways to provide the necessary international protection for the Palestinian people until the cessation of the Israeli occupation of its territories;

14. Welcomes the recommendations contained in the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and those contained in the report of the Human Rights Inquiry Commission, urges the Government of Israel to implement them and requests the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967, acting as a monitoring mechanism, to follow up on the implementation of those recommendations and to submit reports thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session and the Commission at its fifty-eighth session;

15. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of the Government of Israel and all other Governments, the competent United Nations organs, the specialized agencies, regional intergovernmental organizations and international humanitarian organizations, to disseminate it on the widest possible scale and to report on its implementation by the Government of Israel to the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-eighth session;

16. Also requests the Secretary-General to provide the Commission on Human Rights with all United Nations reports issued between the sessions of the Commission that deal with the conditions in which the citizens of the Palestinian and other occupied Arab Territories are living under the Israeli occupation;

17. Decides to consider this question at its fifty-eighth session under the same agenda item, as a matter of high priority.

61st meeting

18 April 2001

Adopted by a roll-call vote of 28 votes to 2,

with 22 abstentions.

2001/8. Israeli settlements in the occupied Arab territories

The Commission on Human Rights,

Reaffirming that all Member States have an obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms as stated in the Charter of the United Nations and as elaborated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other applicable instruments,

Mindful that Israel is a party to the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, which is applicable to Palestinian and all Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including East Jerusalem,

Recalling its previous resolutions, most recently resolution 2000/8 of 17 April 2000, in which, inter alia, it reaffirmed the illegality of the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories,

Expressing its concern regarding the security risks related to the presence of the settlements in the occupied territories,

1. Welcomes:

(a) The reports of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 (E/CN.4/S-5/3 and E/CN.4/2001/30) and calls upon the Government of Israel to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur to allow him fully to discharge his mandate;

(b) The report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on her visit to the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel, Egypt and Jordan from 8 to 16 November 2000 (E/CN.4/2001/114);

(c) The report of the Human Rights Inquiry Commission established pursuant to Commission on Human Rights resolution S-5/1 of 19 October 2000 (E/CN.4/2001/121);

2. Expresses its grave concern:

(a) At the continuing Israeli settlement activities, including the expansion of the settlements, the installation of settlers in the occupied territories, the expropriation of land, the demolition of houses, the confiscation of property, the expulsion of Palestinians and the construction of bypass roads, which change the physical character and demographic composition of the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, since all these actions are illegal, constitute a violation of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and are a major obstacle to peace;

(b) At and strongly condemns all acts of terrorism and violence;

(c) At the closures of and within the Palestinian territories which contribute, together with other factors, to the unrest and violence that have been prevailing in the zone for several months;

3. Urges the Government of Israel:

(a) To comply fully with the previous Commission resolutions on the subject, most recently resolution 2000/8 of 17 April 2000;

(b) To take concrete actions to fulfil its obligations and cease completely its policy of expanding the settlements and related activities in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem;

(c) To forgo and prevent any new installation of settlers in the occupied territories;

(d) To implement the recommendations regarding the settlements made by the High Commissioner in her report, including to ensure that the Israeli security forces protect Palestinians from violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers;

4. Urges the parties to create the conditions which will allow the resumption of the peace process, building on the full implementation of previous agreements and the progress that was made on all major issues during the last negotiations between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, in order to find a just and lasting peace based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973 and other relevant United Nations resolutions, including the inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by war, the need for every State in the area to be able to live in security, and the principle of land for peace;

5. Decides to continue its considera-tion of this question at its fifty-eighth session.

6lst meeting

18 April 2001

Adopted by a roll-call vote of 50 votes to 1,

with 1 abstention.

The following statement was issued on 11 April 2001 by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan (SG/SM/7766):

The Secretary-General has been monitoring closely the steady escalation in Israeli-Palestinian violence.  He is increasingly concerned that it threatens to get out of control with unpredictable consequences.

The Secretary-General wishes to reiterate his strong conviction that the only way out of the current crisis is through the resumption of political negotiations.  In his view security measures alone will not halt the growing violence.

Having talked with several regional and international leaders over the past few days, the Secretary-General would like to see urgent steps taken to control the situation.  There should beparallel confidence-building measures and a resumption of security cooperation.

The Secretary-General insists on the need for a halt to all violence, and full implementation of the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings.  Israel should end its six-month-old blockade on Palestinian areas, and transfer to the Palestinian Authority all outstanding revenues.  The Secretary-General believes that these steps could serve as a basis for getting the parties back to the table.

The eleventh session of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union was held in Manama, Bahrain, on 23 April 2001. The Joint Communiqué of the meeting was transmitted to the Secretary General in a letter dated 24 May 2001 from the representative of Bahrain (A/55/956-S/2001/526).  The text of the communiqué is excerpted below:

…

9. The EU and the GCC reaffirmed the need for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), and the principles agreed at Madrid, notably the principle of land for peace.

The GCC welcomed the statement on the escalation of violence in the Middle East issued by the EU on 18 April 2001.

Both parties noted with deep concern the recent escalation of violence in the region, and in particular the use of excessive and often lethal force against civilians.  The GCC and the EU called on both parties to take all necessary measures to bring an end to the violence and restore calm, including the lifting of closures of the occupied Palestinian territories.  They stressed the importance of the payment of overdue revenues to the Palestinian authority.

The GCC and EU called on both parties, in line with the Sharm el-Sheikh understanding of October 2000, to act for the return of the situation prior to the current crisis, and to resume negotiations within the Middle East peace  process, taking into account  the  previous positive developments in negotiations between the two sides and with a view to reaching a final agreement on all issues on the basis of their previous agreements.

The two sides reiterated the need for the protection of all civilians and demanded that Israel abide by all its international legal obligations, including those under the Fourth Geneva Convention relating to the Protec-tion of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

The EU and the GCC, already the principal donors to the Palestinians, noted that they both had pledged substantial additional aid efforts in order to avoid economic and institutional collapse in the Palestinian territories.  The two parties agreed on the need for quick disbursement and they called on other donors urgently to join them in pledging funding in support of the Palestinians.  They welcomed the decision of the Amman Arab Summit to offer financial assistance to the Palestinian population.

The GCC and EU reaffirmed the importance of the Syrian and Lebanese track for a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East.

…

The following statement was issued by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 15 May 2001 (SG/SM/7806):

Having received the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee report, the Secretary-General wishes to congratulate Senator Mitchell and the Committee members for having produced a fair and balanced analysis of the causes of the present crisis.

The Secretary-General has written to President Bush to express his appreciation for the Committee's emphasis on the need for a halt to all settlement activity; to support the call for maximum effort to control violence in all its forms; and to stress the economic and social crisis facing the Palestinian people.

The Secretary-General believes that full implementation of the report's recommendations could, in conjunction with the Jordanian-Egyptian initiative, help build a bridge back to negotiations towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East on the basis of United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).

VII.   UNDP ISSUES REPORT OF THE ADMINISTRATOR FOR 2000

The United Nations Development Programme Annual Report of the Administrator for 2000 was issued on 16 May 2001 (DP/2001/14).  Paragraphs 133-138 of the report, which deal with the programme of assistance to the Palestinian people, are reproduced below:

D. Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People

133. At present, the Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP) has approximately $145 million in ongoing projects in every part of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  Since its inception, PAPP has mobilized some $350 million in resources on behalf of the Palestinian people, with strong support especially from Japan and the European Union. While most PAPP programmes focus on addressing problems that arise in special development situations, they also incorporate the goals of good governance, poverty alleviation, sustainable human development and gender equality. The rationale for this approach is that even during crisis and post-conflict situations, strategic upstream interventions are possible and, in fact, crucial to fostering the transition from conflict to sustainable state building.

134. PAPP disbursed almost $30 million in 2000, despite the drastic deterioration in the political situation since September, which has had a devastating effect on the economy and civil society and on the progress of development activities in the area.  PAPP was able to sustain the momentum of its development programmes while adding a new dimension of crisis intervention to address the unusual challenges that arose as a result of the breakdown in the peace process.  Owing to its skill in rapid-response implementation of emergency projects, PAPP mobilized and partly disbursed $6.1 million from Japan, Norway and Sweden, during the three months from October to December, for emergency medical relief and emergency employment-generation projects.

135. Earlier in 2000, utilizing over $27 million in funding from Japan, Norway and Italy, PAPP continued to lay the foundations of an enabling environment for sustainable human development with the completion of some major infrastructure projects that improved basic public services for the Palestinian people.  For example, access for the poor to basic health care services was improved with the rehabilitation of 70 clinics and primary health care centres in remote areas across the West Bank.  The restoration of water supply distribution networks has guaranteed a clean water supply to thousands of residents of Jericho and Hebron.  New infrastructure projects launched in 2000 will improve access to justice through the construction of a new courthouse in Nablus, to external resources for the public and private sector, through the construction of a south wing at Gaza International Airport.

136. Following the Administrator's Business Plans 2000-2003, PAPP reinforced its upstream advisory role to the Palestinian Authority in 2000 by supporting the publication of the Palestinian Development Plan.  PAPP also agreed to coordinate and administer international support for the institutional capacity-building of a new seaport in Gaza; it has established a UNDP open trust fund to receive contributions for that purpose.  PAPP contributions to poverty alleviation in 2000 included initiating the Palestinian participatory poverty assessment and facilitating the establishment of a poverty alleviation fund in the Palestinian Authority.  The capacity of the poor to sustain their livelihoods will be enhanced as well by launching a new project for food security through water harvesting and the rehabilitation of the rangelands project.

137. The Palestinian Gateway Project implemented by the World Bank with support from PAPP will improve public- and private-sector access to ICT.  The Palestine Schoolnet Project, begun in 2000, will connect thousands of students to the vast educational resources available on the Internet.  PAPP commitment to empowering community-based organizations was underscored by its work with some 200 civil society organizations through the community-based youth development project and with micro-regional planning committees in the PAPP local rural development programme.

138. PAPP partnership strategy is to forge close relationships built on trust with its Palestinian counterparts, NGOs, other United Nations organizations and the donor community.  These relationships are fortified by the reputation of PAPP as a dynamic organization that has the unique capacity for rapid delivery of a high-quality product.  In 2000, PAPP forged new and potentially long-term partnerships with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank, and sowed the seeds for establishing affiliations with several non-traditional Arab donors, including the Islamic Development Bank and the Arab Fund for Social and Development.

The following is a statement of the Presidency of the European Union on behalf of the European Union issued on 22 May 2001 on the report of the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee. The statement, which was transmitted to the Secretary-General in a letter dated 23 May 2001 from the Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations, is reproduced below (S/2001/520):

The European Union welcomes the publication of the report of the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact- finding Committee (the Mitchell Report), and fully endorses its recommendations. Like the Jordanian-Egyptian initiative, the Mitchell Report is a realistic and balanced proposal to work from, in order to restore calm in the Middle East and relaunch the peace process.

The European Union urges the parties to faithfully adhere to the recommendations contained in the report. In particular, the Union expects the parties to take immediate and unconditional steps to cease all violence, to resume security cooperation and to exchange confidence-building measures, including a halt to settlement activities. These are all important elements for a resumption of negotiations, which should then follow. Negotiations should be based on international law, in particular Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), and the principle of land for peace.

The Mitchell Report and the Egyptian-Jordanian initiative have provided the parties with the means to break the vicious circle of violence. The European Union expects both parties to do their utmost to stop violence and find a negotiated solution at this critical juncture. The Union stands ready to assist the parties.

On 26 May 2001, the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference adopted at their extraordinary meeting at Doha a Final Communiqué on the grave situation prevailing in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  The Communiqué, which was transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nation in a letter dated 29 May 2001 from the chargé d’affaires, a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations, is reproduced below (A/55/974-S/2001/543):

At the kind invitation of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar and Chairman of the Ninth Islamic Summit Conference of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Extraordinary Session of the Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States was held on 3 Rabiul Awwal 1422H (26 May 2001) in Doha, State of Qatar, to consider the grave situation prevailing  in Palestine as a consequence of the continuous and spiralling Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

The Conference expressed its profound appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and the Government and people of the sisterly State of Qatar for this generous invitation and for providing the opportunity to conduct a meaningful and deep examination of the serious conditions prevailing in Palestine.

The Conference listened to the important speech kindly delivered by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and also to the detailed exposé of His Excellency President Yasser Ararat.   It  took  note  of  the report of the Secretary General on the dangerous developments taking place in Palestine.

The Conference elected its Bureau as follows:

Following the extensive deliberations and discussions that took place between Their Excellencies the Ministers and Heads of Delegations and were inspired by the Declaration of the Ninth Islamic Summit Conference on the Al-Aqsa Intifada, the Intifada of the Independence of Palestine, the Extraordinary Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States reached the following results:

1. The Conference salutes with great pride the Intifada of the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation, and reaffirms its full political and material support and backing for the Palestinian resistance in the face of Israeli occupation as well as its support for their blessed Intifada and the legitimate Palestinian right to resist occupation. In this respect, it calls on the Member States for the prompt provision of the necessary material assistance to the Palestinian National Authority and to open the way for raising popular donations to support the resistance of the Palestinian people.  The Conference pays its respects in commemoration of the martyrs and their immaculate spirit, expresses its best wishes of quick recovery for the wounded victims, and reaffirms its determination to mobilize all possible resources in the various political, moral, material, economic, human, and information fields for the liberation of the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories and to enable the Palestinian people to secure its inalienable national rights, including its right to return to its homes and property and the right to self-determination and the esta-blishment of its independent State on its national territories with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

2. The Conference calls for allocating emergency financial assistance to be extended by the Governments of the Member States to meet the urgent needs arising out of the escalating Israeli aggression and the destruction of the Palestinian infrastructures and productive facilities to ensure the continued protection of the land, provide medical and educational services and assist hundreds of thousands of unemployed people in a way that supports the blessed Palestinian Intifada and the families of its martyrs as well as the wounded and the detainees, and enable the Palestinians to have the minimum requirements for reconstruction, replanting the territories bulldozed by the Israeli military machine, and repairing the roads and infrastructures. The Chairmanship of the Conference will, in coordination with the General Secretariat, and with the agreement of the Member States, determine their contributions and remit them directly to the Palestinian Authority or through the Funds for Al-Aqsa and the support of the Intifada at the Islamic Development Bank, taking into consideration the generous contributions already paid by some Member States.

3. The Conference holds Israel fully responsible for its aggression and its oppressive practices that have caused the death of hundreds of martyrs, wounded thousands of Palestinians, destroyed the Palestinian facilities, infrastruc-tures, and housing and suffocated the Palestinian national economy.  This aggression constitutes a flagrant abuse of the rights of the Palestinian people and human beings, a gross violation of all the international covenants, conventions, international law, and international humanitarian law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, as well as a disavowal of the resolutions of international legitimacy and signed agreements, which jeopardizes the security and peace of the whole region.

4. The Conference condemns the Israeli occupying forces for shelling the Palestinian cities, villages and camps and its use of F-16 fighters, and U.S.-made Apache helicopter gunships, heavy tanks, missiles from naval ships and the use of depleted uranium bullets and poisonous gases which has caused the death of tens of Palestinians and wounded hundreds of others among the civilian population, destroyed residential areas and civilian and official facilities; and calls on the UN Security Council to promptly intervene in order to put an end to this dangerous and aggressive escalation against the Palestinian people and sanctities in Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif and provide international protection for the Palestinian people.

5. The Conference calls on the United States of America to promptly intervene to stop the Israeli aggression and prevent the Israeli government from continuing to use lethal and internationally banned weapons against civilians which has shaken the very foundations of regional security and stability and put the Middle East region on the brink of a destructive war.  It also calls on the UN General Assembly to resume its Tenth Emergency Special Session to consider the barbaric Israeli practices and its use of internationally banned weapons against the Palestinian people.

6. The Conference strongly condemns the gross and wide-scale violations of human rights which the Israeli occupation authorities persist in committing, and especially the criminal political assassinations and mass reprisals, which constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and a flagrant violation of international law and of the right of Palestinian people to life.

7. The Conference holds the Israeli officials responsible in their personal capacity for the consequences of these crimes and requests the United Nations to constitute an International Criminal Tribunal specifically to bring them to trial as war criminals who perpetrated these heinous massacres against the Palestinians and other Arabs.  It emphasizes that they should be prosecuted in the same way that similar cases have been.

8. The Conference calls on the United Nations to take binding decisions to force Israel to pay reparations for the moral and material losses it provoked in lives and properties, for the psychological and physical disabilities it caused as a result of its aggression against the Palestinian people, for the blockade and closure imposed on the Palestinian territories and the continuing dismemberment of these territories, for the destruction of Palestinian facilities, infrastructures, and housing, for the damage it has inflicted on the agricultural lands and crops,  and for uprooting trees, polluting the environment, dispersing the population and for other losses.

9. The Conference condemns the Israeli expansionist policy, the confiscation of Palestinian lands, and all other settlement activities, which is considered a war crime and a flagrant violation of the UN resolutions and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and its annexes, and of Security Council resolution 465 (1980), which considers settlements illegal facilities that must be dismantled and the building of settlements null and void and without legal effect.  It calls for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1322 (2000) and resolution ES-10/7 adopted by the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly.  It calls on all States to refrain from providing to Israel any assistance to build settlements and also calls for political and economic sanctions to be imposed on Israel to force it to put an end to settlements.

10. The Conference warns of the dangers of the Israeli designs to close down Palestinian institutions in the city of Al-Quds, to desecrate the sanctity of the precincts of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, which constitutes an insult to the holy places and sentiments of the Islamic Ummah, that is bound to set off an unprecedented conflagration in the whole region.  In this context, it stresses that every effort should be made to safeguard the identity and Islamic Arab character of Al-Quds and to preserve the Islamic and Christian holy shrines in Palestine.

11. The Conference calls on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities, as the international body entrusted with the preservation and maintenance of international peace and security, so as to put an immediate end to the Israeli aggression and secure the necessary international protection for the Palestinian people against the grave violations to which they are being subjected, and in particular, urges the USA not to obstruct the UN Security Council process to reach such a decision.

12. The Conference commends the firm support and effective solidarity expressed by the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) towards the struggle of the Palestinian people and other Arab and Islamic peoples for recovering their historic inalienable and legitimate rights.  It underscores the efforts exerted by the UN Security Council members from the NAM Group, China, and other friendly States, and urges them to continue these efforts.

13. The Conference emphasizes the need for convening a meeting of the High Signatories of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, in accordance with the statement issued by the meeting of the High Signatories held in Geneva on 15 July 1999, and for Israel's continued gross violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the occupied Palestinian territories particularly Al-Quds Al-Sharif in order to consider these violations and take the necessary measures to implement the Convention in the occupied Palestinian territories including Al-Quds Al-Sharif and provide protection for the Palestinian people.

14. The Conference calls on the co-sponsors of the Peace Process, the USA and the Russian Federation, to assume their responsibilities in ensuring the respect of the principles emanating from the Madrid Conference and aiming at achieving the peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict based on the implementation of the resolutions of international legitimacy as translated into UN Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978) and the land-for-peace principle.  It also calls on the European Union to assume an effective role in this context.

15. The Conference reaffirms full Islamic solidarity with Syria and Lebanon facing the continuous Israeli aggressions and threats against them.  It calls on all OIC Member States to practically express this solidarity using all means and takes a firm stand by Syria and Lebanon in the face of any Israeli aggression against them.

16. The Conference also reaffirms Lebanon's legitimate right to defend its territories and liberate the remaining parts under Israeli occupation and supports the Lebanese position demanding the maintenance of the number of international forces deployed in Southern Lebanon without reduction or a change in the nature of its action especially in the light of continuous Israeli threats and aggressions and violations of the territories, airspace and territorial waters of Lebanon.  It charges the Islamic Group at the United Nations in New York to continue its action for mobilizing support to the Lebanese position in this respect and expedite the removal of mines planted by Israel in the Lebanese territories and the release of Lebanese and other Arab detainees.

17. The Conference entrusts the Chairman of the Ninth Islamic Summit Conference with contacting the leaders of the permanent member States of the UN Security Council to express the position of the Islamic Ummah calling for an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people so as to guarantee and preserve the strategic and economic interests of the Ummah as well as the security and stability of the Middle East region.

18. The Conference reaffirms its adherence to the just and comprehensive peace option in the Middle East in such a way as to guarantee the Palestinian and Arab rights, and achieve security and stability in the region on the basis of implementation of the resolutions of  international legitimacy, particularly Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978), the land-for-peace principle, and the return of the Palestinian refugees to their homes and property in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution 194 (III).  It emphasizes that commitment to the peace process requires Israel to implement the agreements and obligations reached, to build upon the results achieved, and to resume the negotiations on all tracks from where they stopped in accordance with the terms of reference, conditions, and foundations of the peace process.

19. The Conference calls on the international community and the UN Security Council to force Israel to comply with the resolutions of the United Nations, particularly UN Security Council resolution 487 (1981) by acceding to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, implementing the resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) calling for subjecting all Israeli nuclear facilities to the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards System, and the proclaiming by Israel of its rejection of nuclear weapons and armament materials to the UN Security Council and the IAEA as necessary steps to create a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, in the Middle East region.  This is an essential requirement for the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

20. The Conference calls on all international parties concerned with the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East region to adopt a definite position towards Israel's repeated rejection of the Arab initiatives and international reports aimed at ending the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people as well as its attempts to renege on its commitment and circumvent the international position calling for a complete end of all settlement activities.

21. The Conference commissions the Ministerial Committee constituted by the Chairman of the Ninth Islamic Summit Conference to immediately resume its task by calling first for the convening of an emergency session of the UN Security Council to be devoted to the consideration of the grave situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, providing the necessary international protection for the Palestinian people and implementing the Security Council resolutions relevant to Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict.  The Committee should also urgently visit the capitals of the five permanent Member States of the UN Security Council, the European Union, and the United Nations to consider the initiation of the necessary modes and mechanisms to address the deteriorating situation and that it should consider itself in permanent session to follow up developments.

22. The Conference decides to stop all political contacts with the Israeli government as long as the aggression and blockade against the Palestinian people and its National Authority continue, and as long as Israel persists in refusing to implement the relevant UN resolutions, and calls on Member States which have established, and which had started to take steps to establish relations with Israel within the context of the peace process to break off these relations, to close down any missions or offices, sever all economic relations and all forms of normalization with Israel until it meticulously and sincerely implements the UN resolutions on Palestine, Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and the Arab-Israeli conflict and until the restoration of a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

23. The Conference calls for a commitment to the implementation of the provisions of the Islamic boycott of Israel and for considering the legislations, rules and regulations governing the boycott, "The General Principles of the Boycott, the Islamic Law and the by-laws of the Regional Offices and their Regular Meetings", as a part of the national legislations in force.  It also calls for the institution of the necessary offices and mechanisms for the implementation of those laws and for coordination between the Islamic Boycott Office and the Arab Boycott Office.

24. The Conference decides that the Chair-manship, the OIC General Secretariat and the State of Palestine should sponsor the formation of popular Palestinian delegations from among Palestinian youth to visit Islamic States with a view to reaffirming support for the Palestinian Intifada and commitment to the provision of material and moral support to it as well as sensitizing world public opinion as to the need for solidarity with the just Palestinian cause.

25. The Conference recommends the deployment of continuous efforts with the international mass media to expose the Israeli violations of the Palestinian human rights, awaken the international conscience, mobilize international solidarity and sympathy for the Palestinian people in its legitimate national struggle, and counter the negative effects of the misleading Israeli campaign by organizing a counter-offensive to clarify the situation to world public opinion and decision-makers.  It commissions the Secretary General to coordinate this campaign in collaboration with information experts and public relations in the Member States.

The Appendix to the International Labour Organization Director-General’s report to the 89th session entitled “Report on the situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories” was published at Geneva on 31 May 2001 (ISBN 92-2-111969-6, ISSN 0074-6681). The concluding remarks of the report are reproduced below:

Concluding remarks

113. As in the past, and in the light of the resolution adopted in 1980 by the International Labour Conference, this report has endeavoured to describe the situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories. The preceding pages reflect a serious deterioration in the living and working conditions of these workers. Many of the points raised in the report are consequences of the political and military situation prevailing in the region. While this dimension does not fall within the ILO’s area of competence – although everyone hopes that Palestinians and Israelis alike will put an end to the violence and resume the peace process – its repercussions inevitably have a bearing on the social and labour issues within the Organization’s mandate. Total and partial closures and encirclement measures have a lasting impact on both the employment and the income of the workers covered by this report.

114. Everywhere, the vicious circle of fear, suspicion and violence has had dramatic repercussions on the standard of living of Palestinian workers. It has seriously impaired Palestinian employers’ ability to carry out their activities. It has also affected – albeit to a far lesser extent  –  the productivity of Israeli  enter-

prises of all sizes. Moreover, Israeli employers are increasingly reluctant to hire Palestinian workers, fearing physical violence against themselves, their families and other workers in the enterprise.

115. A  way out of this vicious circle must be found. It may be simpler to address the problem from the standpoint of the technical – but no less human – issues of employment and labour than from a broader perspective. A targeted technical cooperation programme by the ILO could certainly contribute to alleviating the situation of the Arab populations concerned. An important ILO mission was fielded to the area before the uprising. Since then, others have gone to the Palestinian territories and put forward emergency programme proposals.  All of these projects are mentioned in the preceding pages. Among these, the mission’s Palestinian interlocutors  gave  clear  priority  to vocational training, whether in the form of assistance for establishing specialized institutions or of emergency programmes in specific sectors: clothing and textiles;  leather and footwear; and the food and chemical industries.  Given the fragmentation of the Palestinian territories, and the restrictions imposed at border crossings and even prohibiting movement altogether, it was suggested to the mission that projects be developed at the local level; likewise trainers’ courses could be organized outside the territories and, in particular, at the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin. The Israeli authorities expressed a clear commitment to refrain from placing obstacles in the way of this technical assistance. They would even like to benefit from such training themselves at a later stage, as well as from enriching contacts between trainers on both sides.

 The United Nations Latin American and Caribbean Meeting on the Question of Palestine was held in Havana from 12 to 14 June 2001 under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in accordance with the provisions of General Assembly resolutions 55/52 and 55/53 of 1 December 2000. The theme of the Latin American and Caribbean Meeting was “Achieving the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people – a key to peace in the Middle East”.

The Committee was represented by a delegation comprising Ibra Deguène Ka (Senegal), Chairman of the Committee, who acted as Chairman of the Meeting; Walter Balzan (Malta), Rapporteur of the Committee, who acted as Vice-Chairman and Rapporteur of the Meeting; Martin Andjaba (Namibia) and Rafael Dausá Céspedes (Cuba), who served as Vice-Chairmen of the Meeting, as well as Nasser Al-Kidwa (Palestine).

The Latin American and Caribbean Meeting consisted of an opening session, three plenary meetings, an NGO workshop and a closing session. Plenary I reviewed the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, plenary II was entitled “Upholding international legitimacy – the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting solution of the conflict”, and plenary III drew on the international support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The NGO workshop discussed possible action by civil society in Latin America and the Caribbean in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Presentations were made by 19 experts from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as other regions, including Palestinians and Israelis. Each plenary meeting included a discussion period open to all participants. Representatives of 44 Governments, Palestine, 2 intergovernmental organizations, 4 United Nations bodies and agencies and 20 non-governmental organizations, as well as special guests of the host country and representatives of the media, universities and institutes, attended the Meeting.

Participants were informed that two Palestinian experts invited by the Committee to speak at the Meeting and a number of NGO participants from the Occupied Palestinian Territory were unable to travel to Havana due to the general closure imposed by Israel. The Committee delegation deeply regretted the absence of Ahmed Soboh, Assistant Minister for International Cooperation and Director-General for Diplomatic Training, and Riad Malki, Vice-President of the Palestinian Council for Justice and Peace. The Committee delegation denounced the illegal actions of the Occupying Power, which had among their many grave consequences, a negative effect on international efforts to find a solution to the current crisis.  The Ambassador of Palestine to Chile, Sabri Ateyeh, made himself available to join the deliberations of plenary III.

The main points of the discussion were highlighted in the final document of the Latin American and Caribbean Meeting, the Havana Declaration, as reproduced below:

Havana Declaration

We, the participants in the United Nations Latin American and Caribbean Meeting on the Question of Palestine, held in Havana from 12 to 14 June 2001, under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, declare:

On the principles governing the Middle East peace process

Our broad and determined commitment to support the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State and the right to return to their homeland;

That the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, must be brought to an end without delay and that mutual recognition and peaceful coexistence must be given the opportunity to flourish;

That Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), which embody the principle of land for peace and form the legal basis for the Middle East peace process, must be adhered to;

That the United Nations should continue to exercise its permanent responsibility towards the question of Palestine until it is resolved in all its aspects, in conformity with relevant United Nations resolutions and in accordance with international legitimacy, and until the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people are fully realized;

On the situation on the ground 

That the excessive use of force by Israel, the occupying Power, the closures and the economic blockade of Palestinian population centres and all other illegal measures of collective punishment against the Palestinian people must be brought to an end immediately;

That, in view of the excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians and continued Israeli illegal settlement activity, the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention should expedite the reconvening of the Conference of the High Contracting Parties, in accordance with the statement adopted by the Conference on 15 July 1999 in Geneva;

That international protection, in the form of a United Nations observer force, must be provided. In this respect, the United Nations Security Council should fully discharge its responsibilities under the Charter, or, if it failed to do so once again, the issue should be brought before the General Assembly;

That international humanitarian assistance must be forthcoming to offset the adverse effects of illegal Israeli actions and that the Palestinian Authority  should be given fiscal support to make up, inter alia, for revenue withheld by Israel;

That Israel should transfer without delay the revenue it is withholding from the Palestinian Authority in contravention of signed agreements;

On current efforts at reviving the peace process

That the recommendations of the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee, contained in its recently published report (Mitchell report), be swiftly implemented in their entirety and in conjunction with the measures suggested by the Egyptian-Jordanian peace initiative, as a way of ending the violence, restoring confidence between the parties and resuming peace talks. In this respect, the valuable efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General and his Special Coordinator, the European Union and the Co-Sponsors of the peace process should be continued;

That, in light of developments on the ground, the UN Secretary-General’s visit to the region in pursuit of a peaceful solution to the crisis is an important step in the right direction;

That special significance must be attached to the need for swift implementation of the Fact-Finding Committee’s call for a complete freeze in settlement expansion and its suggestion that Israel consider the evacuation now of some settlements for security reasons;

That negotiations between the parties be resumed from where they left off in January 2001 and that a final status agreement for a settlement of the question of Palestine be reached forthwith, within the framework of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, on the basis of international legality and the relevant United Nations resolutions;

On the contribution of the Latin American and Caribbean region

That Governments, intergovernmental organiza-tions, parliamentarians and civil society organizations, including Latin American and Caribbean ones, should exert all efforts to support the peace process and its successful conclusion;

That Latin American and Caribbean States, having had a broad experience in their struggle for decolonization and national sovereignty, should continue their moral, political  and material support for the exercise by the Palestinian people of its inalienable rights;

We welcome the long-standing commitment of Latin American and Caribbean States to the peace process, particularly the efforts to achieve a permanent peace settlement between Palestinians and Israelis.

Our special appreciation goes to H.E. Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz, President of the Council of State and of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba; H.E. Sr. Ricardo Alarcón, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Cuba; H.E. Sr. Felipe Pérez Roque, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cuba; and to the Government and people of the Republic of Cuba for hosting the Meeting, for organizing a series of parallel events – including a TV round table in the presence of H.E. President Castro, and for the assistance and support extended to the Committee in preparation of this regional meeting.

Havana, 14 June 2001

XII.   SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS THE MIDDLE EAST

During his trip to the Middle East, from 12 to 18 June 2001, the Secretary-General visited Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  The following excerpts are from the press release issued by the Department of Public Information upon the completion of the trip on 19 June 2001 (SG/T/2286):

…

On  Saturday  morning, 16 June 2001, the Secretary-General returned to Amman, Jordan, from Beirut,  Lebanon,  in order to take a Jordanian helicopter into Ramallah, in the West  Bank, to meet with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat.

The President and the Secretary-General met with their delegations for about half an hour, and then one-on-one for another 15 minutes.

At a press conference afterwards, President Arafat welcomed the Secretary-General warmly and thanked him for his efforts to advance and protect the peace process.  He reported that nothing had changed on the ground, saying he was sorry that Israeli soldiers were not following the orders of the political leadership.  He called on the Secretary-General to support the idea of international monitors and suggested another meeting of the Sharm el-Sheikh group at an appropriate level.

“We are disciplined and we are committed to fulfilling all the agreements related to the ceasefire”, he said.  “And we hope the other side will make the same commitment.”

The Secretary-General replied that he was gratified that both the Palestinians and the Israelis had accepted the ceasefire, “so that we can move on to the other essential and important aspects of the Mitchell report”.  He found concern about the situation in the occupied territories in other countries in the region he had visited.  “They are worried”, he said.  He assured President Arafat that the United Nations and other international actors would work with both parties to secure peace, and stressed that they must also do their part.  He urged quick implementation of the Mitchell recommendations.

Asked whether the Mitchell report replaces Security Council resolutions on the Middle East, the Secretary-General responded firmly, “the United Nations resolutions stand, and are relevant”.  The Mitchell report, he explained, provides a road map to the negotiating table where discussions will take place in the framework of resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), based on the concept of land for peace.

In a concluding comment, the Secretary-General referred to the suffering and economic deprivation caused by the conflict.  He urged quick implementation of the Mitchell recommendations so that people could begin to rebuild their lives.  “So I appeal to everyone to work actively for peace”, he said, “for the sake of the people, for the sake of the region and for the sake of the two parties involved.”

President Arafat then hosted a lunch for the Secretary-General and his delegation.

After lunch, the Secretary-General met with Abu Ala, the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

He then visited a girls’ school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the agency that assists Palestinian refugees.  Here children suffering psychological trauma receive special counselling.  The Secretary-General watched students painting, acting and playing sports, all part of a remedial programme.

He then went to see one of the nine clinics in the West Bank where people receive rehabilitation from traumatic injuries -– mostly nerve damage and multiple fractures.  Some 20,000 Palestinians have been injured in the occupied territories during the current uprising.  Many of the injuries to people in these rehabilitation units were from mortar shrapnel or rubber bullets.  He walked through the clinic, stopping to ask patients about their progress in recovering.

…

On 16 June the Secretary General arrived in Jerusalem where he met, the next day, with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other leaders. At a press conference with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and the Secretary-General, the following statement was included in the press release:

In his opening statement, the Secretary-General said that his purpose in coming to the region was “to seize the opportunity offered by the present ceasefire and to use it to help restore the movement towards a lasting peace, negotiated within the framework of United Nations resolutions”.  

He said he was encouraged that both Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had repeated to him their commitment to fully implement the recommendations of the Mitchell Committee.

…

The twenty-eighth session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, which was entitled “Session of Peace and Development-Intifada Al-Aqsa”, took place in Bamako, Mali, from 25 to 27 June 2001.  The final communiqué and the resolutions that were adopted at the meeting were transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in a letter dated 25 July 2001 from the Permanent Representative of Mali to the United Nations (A/55/1021-S/2001/735).  Excerpted texts of the communiqué and the titles of the resolutions are reproduced below:

FINAL COMMUNIQUÉ

1. In response to the kind invitation by the Government of the Republic of Mali, the Twenty-eighth Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (Session of Peace and Development – Intifada Al Aqsa), was convened in Bamako, capital of Mali, on 04-06 Rabiul Thani 1422H (25-27 June 2001).

2. His Excellency Mr. Mande Sidibe, Prime Minister and Head of Government of the Republic of Mali, opened the 28th Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers and delivered the speech of His Excellency Alpha Oumar Konare, President of the Republic of Mali, before the 28th Session of the ICFM.  In his speech, President Konare thanked the participants who had travelled to Mali and welcomed the delegations.

…

The President noted with concern the situation of the Palestinian people and called for greater support to the "Al-Aqsa Intifada" in order to achieve the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people with the objectives of establishing their own State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.  He further deplored the conflicts and economic crises that continue to hinder the participation of our Ummah in the current process of globalization.

…

7. In his introductory statement, the OIC Secretary General, H.E. Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz, raised the issue of the reform and restructuring of the General Secretariat and expressed satisfaction at the determination of the leaders of the Islamic Ummah to support the project and provide the Organization with the necessary means to discharge its mission.  He raised the issue of the necessity of Islamic solidarity in the face of rampant globalization and reviewed the state of dissolution experienced  by  the Islamic world,  the  political and economic situation of the Islamic Ummah, focusing on the dramatic situation in Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif after the auspicious Intifada and on the inability of the Islamic Ummah to protect the Palestinian people from the Israeli aggression.

…

Political Affairs

Question of Palestine, Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the Arab-Israeli Conflict

16. The Conference hailed the uprising of the Palestinian people, the "Intifada of the blessed Al-Aqsa" in defense of the City of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and all the holy places and to put an end to the Israeli occupation and to achieve the freedom, sovereignty and independence of the steadfast Palestinian people.

17. The Conference invited OIC Member States to keep on fostering their solidarity with the Palestinian people in their blessed Intifada of Al-Aqsa and supporting their just and legitimate struggle.  It called on the Islamic Ummah to mobilize all its resources to help them achieve their national goals in full.  It further invited the Member States to back the Palestinian National Authority given the difficult financial and economic circumstances currently undergone by the Palestinian people, so as to invigorate the blessed Palestinian Intifada.

18. The Conference stressed the need to implement the resolutions and decisions contained in the Final Declaration of the Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers held in Doha on May 26, 2001 on the grave situation prevailing in the Palestinian Territories.

19. The Conference called upon the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities in ensuring the necessary international protection of the Palestinian people in Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories to enable them to regain their inalienable national rights, concretize their national sovereignty over their national soil and set up their own independent State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.  It further deplored the United States' use of the veto against the draft resolution on the protection of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories and the establishment of a UN monitoring task force in those territories, such a stand being totally in conflict with the USA's responsibility as a sponsor of the peace process and a permanent member of the Security Council, with a special responsibility regarding the safeguarding of international peace and security.

20. The Conference affirmed the necessity to intensify the good offices and efforts being exerted for the holding of a meeting of the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, with a view to taking the necessary binding measures designed to guarantee the implementation of the Convention in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the City of Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

21. The Conference condemned Israel's expansionist settlement policy and reiterated the need to stop all settlement activities and Israeli measures and practices which are contrary to the resolutions and decisions of international legitimacy and which are also counter to the accords signed in this context by the Palestinian and Israeli sides.  The Conference urged the U.N. Security Council to prevent and ban such measures and see to it that the Israeli settlements are removed in accordance with Security Council resolution 465 (1980) and to revive the International Commission established to examine the situation relating to Israeli settlements in the occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem (Al-Quds), in accordance with Security Council resolution 446 (1979).

22. The Conference commended the continuous efforts of the Al-Quds Committee, under the Chairmanship of His Majesty King Mohamed VI, King of Morocco.

It also paid tribute to the late His Majesty King Hassan II for his efforts to set up the Agency of Beit Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif and define its objectives in the protection of the holy city and its Palestinian population.  It expressed its thanks to his successor His Majesty King Mohamed VI who placed this institution under his patronage and provided it with full necessary means thus enabling it to begin work under the best auspices.

23. The Conference asserted its support to the stand of the State of Palestine resting on holding fast to sovereignty over Al-Quds Al-Sharif, including the Holy Haram in Al-Quds Al-Sharif and all the Christian and Muslim holy places which are part of the Palestinian territories occupied since June 1967.  It also affirmed that Al-Quds Al-Sharif is the capital of the independent State of Palestine.  In this connection, it underlined its rejection of any attempt to diminish Palestinian sovereignty over Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

24. The Conference strongly condemned Israel for not implementing the resolutions of international legitimacy on Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict and Israel's rejection of regional and international initiatives aimed at cessation of its criminal aggressions against the Palestinian people, and the immediate and unconditional halting of all its colonialist expansionist settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.

25. The Conference considered as null and void all the occupation-related settlement measures and practices in Al-Quds and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories in line with the resolutions and decisions of international legitimacy as well as international conventions which consider all Israeli arrangements, legislative, administrative and settlement measures aiming at altering the legal, demographic, architectural, cultural and heritage-related status of the Holy City as null and void and contrary to the resolutions and decisions of international legitimacy, international covenants and conventions and diametrically opposed to agreements signed between the Palestinian and Israeli parties.  It called on the Security Council to revive the International Commission established to examine the situation relating to Israeli settlements in the occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem (Al-Quds), in accordance with Security Council resolution 446 (1979).

26. The Conference decided to stop all political contacts with the Israeli Government as long as the aggression and blockade against the Palestinian people and its National Authority continue, and as long as Israel persists in refusing to implement the relevant UN resolutions, and called on Member States which have established, and which had started to take steps to establish, relations with Israel within the context of the peace process to break those relations, to close down any missions or offices, sever all economic relations, and end all forms of normalization with Israel until it meticulously and sincerely implements the UN resolutions on Palestine, Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and the Arab-Israeli conflict and until the restoration of a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

27. The Conference called on the Member States to implement the provisions of the Islamic boycott of Israel, and for considering the legislations, rules and status governing the boycott action, the general principles of the boycott, Islamic law and the by-laws of the regional offices and their periodical meetings as part of the national legislations in force, and for the creation of the necessary offices and mechanisms for so doing and coordination between the Islamic Boycott Office and the Arab Boycott Office.

28. The Conference hailed the steadfastness of Lebanon – its Government, people and resistance – and what it has achieved in terms of the liberation of the Lebanese territories and repelling the Israeli occupation.  It supported Lebanon in its efforts to complete the liberation of its entire territory to the internationally recognized borders, including the Shebaa Farms.  It urged the United Nations to force Israel to pay compensation for all the losses it inflicted or caused as a result of its continuous aggressions against Lebanon.  It further supported Lebanon in its demands for the removal of the mines left behind by the Israeli occupation.  Israel is responsible for planting the mines and has the obligation to provide their maps.  It also supported the inalienable rights of Lebanon to utilize its waters in accordance with international law.  It condemned Israel's claim to those waters.  It held Israel responsible for any action of such a nature as to infringe upon Lebanon's sovereignty, political independence and the safety of its people and integrity of its territories.  It demanded the release of all Lebanese prisoners and detainees from Israeli prisons.

29. The Conference paid tribute to the steadfastness of the Syrian Arab citizens in the Syrian Golan against occupation and their valiant opposition to Israel's repressive measures and continuous attempts to undermine their adherence to their land and their Syrian Arab identity and declared its support for this steadfastness.

30. The Conference strongly condemned Israel's policy of refusing to comply with Security Council resolution 497 (1981) and of imposing its mandate, laws and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan as well as its policies of annexation, building of settlements, confiscation of land, diversion of water sources and imposition of Israeli citizenship upon Syrian citizens.  It considered all such measures as null and void and constituting a violation of those provisions and principles of international law and humanitarian international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.  It urged Israel to completely evacuate the entire occupied Syrian Golan and pull back to the 4 June 1967 lines.

31. The Conference condemned Israel's repeated threats against Syria, which are aimed at destroying the peace process and escalating tension in the region.

32. The Conference emphasized that there can be no just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East region as long as Israel has not withdrawn from all the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied in 1967, foremost among which is the City of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, in implementation of Security Council resolution 242 (1967), and the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes and their properties and their compensation in accordance with General Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 1948.

…

Resolutions on political affairs, Muslim minorities and communities,

legal affairs and information affairs adopted by the Islamic Conference

of Foreign Ministers at its twenty-eighth session

Resolution No. 1/28-P on the cause of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict

Resolution No. 2/28-P on the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif

Resolution No. 5/28-p on the current situation of the peace  process in the Middle East

Resolution No. 6/28-p on Al-Quds Fund and its Waqf

Resolution No. 7/28-p on Bait Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency

Resolution No. 8/28-p on the mechanism of financial support to the Intifada of the Palestinian people

Resolution No. 9/28-e on economic problems of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories, of the Syrian citizens in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and of the Lebanese citizens in occupied South Lebanon and the western Bekka formerly under occupation

Resolution No. 25/28-e on economic assistance to the State of Palestine

Resolution No. 40/28-e on environmental problems in the Islamic world including Israeli practices and their effects on the environment in the occupied Palestinian territories, in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and in occupied southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa formerly under occupation

Resolution No. 33/28-c on the educational situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, and occupied Syrian Golan

Resolution No. 34/28-c on the preservation of the Islamic character, human heritage and religious rights of Al-Quds Al-Sharif

Resolution No. 35/28-c on the Israeli aggressions against Islamic shrines in the city of Al-Khalil (Hebron)

XIV.   UNSCO ISSUES REPORT ON THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY

On 30 July 2001, the Office of the United Nations Special Co-ordinator (UNSCO) published its report on the Palestinian economy for spring 2001.  The “Outlook” contained in the executive summary of the report is reproduced below:

Outlook

The economic crisis that characterized the last three months of 2000 has persisted through the first half of 2001. Early economic figures for 2001 show continuing decline in multiple indicators such as productive capacity utilization, service sector sales, construction, and hotel occupancy, giving concern for near- and medium-term development, even if a political resolution is reached to end the crisis.

Although employment has shown some improvement in early 2001 – largely due to slightly higher labour flows to Israel, Israeli settlements and industrial zones (ISIs) – unemployment remains high. Persistent high unemployment, combined with decreasing participation in the labour force and increasing dependency rates, suggests that living standards for the Palestinian population may continue to decline in 2001.

The fiscal situation for the Palestinian  Authority also remains fragile. The drop in domestic tax revenue and the continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues by Israeli authorities is expected to lead to a US$ 371 million budget deficit (22 percent of total public expenditures) for 2001.

Finally, it is important to note that the depth and severity of the current crisis is unprecedented. After three years of economic recovery following the previous crisis in 1996, the current shock will undoubtedly take even longer to overcome. Even if a political resolution is reached quickly and brings with it a full lifting of movement restrictions and resumption of “normal” economic life, genuine economic recovery will take years and will require substantial resources and sustained policy attention from all stakeholders in Palestinian economic and institutional development.

The United Nations International Meeting on the Question of Palestine was held in Madrid on 17 and 18 July 2001 under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in accordance with the provisions of General Assembly resolutions 55/52 and 55/53 of 1 December 2000.

The Committee was represented by a delegation comprising Ibra Deguène Ka (Senegal), Chairman of the Committee; Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla (Cuba), Vice-Chairman of the Committee; Ravan A.G. Farhâdi (Afghanistan), Vice-Chairman of the Committee; Walter Balzan (Malta), Rapporteur of the Committee; Sotirios Zackheos (Cyprus); and Nasser Al-Kidwa (Palestine).

The Meeting consisted of an opening session, three plenary sessions and a closing session.  The themes of the plenary sessions were: “The Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts:  an overview”; “The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem”; and “The road to peace”.

Presentations were made in accordance with the theme of the Meeting —“The Road to Israeli-Palestinian Peace" — by 14 experts from different regions, including Palestinians and Israelis.  Rawya Shawa, member of the Palestinian Council, was one of the invited experts but was unable to travel to Madrid due to Israel’s travel restrictions.  Representatives of 62 Governments, Palestine, three inter-governmental organizations, six United Nations bodies and 46 civil society organizations as well as special guests of the host country and representatives of the media, universities and institutes attended the Meeting.  

The Meeting was followed by an NGO Meeting in Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 19 July 2001.  The NGO Meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Committee.  The morning session was chaired by Mr. Miguel Angel Sánchez, Secretary-General of the Organization of Justice and Peace, and the afternoon session by Mr. Don Betz, Chairman of the International Coordinating Committee for NGOs on the Question of Palestine.  The presentations by experts focused on the following themes:  “Mobilizing public opinion in support of the Palestinian people – efforts by NGOs, other civil society organizations and the media”; “Review of NGO action worldwide”; and “Development of action-oriented proposals and mechanisms for their implementation”.

Presentations were made by nine experts from different regions, including Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  The Meeting was attended by representatives of 61 civil society organizations from different regions of the world.  

At the close of the Meeting, the participants adopted an NGO Statement and Plan of Action, which reads as follows:

NGO Statement and Plan of Action

1. We NGOs, gathered in Madrid on the tenth anniversary of the inauguration of the Madrid Peace Process, declare that the occupation of the Palestinian territories with its closures, settlements, military oppression and economic strangulation by Israel remains the single most prohibitive obstacle to peace.

2. We contend that the immediate protection of the Palestinian civilian population by an international presence is imperative.  We urge the United Nations Security Council to immediately place such a force in Palestine to serve as a global watch and physical presence in order to reduce violence and break the culture of war.

3. The United Nations and NGOs worldwide have developed a positive working relationship since the International Conference on the Question of Palestine in 1983. We are committed to strengthening the coordination with the United Nations in order to serve our common goals.

4. We acknowledge and applaud the continuing development and usefulness of the United Nations web site on the Question of Palestine. It has become an increasingly effective and convenient tool for all those interested in this issue.

5. We gratefully acknowledge the results of the United Nations International Meeting on the Question of Palestine held in Madrid 17 and 18 July 2001.  The invited speakers provided important analytical frameworks and informative updates on the current situation on the ground in Palestine.  We thank the United Nations for including NGOs as observers at this meeting.

6. We mobilize our collective efforts on the Question of Palestine, as we have since 1983, on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions.  We are convinced that these resolutions offer the clearest pathway to a true and just peace for all in the region.

7. We support the European NGOs’ call for the suspension of the EU-Israeli association agreements as long as Israel violates human rights covenants and product origin agreements.

8. We further conclude that most of the world remains ignorant or misinformed about the significance of the Occupation and its brutal daily impact on the life of every Palestinian.

Therefore, our Plan of Action includes:

(a) A United Nations NGO International Meeting on Protection of the Palestinian People. Our Plan of Action includes a clear request to the United Nations through the Committee and the Division to convene as soon as possible a United Nations NGO International Meeting on Protection of the Palestinian People.  Such a request has been made by NGO representatives throughout this past year at various United Nations meetings and symposia. The goal is to concentrate NGO and public awareness on the immediate needs of the Palestinian people for such assistance and on the urgency for such intervention. We consider this request to be among the highest priorities.

(b) Public Awareness Campaign, focusing public awareness campaigns among the peoples of our countries on “making the Occupation visible.”  The campaign will focus on crucial elements of the Occupation and the situation of the Palestinians on the ground. Suggested subjects include: An International Campaign against the Occupation; a campaign for the Palestinian right to self-determination and the right of return; a campaign over Israel’s violations of human rights; campaign to urge Governments to fulfil their responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention; campaigns highlighting the plight of women and children in Occupied Palestine; a campaign to oppose the illegal presence, construction and expansion of Israeli settlements, a boycott of settlement products, as well as campaigns around issues such as house demolitions, the settlements, the closures and land expropriation.

(c) An International Civil Society Corps.  We NGOs are also exploring the possibility of establishing an International Civil Society Corps of volunteers including universities, academics as well as Palestinian and Israeli NGOs, to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, to monitor events on the ground and to participate in appropriate actions opposing the Occupation.

(d) An International NGO Solidarity Forum. We propose that the United Nations collaborate with the NGO network in the convening of an International NGO Solidarity Forum to be held in Occupied Palestine during the coming year.  NGOs worldwide will give special attention to the annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29 November.

(e) We request more frequent consultations between the United Nations and NGO networks and coordinating bodies, continued assistance with securing United Nations publications and collaboration on the development of the annual calendar of events and meetings for NGOs sponsored by the United Nations.  In this way we NGOs will be able to more effectively mobilize NGO support for and participation in United Nations meetings such as this one in Madrid.

The NGOs present at the Madrid meeting express their sincere appreciation to the United Nations Committee and the Division for hosting this Meeting.  In particular we want to publicly acknowledge the long-standing friendship and encouragement we have received from the Chair of the Committee, Ambassador Ibra Deguène Ka.  His unwavering support of NGO efforts on behalf of Palestine has been an important element in the relationship between the NGO network and the United Nations.

The report of the Meeting was issued as a publication of the Division for Palestinian Rights.

On 24 July 2001, the Economic and Social Council adopted a resolution related to the question of Palestine and issued  a decision on the rights of the Palestinian people . The Council had before it the report of the forty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (E/2001/27-E/CN.6/2001/14). The resolution, entitled “The situation of and assistance to Palestinian women”, and the decision, entitled “Question of violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine”, were adopted (Council resolutions 2001/2 and 2001/246 respectively).

On 25 July 2001, the Council had before it a note by the Secretary General containing a report prepared by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), entitled “Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan” (A/56/90-E/2001/17).  Consequently, the Council adopted resolution 2001/19 under the same title as the ESCWA report.

The texts of the two resolutions and the decision mentioned in the previous paragraph are reproduced below:

2001/2.   The situation of and assistance to Palestinian women

The Economic and Social Council,

Having considered with appreciation section III.A concerning the situation of Palestinian women and assistance provided by organizations of the United Nations system, contained in the report of the Secretary-General¹ on the follow-up to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration² and Platform for Action,³

Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,⁴ in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century",⁵

Recalling also its resolution 2000/23 of 28 July 2000 and other relevant United Nations resolutions,

Recalling further the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women⁶ as it concerns the protection of civilian populations,

Stressing the need for compliance with the existing Israeli-Palestinian agreements conclu-ded within the context of the Middle East peace process and the need to resume peace negotiations, as soon as possible, in order to reach a final settlement,

Concerned about the deterioration of the situation of Palestinian women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and about the severe consequences of continuous illegal Israeli settlements activities as well as the harsh economic conditions and other consequences for the situation of Palestinian women and their families, resulting from the frequent closures and isolation of the occupied territory,

Expressing its condemnation of acts of violence,  especially  the  excessive  use of force against Palestinians, resulting in injury and loss of human life,

1. Calls upon the concerned parties, as well as the entire international community, to exert all the necessary efforts towards ensuring the immediate resumption of the peace process on its agreed basis, taking into account the common ground already gained, and calls for measures for tangible improvements in the difficult situation on the ground and living conditions faced by Palestinian women and their families;

2. Reaffirms that the Israeli occupation remains a major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance and integration in the development planning of their society;

3. Demands that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with the provisions and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,⁷ the Regulations annexed to the Hague Convention of 1907⁸ and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,⁹ in order to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families;

4. Calls upon Israel to facilitate the return of all refugees and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes and properties, in compliance with the relevant United Nations resolutions;

5. Urges Member States, financial organizations of the United Nations system, non- governmental organizations and other relevant institutions to intensify their efforts to provide financial and technical assistance to Palestinian women, especially during the transitional period;

6. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women to continue to monitor and take action with regard to the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,⁴ in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, the Beijing Platform for Action,³ and the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century";⁵

7. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to review the situation and to assist Palestinian women by all available means, and to submit to the Commission on the Status of Women at its forty-sixth session a report on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution.

39th plenary meeting

24 July 2001

____________

¹E/CN.6/2001/2.

²Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annex I.

³Ibid., annex II.

⁴Report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Nairobi, 15-26 July 1985 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.85.IV.10), chap. I, sect. A.

⁵See General Assembly resolutions S-23/2 and S-23/3.

⁶ See General Assembly resolution 48/104.

⁷ General Assembly resolution 217 A (III).

⁸ See Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Hague Conventions and Declarations of 1899 and 1907 (New York, Oxford University Press, 1915).

⁹ United Nations, Treaty Series, vol.75, No. 973.

The Economic and Social Council

Recalling General Assembly resolution 54/230 of 22 December 1999,

Also recalling its resolution 2000/31 of 28 July 2000,

Guided by the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, affirming the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force, and recalling relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967, 465 (1980) of 1 March 1980 and 497 (1981) of 17 December 1981,

Reaffirming the applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,¹ to the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967,

Stressing importance of the revival of the Middle East peace process on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242  (1967), 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973 and 425 (1978) of 19 March 1978, and the principle of land for peace as well as the full and timely implementation of the agreements reached between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people,

Reaffirming the principle of the permanent sovereignty of peoples under foreign occupation over their natural resources,

Convinced that the Israeli occupation impedes efforts to achieve sustainable development and a sound economic environment in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan,

Gravely concerned about the deterioration of economic and living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population of the occupied Syrian Golan, and the exploitation by Israel, the occupying Power, of their natural resources,

Expressing grave concern over the continuation of the recent tragic and violent events that have led to many deaths and injuries,

Aware of the important work being done by the United Nations and the specialized agencies in support of the economic and social development of the Palestinian people,

Conscious of the urgent need for the development of the economic and social infrastructure of the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and for the improvement of the living conditions of the Palestinian people as a key element of a lasting peace and stability,

1. Stresses the need to preserve the territorial integrity of all of the occupied Palestinian territory and to guarantee the freedom of movement of persons and goods in the territory, including the removal of restrictions on going into and from East Jerusalem, and the freedom of movement to and from the outside world;

2. Also stresses the vital importance of the construction and operation of the seaport in Gaza and safe passage to the economic and social development of the Palestinian people;

3. Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to cease its measures against the Palestinian people, in particular the closure of the occupied Palestinian territory, the enforced isolation of Palestinian towns, the destruction of homes and the isolation of Jerusalem;

4. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the Palestinian people and the Arab population of the occupied Syrian Golan to all their natural and economic resources, and calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, not to exploit, endanger or cause loss or depletion of these resources;

5. Also reaffirms that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan, are illegal and an obstacle to economic and social development;

6. Stresses the importance of the work of the organizations and agencies of the United Nations, and of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority;

7. Urges Member States to encourage private foreign investment in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, in infrastructure, job-creation projects and social development, in order to alleviate the hardship of the Palestinian people and improve living conditions;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session, through the Economic and Social Council, a report on the implementation of the present resolution and to continue to include, in the report of the United Nations Special Coordinator, an update on the living conditions of the Palestinian people, in collaboration with relevant United Nations agencies;

9. Decides to include the item entitled “Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan” in the agenda of its substantive session of 2002.

42nd plenary meeting

25 July 2001

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¹United Nations, Treaty Series, vol.75, No. 973.

Decision 2001/246.

Question of the violation of human rights in the

occupied Arab territories, including Palestine

At its 40th plenary meeting, on 24 July 2001, the Economic and Social Council, taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 2001/7 of 18 April 2001,¹ approved the Commission’s request to the Special  Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967, acting as a monitoring mechanism, to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights² and those contained in the report of the Human Rights Inquiry Commission,³ and to submit reports thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session and the Commission at its fifty-eighth session.

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¹Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2001, Supplement No. 3 (E/2001/23), chap. II, sect. A.

²E/CN.4/2001/114.

³E/CN.4/2001/121.

On 1 August 2001, the Presidency of the European Union on behalf of the European Union issued a statement on the escalation of violence in the Middle East. The statement was transmitted to the Secretary General in a letter dated 8 August 2001 from the Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations (S/2001/790).  The statement is reproduced below:

The Presidency of the European Union expresses its deepest concern in view of the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East and the renewed escalation of violence of the last few days, which further complicate the current diplomatic efforts aiming at relaunching the political process.

The Presidency urges all parties to show maximum restraint and to make concrete and immediate gestures in order to meet the expectations of the international community as largely reflected in the conclusions of the General Affairs Council of the European Union of 16 July (see S/2001/728) and the summit declaration of 21 July of the group of seven major industrialized nations and the Russian Federation (G8).

The Presidency stresses the European Union’s conviction as to the urgency of the full implementation of the Mitchell recommendations as well as to the interest of both parties in actively cooperating to the rapid establishment of a third-party monitoring mechanism.

The Presidency is disturbed by the killing of eight Palestinians in the West Bank on 31 July, and the report of the death of two children near the explosion.

The Presidency reiterates the European Union’s rejection of targeted assassinations of Palestinian militants by Israel, which are illegal under international law. Unilateral provocative actions of that kind can only lead to further escalation  and  therefore postpone a return to a situation of calm.

The Presidency exhorts the Palestinian Authority to intensify with unfailing determination its efforts against extremist violence and terrorism.

The Presidency cannot but deplore the killing and wounding of innocent civilians caught in the current confrontations.

XVIII.  SECRETARY-GENERAL ISSUES STATEMENT ON THE MIDDLE EAST

The following statement was issued on 6 August 2001 by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan in connection with the continuing cycle of violence in the Middle East (SG/SM/7905):

The Secretary-General is dismayed by the escalating violence, which continues to spread death and misery among both Israelis and Palestinians.  He deplores acts of terror such as the one committed yesterday by a Palestinian gunman in Tel Aviv.  He is also deeply disturbed by the fact that Israel continues to use its armed forces for the deliberate killing of pre-selected Palestinian individuals.  Last Tuesday this tactic led to the killing of eight people, including two young boys.  Over the weekend further incidents of the same type killed one person and injured at least five others.

The Secretary-General recalls that he already condemned this practice, which violates human rights law as well as general principles of law, in his statement of 5 July.  Israel’s continued use of it can only further inflame an already very dangerous situation.  The Secretary-General appeals once again to the Government of Israel to put an end to it.  Indeed, he appeals to all sides to stop the cycle of destructive violence and to return to the path of dialogue, since there can be no solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict other than a political one.  He urges both parties to focus their energies on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Mitchell Report, which they have both embraced.

XIX.  SECRETARY-GENERAL ISSUES STATEMENT ON THE SEIZURE OF ORIENT HOUSE

The following statement was issued on 12 August 2001 by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan in connection with the seizure of Orient House (SG/SM/7912):

Following the seizure by the Israeli authorities of Orient House and other properties related to Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem, the Secretary-General received a letter from the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Yasser Arafat, and has also been in touch with him on the telephone.

The Secretary-General considers this action to be an unwise step, which is leading to even greater friction and further violence.  He urges that the occupation of Orient House and the other properties be ended without delay.

On 22 August 2001, the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian Rights addressed the following letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in connection with the alarming situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem (A/ES-10/106-S/2001/819).  The text of the letter is reproduced below:

In my capacity as Acting Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, I should like to draw your attention, as a matter of urgency, to the present alarming situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem.

The Committee has been extremely worried by the latest dramatic escalation of tensions and violence in and around East Jerusalem and in areas under full Palestinian control. Judging by its present policies and actions on the ground, it appears that Israel has no intention of respecting agreements signed with the Palestinian side and has firmly decided on continuing wide-scale military operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, as well as in areas under full control of the Palestinian Authority. The latest and most striking incidents included the taking over of Orient House and other Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem and Abu Dis, and the massive Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) incursion into Jenin. Furthermore, Israel continues to use sophisticated weapons, including helicopter gunships, in the extrajudicial killings of suspected Palestinian activists. As a result of the violence, the death toll is mounting, the Palestinian economy is decimated and the infrastructure of the Occupied Palestinian Territory gets further eroded.

The Mitchell Committee report, with its sensible and even-handed recommendations, offered a practicable way out of the impasse. Both sides have accepted them. However, the position taken by Israel that all violence should cease before the cooling-off period starts and negotiations resume has brought us to the current critical situation. The recent violations by Israel of international law and of its agreements with the Palestinian side prove time and again that the Israeli Government has not been able to embrace fully and unequivocally the fundamental principle of land for peace and apply in practice the commitments and obligations it entered into at Madrid and Oslo.

As the crisis persists, and due to the lack of mutual trust, it is abundantly clear that the two sides are unable to achieve a breakthrough. They need a more involved assistance of key international actors, including the United Nations. It is the opinion of our Committee that, at this critical juncture, more than ever, the United Nations should continue to maintain its permanent responsibility with respect to all aspects of the question of Palestine until it is resolved in a satisfactory manner, in conformity with relevant United Nations resolutions, in accordance with international legitimacy and until the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people are fully realized.

Resolute steps should be taken now with a view to implementing the Mitchell Committee recommendations in their entirety and without further delay. A realistic plan for such implementation should be agreed upon within a reasonable time span and with workable ways for its monitoring. Negotiations on security, as well as on interim and permanent status issues, should be restarted as a matter of urgency.  The Committee is of the view that a permanent status agreement, long overdue, should be finally reached on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and the principles of the Madrid Peace Conference.

Since its inception in 1975, our Committee has maintained that the core of the problem has been the continuing illegal occupation by Israel of the Palestinian Territory. Once again, we call upon the Government of Israel to abide by the principles of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, and the provisions of all relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.

The Committee has repeatedly put forward its position with respect to the situation on the ground and the threat to international peace and security posed by the stalemate in the peace negotiations, the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the deplorable state of the Palestinian economy. United Nations bodies, especially the Security Council and the General Assembly, making full use of your peacemaking efforts, should stand up to the challenges before them and take concrete steps aimed at addressing the continuing Israeli-Palestinian crisis.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly, under agenda item 5, and of the Security Council.

On 22 August 2001, the Council of the League of Arab States held an emergency meeting at the level of Ministers for Foreign Affairs.  At the meeting two resolutions, resolution 6108, entitled “The recent Israeli aggression against the City of Jerusalem”, and resolution 6109, entitled “World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance”, were adopted.  The texts of the resolutions were transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in a letter dated 27 August from the Permanent Representative of the Sudan to the United Nations. (A/ES-10/109-S/2001/830).  The texts of the resolutions are reproduced below:

6108. The recent Israeli aggression against the City of Jerusalem

The Council of the League of Arab States, meeting in extraordinary session at the ministerial level,

Having considered the note from the State of Palestine, the note from the Syrian Arab Republic and the proposals made by heads of delegation,

Decides:

1. To affirm its support for the Palestinian people and its Intifadah using all available means, on the grounds that it constitutes legitimate national resistance to Israeli occupation; to reject its characterization as violence and terrorism; and to stress the need for the speedy implementation of the resolutions of the Cairo and Amman summits;

2. To accelerate the provision of financial and economic assistance to the Palestinian people so as to enable it to continue to hold its ground, especially with respect to the pledges made by member States to the Al-Aqsa Fund and the Intifadah Fund at the Cairo and Amman summits that have not been fully met;

3. To urge Arab non-governmental organizations to continue to provide material assistance for the relief of victims of Israeli assaults in accordance with the relevant resolution of the Arab Summit Conference;

4. To endeavour by all possible means to preserve the status of Jerusalem and to regard Israeli measures that seek to alter that status as null and void, illegal and lacking in effect, while stressing that it is essential: to bring about the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli forces occupying Orient House and other Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem; to end the occupation of the Palestinian villages around the city; to promote the Arab character of Jerusalem; to channel the capacities of the Arab nation into thwarting schemes to Judaize the city and into strengthening Palestinian institutions there; to enable the city’s people to stand its ground in the face of all such Israeli practices as the blockade and isolation of Jerusalem and the expropriation of its land; to halt all attempts to tamper with the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Christian and Islamic Holy Places; to continue to expose Israel’s practices; and to prevent any attempt to hold international conferences in the city;

5. To affirm the importance of participation by all member States in the conference of the liaison officers at the regional offices to be held in Damascus from 7 to 11 October 2001 with a view to reactivating the Arab boycott of Israel;

6. To urge all the countries of the world to boycott the products of Israeli colonies in occupied Arab territory;

7. To refrain from initiating any contacts with Israel as long as it continues its assaults against the Palestinian people and its territory and against Syrian and Lebanese territory;

8. To endeavour to elaborate an appropriate mechanism for bringing Israeli war criminals before an international tribunal; and to entrust the secretariat with the task of exploring and monitoring this question;

9. To support Iraq’s request for the allocation of 1 billion euros of its resources; and to urge the United Nations to release this sum in order to bolster the perseverance of the Palestinian Arab people;

10. To stress in all international forums the restoration of Arab rights in Jerusalem, the occupied Palestinian territory, the Golan and southern Lebanon in implementation of the resolutions that embody international legitimacy; and to insist on the right of return of the Palestine refugees under the terms of General Assembly resolution 194 (III);

11. To urge the United States of America to desist from supplying Israel with offensive weapons; and to request the secretariat to explore the question of submitting an official complaint to the relevant United States authorities under the laws that restrict the sale of American arms and their use against third parties.

Resolution 6108

Extraordinary session

22 August 2001

6109.  World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance

The Council of the League of Arab States, meeting in extraordinary session at the ministerial level,

Having reviewed the ongoing preparations for the third World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to be held in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 7 September 2001, and in the light of the discussions that have taken place,

Decides:

1. To strive for the success of the Conference in the light of its importance for combating all racist practices in all their forms and directed against all races;

2. To affirm that the condemnation of racist practices is an indivisible whole and that the condemnation of past practices necessarily requires the condemnation of present Israeli practices;

3. To maintain the stance of the Arabs against the racist practices of the past; to protest in the strongest terms at Israeli racist practices against them in the present, and in particular those directed against the Palestinian people besieged in its territory by the force of a military occupation that is devastating to its life, its property and its resources; and to regard all these racist policies and practices as crimes against humanity and as grave violations of the norms of international humanitarian law;

4. To accept the invitation of the Secretary-General to convene a coordination meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Arab States on 31 August 2001 on the margins of the conference.

Resolution 6109

Extraordinary session

22 August 2001

On 28 August 2001, the International Monetary Fund published a study entitled “West Bank and Gaza: Economic Performance, Prospects, and Policies – Achieving Prosperity and Confronting Demographic Challenges”.  The first two paragraphs of the report’s overview are reproduced below:

Overview

This study reviews the economic performance and examines the medium-term prospects for the Palestinian economy. Since October 2000, the economy has been severely dislocated by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, causing a severe decline in income and output in the West Bank and Gaza.  While this paper discusses the economic consequences of the conflict and related closures, it also looks beyond these immediate and severe problems to the challenges and opportunities that will face the Palestinian economy over the medium term, especially those arising from important demographic changes now under way. Although how and when the present conflict is resolved will have major implications for economic performance in coming years, addressing the policy challenges raised in this paper will still be crucial for the success of the Palestinian economy over the longer run.

The West Bank and Gaza has the highest population growth in the world, and over the medium term, fertility rates are projected to fall, causing a slowdown in population growth and an increase in its average age. The share of the population at working age is projected to rise steadily. These demographic changes can provide an important boost to per capita income growth, but they can also lead to a period of high unemployment or declining real wages, or both, and the outcome will be largely determined by policy choices and reforms of the restrictions that  hamper  trade  and  investment today. These issues form one important theme of this paper.

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