Assistance to the Palestinian people – GA debate – Press release (excerpts)

Plenary

58^th & 59^th Meetings (AM & PM)

Background

The General Assembly met today for its joint debate on strengthening the United Nations’ coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.

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The Secretary-General’s report on Assistance to the Palestinian People (A/64/78-E/2009/66) describes United Nations efforts, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and donors, to support Palestinian populations and institutions during the May 2008 to April 2009 reporting period.  It notes that the operational context for the United Nations led to a two-pronged approach: refocusing attention on longer-term economic, infrastructure and capacity-building delivery interventions in the West Bank, and delivering emergency interventions in Gaza.

However, United Nations agencies and programmes faced severe restrictions in the delivery of assistance, the report observes.  While the recent conflict in Gaza would continue to emphasize the importance of delivering emergency and humanitarian assistance, efforts to support long-term recovery of Palestine should remain high on the agenda.  The United Nations would continue to focus on institution building and aligning its programmes with the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan.

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Also under its item on strengthening coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance, the Assembly was set to consider several draft resolutions.

Introduction of drafts

PER ÖRNÉUS ( Sweden), speaking on behalf of the European Union …

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Turning next to a draft resolution on “Assistance to the Palestinian People”, he said it had been shared with Member States and would be considered on 11 December.  He expected it to be adopted by consensus.  The Union reaffirmed its commitment to providing assistance to Palestinians and stood ready to enhance its bilateral relations with the Palestinian Authority.  The Union would promote Palestinian state-building and intensify work, in partnership with the Authority, to implement the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan.  It also fully supported the “ Palestine: Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State” plan and would work for more international support for it.  The Union also welcomed the Authority’s efforts to develop a reformed security sector, and the civil police would continue to be a focus of European Union support.

Gravely concerned at the situation in Gaza, he called for the immediate and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons.  He reaffirmed the Union’s solidarity with humanitarian actors whose safe and unhindered access to civilians was essential for the fulfilment of their mandates, and welcomed Israel’s steps to ease restrictions on movement in the West Bank, which had fostered economic growth.  There should be further improvements in movement and access, as many check points and roadblocks remained in place.  Finally, he called on all partners to help achieve a comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, urging Arab countries to be politically and financially forthcoming in assisting the Palestinian Authority.  Encouraged by enhanced United States engagement, the Union stood ready to use all instruments at its disposal, including the European Neighbourhood Policy.  It would also carefully assess how its policies could promote concrete and early results on the path to conflict settlement.

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RIYAD MANSOUR, Permanent Observer of Palestine, noted that international assistance to the Palestinian people had been indispensable for decades.  While the Palestinian people and their leadership were deeply grateful for such assistance, it was imperative to ask whether that assistance had reached its full potential and how much its efforts toward sustained assistance had been sabotaged.  How many more internationally funded projects would the occupying Power be allowed to undermine and decimate, forcing that assistance off the development and State-building track toward relief and crisis management?  Indeed, because Israel’s illegal actions had turned the clock back on Palestinian development, international agencies bore an enormous burden in addressing the continuously emerging needs of the Palestinian civilian population.

He underscored the situation, noting recent reports from the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and saying that the picture was most bleak in the Gaza Strip, which was on the verge of collapse due to Israel’s illegal and inhumane siege.  This collective punishment, which undoubtedly amounted to a war crime, went on unfazed by international expressions of concern and calls for it to end. Restrictions and reductions in the amount and quality of goods allowed to enter and leave Gaza meant that its once-thriving agricultural export sector was now at the top of Gaza’s most endangered economic sectors.  The vast majority of the Palestinian population had been forced into utter dependence on international aid, even as relief and assistance were obstructed by the occupying Power.

Socio-economic indicators continued to show significant decline throughout the Palestinian community, he said, because an intricate matrix of roadblocks and movement restrictions continued to encroach on economic development and health and education services.  In five years, the Palestinian economy had lost $8.4 billion in potential income.  This was twice the size of its economy today and showed the grave trap both Palestinian efforts and international assistance had fallen into. While assistance had increased significantly in recent years, it had had little effect on the grim reality on the ground. To reap the intended benefits of that assistance, the international community must focus on helping the Palestinian National Authority implement its State programme, through funding, as well as the removal of those obstacles by which Israel undermined it. Otherwise, international assistance would only end up covering the cost of the Israel occupation, rather than achieving the development of an independent Palestinian State.

He noted that the Palestinian Government had presented a programme on 25 August 2009, entitled “ Palestine:  Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State”, which envisioned the establishment of an independent State within two years.  It had received wide support, including from the United Nations.  He called on Member States to join the Palestinian Government in its effort to establish justice and peace and by compelling the occupying Power to cease its violations and put an end to its crippling siege of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

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AHMED AL-JARMAN (United Arab Emirates)…

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… He went on to say that his delegation attached great importance to providing assistance and support to the Palestinian people and their Government, as they suffered under Israel’s brutal occupation of their lands.  The United Arab Emirates had translated its political and moral support for the Palestinian people into financial contributions and economic support that had included emergency relief and long-term development and technical assistance that had amounted to some $3 billion.  His Government had also doubled its donations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), to enable it to better carry out its important work.

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TALAL AL-MANSOUR ( Kuwait)…

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… Finally, he stressed that it was incumbent on the entire international community to work harder to end the suffering of the Palestinian people and, to that end, he urged the wider international community to enhance its support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).  He also called on Israel to end its blockades of the Gaza strip, which was severely handicapping efforts to rebuild the area and to provide humanitarian assistance to the suffering people there. …

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Action on Draft Resolutions

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The representative of Iraq, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said the resolution on strengthening humanitarian assistance contained many important elements, and he thanked the facilitators for efforts to meet the concerns of the group.  He also welcomed the positive trends in the text.  Yet, there was an important element that had not been agreed, and that was the provision of humanitarian assistance for “peoples chaffing under the yoke of occupation.”  The Arab Group had requested the inclusion of such language as a result of the aggression of the Israeli regime against the Palestinian people at the beginning of the year.  Deliberate obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territory was a disturbing reminder that it appeared that in some instances, the Organization practiced double standards regarding humanitarian assistance.

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For information media • not an official record