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

Fifty-fifth General Assembly

Plenary

72nd Meeting (PM)

CONCLUDING DEBATE ON STRENGHTENING COORDINATION OF UN RELIEF ASSISTANCE;

ASSEMBLY ADOPTS TWO RELATED DRAFTS WITHOUT VOTE

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Addressing the agenda item, "Assistance to the Palestinian people", the Observer of Palestine said Israel had bombed a great number of public and private buildings, destroying television and power stations.  The Israelis had created an embargo on the movement of peoples, paralyzing the Palestinian economy and uprooting families.  At present, approximately 1.3 million Palestinians were living on the poverty line.  Moreover, material losses had exceeded $900 million, which was more than all aid from donor countries.  There were also enormous losses in the health field.  The reason for the crisis was the illegitimate occupation by Israel and the expansion of settlements.

Exercising his right of reply, Israel's representative said the Palestinian territories had benefited economically during periods of calm and peace.  However, in choosing to return to violence, the Palestinian people were undoing many improvements that had been gained, and had, in fact, brought the economic calamity upon themselves.  Israel was making every effort to minimize any harm to the economic sector.  There was a free flow of humanitarian assistance and food to the Palestinian areas.  Even shipments from hostile countries had been facilitated through special provisions.

The representatives of Colombia, Egypt, China, Republic of Korea, Papua New Guinea, Argentina and Madagascar spoke as well, as did the Permanent Observers of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Switzerland.

The representative of Israel and the observer of Palestine exercised their right of reply.

The Assembly will meet again tomorrow, Tuesday, 28 November, at 10 a.m. to consider assistance in mine action.

Statements

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AHMED H. DARWISH (Egypt) said that violence against humanitarian workers was condemned by international law and by the International Criminal Court.  That was a positive way of deterring any person wanting to commit such crimes.  He appealed to all parties in conflicts to respect the right of humanitarian workers to carry out their work.  He urged that access be provided to the civilian population and to all those who were in need in a sound and legal way, by giving assistance to organizations in charge.  Egypt affirmed that humanitarian assistance could in no way harm the territorial integrity of States.  However, there was a problem with States that did not have a central government, and he suggested that the General Assembly set guidelines to be followed by the United Nations in such cases.  

Egypt had followed the humanitarian segment of the Economic and Social Council.  Regarding natural disasters, from which a large part of the world’s population suffered, a consensus had been found there.  However, on the question of displaced persons there was a difference of opinion, making it impossible to consider the issue in depth.  There had been a Working Group to study the problem, but agreement had not even been reached on the meaning of the term “displaced persons”.  The States concerned and the international community had a responsibility to assist those persons.  But there had been several illogical requests from industrialized countries on the rights of displaced persons.  He reminded the Assembly that several industrialized countries did not give illegal immigrants the rights that their citizens enjoyed and could, therefore, not request that other States give the same rights to displaced persons as to their own citizens.

Regarding the Middle East peace process, he said that the Palestinian people had suffered tragic consequences.  Peace must be found according to Security Council resolutions, he said.  He urged the international community to convey a clear message to Israel regarding human rights violations and called on the international community to condemn the ongoing military operations.

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MARWAN A. JILANI, Observer for Palestine, said there had been aggression against the occupied territories for the past two months.  Israel had bombed a great number of public and private buildings, destroying television and power stations.  When the Israelis created an embargo on the movement of peoples, it paralysed the Palestinian economy, uprooting families as well.  That strict blockade led to such a drop in production that today production stood at less than 20 per cent of the previous figure.  At present, approximately 1.3 million Palestinians were living on the poverty line.  Moreover, material losses had exceeded $900 million, which was more than all aid from donor countries.  The United Nations Special Coordinator had pointed to the use by Israel of heavy weaponry, including rocketry, in its attacks on the Palestinian people.  In addition, Israeli settlers had destroyed private Palestinian trucks.

There were enormous losses in the health field, creating a great burden that had to be shouldered.  Fortunately, Arab States had provided medical assistance in receiving injured Palestinians.  He urged United Nations agencies to recognize the urgent need to provide aid.  Palestine felt that the reason for the crisis was the illegitimate occupation by Israel and the expansion of settlements; he also called attention to the profanation of Muslim holy sites.  The establishment of peace and security required a withdrawal from East Jerusalem; without that there would never be progress in the peace process.  In conclusion, he reaffirmed the role of the United Nations in promoting a just and comprehensive peace in the area.

Rights of Reply

CHAIM SHACHAM (Israel), exercising his right of reply, said it was a shame that the current debate on humanitarian assistance, enjoying universal support, had been abused to launch accusations.  It was unfortunate that the Palestinian observer delegation had chosen to politicize the issue and distract the Assembly from achieving the improvement of the well-being of the Palestinian people.  The Israeli objective was a negotiated peace settlement that would bring calm to the region, and Israel had made unprecedented compromises.  Those compromises had been met by a rejection of peace and a return to the violence and terrorism renounced in 1993.

The Palestinian territories had benefited economically during periods of calm and peace, when Israel had been able to permit the daily entry of more than 100,000 Palestinians working in a variety of sectors.  A number of United Nations reports stated that there had been tangible rewards for the Palestinian people through the peace process.  However, in choosing to return to violence, the Palestinian people were undoing many improvements that had been gained and had, in fact, brought the economic calamity upon themselves.  Israel was making every effort to minimize any harm to the economic sector.  There was a free flow of humanitarian assistance and food to the Palestinian areas, with over 100 shipments of aid since the outbreak of the violence.  Assistance had more than quadrupled since last year, he said.

Israel had established special transports to accelerate the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian authorities.  Even shipments from hostile countries had been facilitated through special provisions.  It was true that there was a problem in the transport of fuel.  Israeli fuel tanker trucks could no longer travel safely in Gaza and the West Bank.  Fuel had to be transferred to Palestinian trucks at checkpoints.  There were no restriction or prevention of the transport of fuel, but there was a shortage of Palestinian trucks.  It was unacceptable that the Palestinians had refused to consider the peace overtures Israel had made at Camp David — and then turned around and blamed Israel for their economic predicament.

Mr. JILANI, Observer of Palestine, exercising his right of reply, said he had not wanted to answer the lengthy statement of Israel.  He asked how donor countries could fulfil their commitments as long as there was violence and the use of heavy weapons.  The report of the Special Coordinator of the United Nations had emphasized the destruction of infrastructure, including destruction of public and private buildings, in addition to the embargo that prevented the Palestinians and their products from moving between Palestinian territories and the rest of the world.  The villages within the territories were also isolated from each other, as roads had been destroyed by Israel.  There was a global blockade of the territories.  The reports of the Special Coordinator and other reports emphasized that one result of the encirclement was that wounded could not be moved from one region to another. Some had died because of that restriction.  

Today, for the first time, Israel had allowed fuel to be delivered to Gaza.  The Gaza Strip had been cut off for more than two weeks.  According to reports, people living there were near famine.  How could one fail to speak of Israeli procedures at a time when Israel had damaged assets of the Palestinian Authority and thus affected the income of Palestinian producers.  Israel must recognize that the illegal military occupation was the crux of the crisis.  As soon as that illegal occupation ended, the region would be able to speak of improvement in the living conditions of its population and of improvement in regional cooperation.  

Addressing the situation in Gaza, he said there were 5,000 Israeli settlers illegally installed there, who had about 40 per cent of the land in Gaza.  The strip was poor and did not have sufficient water.  The fact that 5,000 Israeli settlers had 42 per cent, when more than a million individuals lived in the rest of the Gaza Strip in difficult conditions, provided evidence of the nature of the new system of apartheid followed by Israel in the occupied territories.  The crux of the crisis was the existence of the occupation, he reiterated.  

In exercise of his second right of reply, MR. SHACHAM  (Israel) said he felt that the self-evident logic of cause and effect had escaped the Palestinian Observer.  There was an obvious effect of violence, which was the consequent negative impact on the Palestinian economy.  Israel believed the obvious solution was negotiation and dialogue.  Furthermore, the permanent disposition of the settlements was part and parcel of negotiations, he continued.  When Palestinian violence ended, negotiations could resume again.  In closing, Israel called on Palestine to remember the words of an ancient proverb:  “One who lives in a glass house should not throw stones.”

Mr. JILANI (Palestine), exercising his second right of reply, said that the most atrocious form of violence and aggression was the occupation by force of a territory, and the imposition of military occupation on an entire people.  The territories referred to by the Israeli delegate were not territories of conflict, but occupied territories.  Israel was the only State singled out as an occupying power.  The territory was not disputed, he said, by international law or by the Security Council’s definition.  Those were occupied territories, and Israel must abandon its logic of displacing the genuinely disputed post-1947 territories to those occupied after 1967.  

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