Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, observed on 29 November:
This year’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People takes place at a time of turmoil, trouble and torment. The decades-long Palestinian struggle for self-determination, independence and a life of dignity faces numerous obstacles, including: continued military occupation of Palestinian territory; ongoing violence and incitement; continued settlement construction and expansion; deep uncertainties about the peace process; and deteriorating humanitarian and economic conditions, particularly in Gaza.
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is providing indispensable services and needs our full support.
I urge Israel, Palestine and all others with influence to restore the promise and viability of the two-State solution premised on two States living side by side in peace, harmony and within secure and recognized borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both.
Let us reaffirm our commitment to upholding the rights of the Palestinian people and to building a future of peace, justice, security and dignity for Palestinians and Israelis alike.
For information media. Not an official record.
Document Sources: Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP), General Assembly, Secretary-General, United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Subject: Gaza Strip, Occupation, Self-determination, Solidarity day
Publication Date: 23/11/2018
URL source: http://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sgsm19361.doc.htm