{"id":287109,"date":"2023-05-15T15:50:18","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T19:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=287109"},"modified":"2023-05-16T15:53:08","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T19:53:08","slug":"marking-anniversary-of-nakba-president-tells-palestinian-rights-committee-tragedy-constitutes-a-scar-on-humanity-press-release-ga-pal-1453","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/marking-anniversary-of-nakba-president-tells-palestinian-rights-committee-tragedy-constitutes-a-scar-on-humanity-press-release-ga-pal-1453\/","title":{"rendered":"Marking Anniversary of Nakba, President Tells Palestinian Rights Committee “Tragedy Constitutes a Scar on Humanity” – Press Release (GA\/PAL\/1453)"},"content":{"rendered":"

412TH MEETING (AM)<\/strong>
\nGA\/PAL\/1453<\/strong>
\n15 MAY 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Video<\/a><\/p>\n

Voicing solidarity and support to the Palestinian people, speakers today reiterated their calls for intensified efforts towards a just and lasting solution, as the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held a high-level special meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Nakba.<\/p>\n

The epicentre of the Palestine tragedy, the Nakba is a moment in time in 1948 when a majority of a nation was displaced almost overnight, with hundreds of thousands fleeing for their lives as thousands were killed and hundreds of villages and communities were destroyed.\u00a0 However, the Nakba did not end in that moment \u2014 to this day, it remains the name given by Palestinians to their dispossession, displacement, collective punishment and the denial of their inalienable rights.<\/p>\n

Mahmoud Abbas, President of the\u00a0State of Palestine<\/u>, urging the United Nations to restore the rights of his people and establish 15\u00a0May as an international day to commemorate their plight, said: \u00a0\u201cThis tragedy constitutes a scar on humanity.\u201d\u00a0 With Palestinians around the world commemorating this anniversary, the Palestinian narrative is only now starting to find its way into the consciousness of countries by countering the false Israeli narrative. \u00a0A national commemoration monument is being built in the State of Palestine as a witness to this human tragedy. \u00a0Yet, Israel continues to deny the Nakba and build settlements on lands that are recognized and accepted as Palestine while imposing an apartheid regime.<\/p>\n

Despite more than 1,000 resolutions adopted on this issue since 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly, Security Council and Human Rights Council, not a single one has been implemented, he pointed out.\u00a0 Israel\u2019s membership in the Organization, he reminded, was predicated on the implementation of Assembly resolution 181<\/a> on the establishment of the State of Palestine and Assembly resolution 194 on the return of Palestine refugees.\u00a0 As such, Israel must either respect these resolutions or have its membership in the United Nations suspended, he asserted, spotlighting the double standard within the Organization on implementing resolutions.<\/p>\n

By planting another entity in the Palestinian homeland for their own colonial goals, the United States and the United Kingdom bear a political and ethnical responsibility for the Nakba, he emphasized.\u00a0 In detailing the ongoing struggle of the Palestinian people, he noted, among other points, that Palestinians had lived in the area for thousands of years. \u00a0Palestine was one of the most civilized lands in the Arab region, with a vibrant culture, libraries, newspapers, printing houses, many agricultural exports, green land, lakes and rivers. \u00a0With weapons from London, the Zionists established the State of Israel, committed massacres, demolished 530 villages and displaced around 957,000 refugees, according to the United Nations. \u00a0Israel has since repeated its false claims which date back to its denial of the reports issued by the League of Nations, continues to violate holy sites and denies Palestinians the freedom of worship at mosques. \u00a0Moreover, that Government has not only violated resolutions but also occupies by force with its ongoing blockade of Gaza and nearly 750,000 settlers in occupied land.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Israel] continue[s] to lie until people continue to believe their lies,\u201d he said, stressing that the biggest lie is that Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East. \u00a0He then took to task the false claim that Palestinians do not want peace by pointing out that they have accepted a State on 22\u00a0per\u00a0cent of its historic land and are ready to not only carry out peaceful negotiations but also live alongside Israel in peace and security. \u00a0In noting that Israel is celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of its independence, he asked: \u00a0\u201cIndependence from who[m]?\u201d<\/p>\n

He went on to note that the officials of that occupying Government are calling for the killing of Palestinians and the demolition of their homes.\u00a0Explaining that this situation is reminiscent of the Nakba in 1948, he called on the international community to shoulder its responsibility. \u00a0\u201cWhy aren\u2019t you protecting us,\u201d he asked, urging Israel to be held accountable.\u00a0 Unless that Government acknowledges its responsibility for the Nakba, provides compensation and apologizes for its actions, the conflict\u2019s root causes will remain.\u00a0 In that vein, he called for courts to uphold Palestinian rights, asked for full membership at the United Nations and appealed to the Organization to implement its resolutions.<\/p>\n

In opening remarks, Cheikh Niang (Senegal), Chair of the Committee, stressed that the resilience of the Palestinian people should not absolve the international community from its obligations and responsibility.\u00a0 Reminding the world about the Nakba and the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people is needed now more than ever, he asserted, highlighting the current dire situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.\u00a0 In the continued absence of a just solution, the Committee continues to strongly support the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and appeals for the Agency\u2019s sufficient and predictable funding, he stressed.\u00a0 It regrets that the reports of entities actively engaging in promoting a just and lasting peace are all pointing towards increasingly negative and worrying trends on the ground, he said before condemning the ongoing escalation in Gaza and the loss of civilian lives from the recent Israeli military operation.\u00a0\u201cViolence, in whatever form, only takes us further away from the international consensus to achieve a just peace in the Middle East as outlined in international law and countless [United Nations] resolutions \u2014 such violence is not the answer,\u201d he underlined.<\/p>\n

He went on to voice the Committee\u2019s grave concern over Israel\u2019s de facto creeping annexation as well as its dismay over the grave human rights abuses and discriminatory policies imposed against the Palestinian people.\u00a0 In that vein, Israel must reverse the dispossession and forcible displacement of Palestinians as well as the transfer of its population to that occupied land.\u00a0Pledging that the Committee will continue to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, uphold its mandate and make its notable goals a reality, he stressed:\u00a0 \u201cPeace will be achieved by bringing an end to the injustice of the Nakba.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, voiced her deep concern over the continually diminishing prospects towards a two-State solution.\u00a0 Violence remains pervasive as evictions, demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned property continue unabated \u2014 actions which continue to undermine the prospects for the establishment of a viable, continuous Palestinian State.\u00a0 In detailing several recent incidents of violence, including those occurring inside or near Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the loss of life from Israeli air strikes and Palestinian rocket fire, she reiterated her call for respect for the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem, in line with the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.\u00a0 She also echoed United Nations Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres\u2019 call on all sides to observe the ceasefire and appealed to Member States to ensure sufficient and predictable funding for UNRWA.<\/p>\n

The question of Palestine is intimately linked to the history and the Charter of the United Nations, she pointed out, explaining that respect for international law and human rights, self-determination and the peaceful resolution of conflicts constitute the Organization\u2019s raison d’etre.\u00a0As Palestinians deserve a life of justice and dignity, the Organization\u2019s position is clear:\u00a0 the occupation must end and a two-State solution that will bring lasting peace and security must be achieved in line with international law, United Nations resolutions and previous agreements.<\/p>\n

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner, speaking via videoconference, emphasized that the 1948 war was the beginning of a very long journey of waiting and uncertainty.\u00a0 Against that backdrop, today is a day to highlight how the United Nations and its partners have made a difference in the lives of Palestine refugees, he said.\u00a0 In full acknowledgement of their right to protection and assistance, UNRWA was established in 1950 to continue the vital work that other relief partners had started in 1948.\u00a0 Over the years, more than 2\u00a0million girls and boys have graduated from UNRWA schools and the Agency has greatly improved basic health through universal vaccination and excellent mother and child health care.\u00a0 Beyond direct assistance, it also serves as the custodian of records and memories for Palestine refugees, he noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is our obligation and our duty at the United Nations to help those impacted by crisis and those in need \u2014 Palestine refugees are no different,\u201d he underscored.\u00a0 However, the serious financial crisis facing UNRWA risks undoing the progress made in human development for millions of Palestine refugees. \u00a0Even though it needs sustainable financial footing, UNRWA is not the solution.\u00a0\u201cThere simply is no alternative to a political solution for all,\u201d he explained, adding:\u00a0 \u201cUntil such a day, there is no alternative to UNRWA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salem M. Matug, Representative of the Office of the Permanent Observer of the\u00a0African Union<\/u>, speaking on behalf of Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, noted that Palestine refugees continue to face serious protection challenges due to the ongoing occupation, armed conflict and displacement. \u00a0They are sinking deeper into poverty and desperation, he said, also highlighting the consequences of illegal settlements which have contributed to forced displacement, severely limited access to basic resources and prolonged a system of structural inequality. \u00a0As such, the international community must intensify its efforts to find a just and lasting solution based on the two-State solution. \u00a0Pointing out that war has brought nothing but death, destruction and widespread trauma throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, he underscored that African support to the Palestinian cause is based on the values of freedom, justice and humanitarian principles. \u00a0All stakeholders must commit to relaunching the peace process in the Middle East, he stressed.<\/p>\n

Sulaiman Mohammed S. Alanbar, Permanent Observer for the\u00a0Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf<\/u>, pointed out that Israel\u2019s activities are an extension of the Palestinian Nakba, the longest colonization issue.\u00a0 This is a sad moment in the history of the Middle East and the world, he observed, adding that it is also a cause of desperation and anger for Arab Palestinians.\u00a0 As such, regional and international actors must undertake every effort to immediately end Israel\u2019s provocations which are being repeated on a daily basis on Palestinian territory.\u00a0 Highlighting recent examples such as the indiscriminate and violent killings of civilians, he stressed that these actions only exacerbate the current desperation and make the calls for peace in region far-fetched.\u00a0As ending the conflict and its regional repercussions cannot take place unless Israel implements its commitments, he called for international efforts to hold Israel accountable, move forward with a political process and achieve a historic solution.<\/p>\n

Yusnier Romero Puentes (Cuba<\/u>), speaking on behalf of the \u201cGroup of 77\u201d developing countries and China, demanded that Israel halt its confiscation of Palestinian property, expansion of settlements and the wall, demolition of Palestinian homes, mass dispossession of Palestinian civilians and all annexation measures.\u00a0 He called for full respect of international law and all relevant resolutions as he expressed his concern over the continued severe restrictions on planning, building and natural resources access. \u00a0In Gaza, the illegal blockade and repeated military aggressions have notably made development goals ever more elusive.\u00a0 Against this backdrop, he reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the population of the occupied Syrian Golan.\u00a0 He also called on the occupying Power to cease the exploitation, damage, loss, depletion and endangerment of natural resources in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan. \u00a0For its part, the international community must shoulder its responsibilities, protect the Palestinian people, exert pressure on Israel to cease its repeated attacks on innocent civilians and infrastructure, advance the realization of a political horizon and preserve the prospects of a just and lasting solution.<\/p>\n

Maged Abdelfatah Abdelaziz, Permanent Observer for the\u00a0League of Arab States<\/u>, reading out a message from Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, said that this day reminds all that international justice is still lacking.\u00a0 In that vein, States and organizations seeking peace must come together to bring an end to the historic injustices of the Palestinian people; they must continue pleading for the Palestinian cause, including by bearing witness before the International Court of Justice on the illegal nature of Israel\u2019s occupation and its impacts.\u00a0 Moreover, the international community must ensure that the extremist tendencies of Israel\u2019s Government fail, he underlined. \u00a0For their part, the Court must bring an end to impunity and the United Nations must fully assume its responsibilities.\u00a0 \u201cThe occupier may control the land but can never suffocate memory or hide historical truth,\u201d he underscored, pledging that Israel\u2019s occupation, like all others throughout history, will unavoidably be brought down.<\/p>\n

Hameed Ajibaiye Opeloyeru, Permanent Observer for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), speaking on behalf of Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary-General of OIC, reiterated the call for action to restore peace to the land of peace.\u00a0 The international community\u2019s intervention is now more urgent than ever to address past mistakes and silence while preventing the addition of a new grim chapter to the Nakba.\u00a0 To that end, it must help the Palestinian people achieve their rights and hopes for peace, freedom, justice, equality, development and self-determination.\u00a0 It must also intensify its efforts to force the occupying Power to assume its political and legal responsibility under relevant United Nations resolutions, especially Assembly resolution 194.\u00a0 With an extremist Government which continues its policies of colonial settlement, construction, terrorism, incitement and violence at an alarming rate, international actors must urgently engage in a multilaterally sponsored peace process to end the Israeli occupation and achieve a just and lasting peace, he underscored.<\/p>\n

Leyla Novruz (Azerbaijan<\/u>), speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, repeated its longstanding calls for the international community to uphold its obligations towards the Palestine question until it is justly resolved.\u00a0Despite the Palestinian people\u2019s decades of good-faith participation in peace efforts, proven commitment to the two-State solution, adherence to international law and painful compromises, their plight has regrettably worsened with millions still deprived of their rights and suffering continued oppression, displacement and hardships.\u00a0Against this backdrop, she demanded the full and immediate lifting of the illegal blockade on Gaza and voiced her grave concern over the lack of accountability for the countless violations committed by the occupying Power.\u00a0 The absence of justice only leads to greater impunity and the recurrence of crimes, thereby diminishing the prospects for peace by destabilizing the situation on the ground, she pointed out. \u00a0\u201cAfter 75 years, the prolonged international paralysis on this issue is inexcusable,\u201d she stressed, calling for the restoration of the inalienable rights of the heroic Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

Nyle Fort, Assistant Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University, said he learned about the struggle for justice in Palestine by participating in the 2014 protests in Saint Louis, Missouri, following the killing of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer. \u00a0\u201cFerguson opened my eyes to the ugliness of American racism \u2014 Palestine made me weep over the brutality of American Empire,\u201d he said, explaining that it was in Hebron nearly a year later where he bore witness to the ongoing reality of the Palestinian Nakba. \u00a0As a United States citizen, he is haunted that his tax dollars are being used to keep people in prisons in his country and in Palestine. \u00a0\u201cWhat is our moral responsibility to address the political misery that is the Israeli apartheid? \u00a0What are we going to do?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Answering, he urged Member States to end all aid and military cooperation with Israel. \u00a0For its part, the Organization should undertake the same measures it did to document South Africa\u2019s human rights violations and isolate the apartheid regime until it fell, including by reopening the Special Committee Against Apartheid. \u00a0The Charter of the United Nations, he continued, must go beyond observing violations by ending them through concrete actions which can include voting to end the blockade of Gaza and updating the United Nations database on companies profiting from and supporting Israel\u2019s illegal settlements. \u00a0\u201cSilence in the form of inaction is adding your voice to the orchestra of oppression,\u201d he emphasized, adding:\u00a0 \u201cThere are no seats available in a theatre of war, so how will you use your voice?\u201d<\/p>\n

In closing remarks, Mr. Niang, announcing that the Committee has received messages of support and solidarity, read out a list of those messages in the order in which they were received from the Heads of State of Algeria, Venezuela, Kuwait, Indonesia, Senegal, Tunisia, T\u00fcrkiye, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Iran; from the Heads of Government of Cuba, Namibia, Guyana, Lebanon, Malaysia and Bangladesh; from the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, Nicaragua, China, South Africa, Syria and the United Arab Emirates; and from the African Union, the League of Arab States and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.\u00a0 All messages received will be posted on the Organization\u2019s website on the Question of Palestine maintained by the Division for Palestinian Rights.<\/p>\n

On behalf of the Committee, he expressed its sincere appreciation for all those messages of support and solidarity, as well as to all participants for their persistent efforts which, through 55 years of Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territory, aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine.\u00a0 He also thanked everyone who made the meeting possible, in particular, the staff members of the Division for Palestinian Rights in the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, the Department of Global Communications, the Office of Central Support Services, interpreters and everyone who worked \u201cbehind the scenes\u201d.<\/p>\n

For information media. Not an official record.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

412TH MEETING (AM) GA\/PAL\/1453 15 MAY 2023 Fran\u00e7ois\u00a0 Video Voicing solidarity and support to the Palestinian people, speakers today reiterated their calls for intensified efforts towards a just and lasting solution, as the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held a high-level special meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"template-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[660,684,690,5334,759,780,810,867,885,888,909,921,933,960,1005,1020,1593,1062,1101,1128,2241,1179,1182,1197,1218],"document-category":[1329,2805,4389],"document-source":[5611,1753,2173,2881,4553,2705,6169,6158,1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2281,6816,1805,1749],"entity":[1889,1985,1729],"document-language":[6542,6541],"class_list":["post-287109","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","country-algeria","country-azerbaijan","country-bahrain","country-bangladesh","country-china","country-cuba","country-egypt","country-guyana","country-indonesia","country-iran-islamic-republic-of","country-jordan","country-kuwait","country-lebanon","country-malaysia","country-namibia","country-nicaragua","country-palestine-state-of","country-qatar","country-senegal","country-south-africa","country-syria","country-tunisia","country-turkiye","country-united-arab-emirates","country-venezuela","document-category-press-release","document-category-video","document-category-webcast","document-source-african-union-see-also-organization-of-african-unity-oau","document-source-ceirpp","document-source-division-for-palestinian-rights-dpr","document-source-gulf-cooperation-council","document-source-league-of-arab-states-las","document-source-organization-of-islamic-cooperation-oic","document-source-united-nations-department-of-global-communications","document-source-united-nations-department-of-political-and-peacebuilding-affairs","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-history","document-subject-nakba","document-subject-occupation","document-subject-palestine-question","entity-intergovernmental-organization-or-multilateral","entity-state","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english","document-language-french"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/287109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/287109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":287112,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/287109\/revisions\/287112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=287109"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=287109"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=287109"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=287109"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=287109"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=287109"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=287109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}