New York: There is more at stake in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than peace and security in the Middle East, according to UN General Assembly President Abdullah Shahid.
He warned that the reputation of the global community and its ability to work together to resolve international disputes, in keeping with the founding vision of the United Nations, is also on the line.
“That’s why we can’t give up hope,” Shahid said. He called on member states to do everything possible to join forces to resolve the conflict in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian laws and the United Nations Charter.
“We must maintain the credibility of this great institution and emphasize positive dialogue and engagement between the parties involved.”
Speaking on Wednesday during a plenary meeting of the General Assembly to discuss the Palestinian question and the situation in the wider Middle East, Shahid described the lack of progress on an issue on the UN’s agenda since the organization’s early years as “disappointing”. ,
He said the situation in Palestine and the wider region is “deeply intertwined”.
“We have seen time and again how the effects of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict undermine the stability of the wider region,” he said.
“As long as the Palestinian people are deprived of statehood, as long as Palestinians continue to build illegal settlements on properly entitled land, until Palestinian families are forced to flee the violence and injustice against them and are not home Anger and bitterness can return.
“It will contribute to a cycle of violence that has lasted too long.”
The plenary session came days after the 74th anniversary of Resolution 181, which was passed by the General Assembly on November 29, 1947. It called for the division of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, with the city of Jerusalem established as a separate entity. Governed by an international regime.
Facilitating a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders is “the most important thing” the world can do to help resolve conflict, said Shahid, who has worked hard in the multilateral political process to find a just and peaceful solution. called upon to expedite.
Turning to the key issues affecting the Palestinians, he said that it is time for the international community to speak his words of support for humanitarian aid, efforts to resolve the conflict, and uphold the dignity of Palestinians.
“Year after year we speak of a horrific humanitarian crisis in Palestine, especially the Gaza Strip,” Shahid said. “But words are insufficient. The lack of running water, electricity, proper sanitation, and decent living conditions cannot be replaced by words that endure millions of Palestinians.
“Words can express how COVID-19 has magnified these challenges, but they cannot solve them. Words cannot save the Palestinian people suffering from decades of occupation, arbitrary arrests and excessive use of force against them. Words cannot restore their demolished homes or stop the spread of illegal settlements on their land.”
More than 5 million Palestinians in the Occupied Territories depend on humanitarian aid to survive. That number rises to 80 percent in Gaza, Shahid said, where residents “cry for access to infrastructure and services”.
Many Palestinian refugees in the Middle East are also in crisis, highlighting the great lack of funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. He called on the international community to ensure that it provides adequate financial support to sustain the agency’s life-saving work.
“Let us all come together as an international community and reaffirm our commitment to defend the rights of the Palestinian people,” Shahid said.
“Let us give them what they have been demanding for so long: honour, statehood and honour.”
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