Download PDF - ReliefWeb

11/12/13 Threats to Latest Middle East Peace Initiative Could Bring Process ‘Back to Square One’, Speaker Tells Fourth Committee 

General Assembly 

GA/SPD/549 

11 November 2013 

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York 

Sixty-eighth General Assembly 

Fourth Committee 

24 th Meeting (AM) 

THREATS TO LATEST MIDDLE EAST PEACE INITIATIVE COULD BRING PROCESS 

‘BACK TO SQUARE ONE’, SPEAKER TELLS FOURTH COMMITTEE 

Israel Says Report of Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices 

‘Saturated’ with Harsh Criticism, Silent on Rockets Launched at Israeli Towns 

The optimism stemming from the latest Middle East peace initiative had become fraught with 

dangers that could take it “back to square one”, the Fourth Committee heard today as it concluded its 

consideration of the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the 

Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories. 

By “thumbing its nose” at the United Nations resolutions that had declared its settlement policy 

illegal, Israel, said Morocco’s representative, was threatening the only peace prospect on the horizon. 

Also provocative was the invasion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by settlers and Israeli forces. Similarly, 

Yemen’s speaker said Israel was “riding roughshod” over international law, the Fourth Geneva 

Convention and relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. 

Even as peace talks had resumed, Lebanon’s representative said, Israel continued to approve 

settlements, including 1,700 units in Jerusalem on 3 November. That was “not normal”. Also “not 

normal” was the existence of 7 million Palestinian refugee whose right to return to their homeland 

continued to be denied by Israel. The 441 miles of “apartheid wall” and the 193 children held in prisons 

and detention centres inside Israel were also “not normal”. 

How long did the international community need to wait while the rift between the Palestinians 

and Israel widened, Jordan’s delegate asked, urging Israel to “seize and invest in current international 

momentum” and not miss the opportunity to develop a substantive agreement leading to a two-State 

solution. 

Along those lines, Qatar’s representative said Israel’s military aggression undermined peace 

efforts and constituted a strategy to “suffocate the Palestinian community”. The exploitation of the 

Palestinian natural resources must end and Israel must give up its hold on the holy sites in Jerusalem, 

especially the holy mosque. 

Iran’s delegate said that Israel’s’ stated readiness for peace was an “ill-intended smokescreen”, 

behind which expansionism and criminal practices continued. Past peace plans had failed, he said, 

because they did not tackle the conflict’s root causes; a permanent, durable settlement required full 

restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people. 

Countering, the representative of Israel said that his country was committed to making peace 

www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2013/gaspd549.doc.htm 1/7


with the Palestinian people, and was ready to make “a historic compromise” for a demilitarized 

Palestinian State living side-by-side with the Jewish State of Israel. The release of 26 Palestinian 

prisoners two weeks ago was a demonstration of that willingness. Instead of spreading lies and hatred, 

it was time to seize the moment and work towards a lasting solution. 

Instead, he said, the Special Committee’s report furthered “a biased and one-sided narrative of 

the conflict”. Though saturated with harsh criticism of Israel, it conveniently ignored the rockets and 

mortars that had been launched towards Israeli towns, as well as the human rights violations by 

Palestinians against Palestinians. Israel refused to cooperate with a prejudiced body, and today’s 

meeting was another window into the “theatre of the absurd”. 

Further, many positive developments had taken place in the West Bank and Gaza over the past 

year, he added, with hundreds of thousands of tons of goods passed into the Gaza Strip each month. 

However, the recent discovery of a tunnel from Gaza to an Israeli community, built with 500 tons of cement 

earmarked for construction, showed that those materials were being misused. Israel was also 

strengthening economic cooperation with Palestinians by issuing work permits and improving the tax 

collection interface, thereby increasing the Palestinian Authority’s revenues. 

Also speaking today were the representatives of Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, United Arab 

Emirates, Tunisia, Lesotho, Mali, Sudan, and Cuba. 

Speaking in exercise of the right of reply were the observer for the State of Palestine and the 

representatives of Israel and Lebanon. 

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 14 November, to conclude its work. 

Background 

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met today to conclude its debate 

on the work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the 

Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories. 

Statements 

SONIA SUGHAYAR ( Jordan) said that Israel needed to “seize and invest in current national 

momentum” to move forward with the Palestinians and not miss the opportunity to develop a 

substantive agreement with them, leading to a two-state solution. Jordan had exerted immense efforts 

to resolve that conflict and develop a better understanding between the two sides, so as to foster 

engagement on the issues of borders, security, refugees and Jerusalem. Jordan condemned the 

assaults against Jerusalem’s holy sites, the building of more settlements and other activities 

undermining an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Such policies seriously threatened ongoing 

negotiations and risked the goal for peace. “How long does the international community need to wait 

while the rift between the Palestinians and Israel is widening?” she asked. It was the responsibility and 

collective duty of States around the world to provide a better future and positive environment for the 

current and future generations of Palestinians. 

BENJAMIN SHARONY ( Israel) said that his country was committed to making peace with the 

Palestinian people and had demonstrated that two weeks ago by releasing 26 Palestinian prisoners 

convicted of murdering Israelis. Though that was a traumatic event for Israelis, his country had taken 

that step because it was willing to make painful compromises to reach an agreement. But today’s 

meeting was yet another window into the “theatre of the absurd”. The report of the Special Committee 

furthered a biased and one-sided narrative of the conflict and advanced a clear political agenda aimed at 

discrediting Israel. 

The report, he added, was saturated with harsh criticism of Israel but conveniently forgot to 



mention the 10,000 rockets and mortars that had been launched towards his country from the Gaza 

Strip since 2001. The Special Committee also chose to completely ignore the human rights violations 

by Palestinians against their own people, such as the persecution of the Palestinian homosexual 

community by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas. There was abundant evidence that 

the Committee’s conclusions were predetermined. Therefore, Israel continued to refuse to cooperate 

with a body that was prejudiced from the outset. 

Many positive developments, however, had taken place in the West Bank and Gaza over the 

past year, he said, noting that, every month, trucks carrying hundreds of thousands of tons of goods 

passed from Israel into Gaza. Israel also cooperated with several United Nations agencies and 

international organizations to advance development projects in Gaza. A few weeks ago, Israeli Defense 

Forces had discovered a two-kilometre tunnel from Gaza to an Israeli community, built with 500 tons of 

cement that had been earmarked for peaceful construction. Instead of using the materials to build a 

better future for the Palestinian people, the leadership in Gaza was committed to destroying the State 

of Israel. 

Nevertheless, economic cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians was strengthening, he 

said, citing a new computer interface, which integrated Israeli and Palestinian customs and tax 

collections systems and would increase the Palestinian Authority’s revenues from direct customs 

collections. In August, Israel had issued an additional 5,000 work permits to Palestinians, and it was 

also working to improve the movement of people and goods in Judea and Samaria. Israel also supplied 

those places with more than 1,400 million gallons of water per year. None of those statistics or 

achievements was to be found in the Special Committee’s report. 

Further, he said, it was absurd to hear some of the world’s most oppressive tyrannies lecture 

the Middle East’s only democracy on human rights and rule of law. It was easier to point fingers in 

New York than to spend time improving human rights practices at home. Israel was ready to make a 

historic compromise to realize the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian State living side-by-side with 

the Jewish state of Israel. It was time to seize the moment and work towards a lasting solution, not 

spread lies and foster hate. 

KAHLID AL-MAHMOUD ( Qatar) said that his country had always supported the Palestinians’ 

right to establish an independent State with holy Jerusalem as its capital. Qatar condemned a wide 

range of illegal policies of the Israelis, especially the treatment of the Palestinian detainees, 

construction of the wall and settler violence. It was the “strategy of the Israelis to suffocate the 

Palestinian community”. He stressed the need to end the exploitation by Israel of the Palestinian 

natural resources as well as their settlement activities and hold on Jerusalem’s holy sites, especially 

the holy mosque. Israel’s military aggression undermined efforts to help achieve a comprehensive and 

just solution. Last year, the United Nations had established Palestine as an observer State, and Qatar 

emphasized that Israel’s continued rejection of the Palestinian State did not help the peace 

negotiations between the two countries. 

SOUMIA BOUHAMIDI ( Morocco) said that the optimism resulting from the United States’-led 

peace initiative had become fraught with dangers that could take the process back to square one. The 

international community must not become oblivious to the conditions of the Palestinian people. It was 

not possible to talk of human rights without talking about the settlement policy that had turned the lives 

of thousands of Palestinians into a living nightmare. Israel’s policy of expanding the illegitimate 

settlements was threatening the only peace prospect on the horizon. Though the United Nations had 

declared those settlements illegal, Israel continued to “thumb its nose” at the relevant resolutions. 

Jerusalem remained the number-one target of that policy, with special efforts to change its cultural 

heritage and demographic composition through restrictions imposed on the Palestinian population. 

Morocco was especially concerned about the continued invasion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by settlers and 

Israeli forces, which was a provocative and escalatory act that showed lack of respect for the peace 

process. 

MOHAMED SARWAT SELIM ( Egypt), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, 



said the Special Committee had clearly documented that the situation of the Palestinians in the 

Occupied Territory remained dire. Egypt was alarmed by the report’s outline of violations committed by 

the occupying Power, which acted “above the law” in its pattern of illegal operations against the 

Palestinians. Egypt deplored the conditions of the Palestinians and demanded that Israel abide by the 

Committee’s recommendations, including the end of the Gaza blockade, the cessation of its disregard 

of Palestinians’ rights and an end to the violations in the Syrian Golan, especially the exploitation of its 

natural resources. The occupying Power must implement the Special Committee’s resolutions, as its 

unlawful actions constituted an infraction of international law. Egypt also demanded that Israel adhere 

to the Security Council resolution 497 (1981) and completely withdraw from the Syrian Golan. 

CAROLINE ZIADE ( Lebanon) said it was “not normal” that 7 million out of 12 million 

Palestinians were refugees inside Palestine and host countries, including Lebanon, while Israel 

continued to defy their right to return to their homeland. It was not normal that, while talks had 

resumed, Israelis continued to approve settlements, including 1,700 units in Jerusalem on 3 November. 

It was not normal that 441 miles of “apartheid wall” had been constructed, that more than 7,000 

Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces and that 25,000 Palestinians houses had been 

demolished in the West Bank. It was not normal that, as of June, 193 children, including 41 below the 

age of 16, were held in prisons and detention centres inside Israel in blatant violation of the Fourth 

Geneva Convention. Even those who said that Israel was not “physically present” in Gaza could not 

deny that it was controlling every aspect of Palestinian life. The numbers spoke for themselves: 70 per 

cent of the Palestinian population depended on international aid and 90 per cent on water unfit for 

human consumption. Lebanon recognized the value of the Secretary-General’s 30 October statement, 

in which he deplored the announced plans for additional Israeli settlements in the West Bank, stating 

that it was “contrary to international law” and constituted an “obstacle to peace”. 

MOHAMMAD REZA SAHRAEI ( Iran) listed Israeli policies, which he said violated the 

fundamental human rights and dignity of the Palestinian people, and noted the deterioration in the 

humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza. He reiterated his condemnation of Israel’s continued 

illegal settlement activities, which he said were grave breaches of international law and the Fourth 

Geneva Convention. He believed Israeli Stated readiness for peace was an “ill-intended smokescreen”, 

behind which expansionism and criminal practices continued. The fundamental problem to be solved 

was the illegal occupation of Palestinian and Arab territory. Past peace plans had failed because they 

did not tackle the conflict’s root causes; a permanent, durable settlement required full restoration of the 

rights of the Palestinian people. 

WALEED AL-SAIYANI ( Yemen) said that the report of the Special Committee proved how the 

Israeli Government’s inhumane practices had led to the deterioration of the human rights and socioeconomic 

situations of the Palestinians. Israel was “riding roughshod” over international law, the Fourth 

Geneva Convention and relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. Israel’s policy of 

aggression continued in prisons, with injustices aimed at Palestinian detainees and through the 

embargo imposed on Gaza. Yemen supported the legitimate Palestinian cause of the establishment of 

an independent State with Al-Quds as its capital. Israel must withdraw from all occupied Arab 

territories and the international community must pressure the Israeli Government to end its blatant 

violations of international law. 

WILLIAM ISHAYA ODISHO (Iraq), associating with the Non-Aligned Movement, urged the 

Special Committee, in accordance with its mandate, to continue its work under strenuous conditions 

and to present its reports. Clearly, Israel, because of its refusal to comply with the Committee, 

maintained its cover-up of its activities, including its plunder of resources in the Syrian Golan, the 

settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and the violations of Palestinian human rights. 

Israel’s other policies, especially the building of the wall, detentions without impunity or trial, including 

of migrant children, and its control of the Syrian Golan since 1981 aimed to “contain the State of 

Palestine”. The efforts of the United Nations, the Security Council and the Special Committee were 

“null and void” until Israel heeded international law and discontinued its illegal practices within the 

Occupied Palestinian Territory. 



IMAD TAGURI ( Libya) said that Israel was blatantly continuing its settlement policies and had 

solicited tenders for more settlements in clear violation of international law. Libya condemned that 

policy, which impeded all efforts for peace in the region and hindered the establishment of a Palestinian 

State. The administrative detention of Palestinians was now an established practice of the Israeli 

authorities, and included minors, who were mistreated. The destruction of religious sites and the 

demolition of houses by the Israeli occupation authorities also continued, especially in East Jerusalem 

where Israel was pursuing a policy of Judaization. 

ABDULAZIZ ALJARALLAH ( Kuwait) said the Committee’s report “clearly and candidly” outlined 

Israel’s human rights violations in the occupied territories and, as a result, the Middle East community 

continued to suffer from insecurity. The report outlined some of those abuses, including Israel’s arrest 

of Palestinians and the disregard of their rights, the systematic construction of the settlements, building 

of the wall and the confiscation of Palestinian farmland. Kuwait called on Israel to cease its violent acts 

against the Palestinians and hold the violators accountable for those acts. Kuwait demanded the 

restoration of the Palestinian peoples’ full rights, the release of the detainees and an investigation of 

their conditions be conducted. Also crucial was that the Gaza blockade be lifted and that Security 

Council resolution 497 (1981) be upheld. Until Israel abided by the Special Committee’s 

recommendations and allowed the Palestinians to establish its State with Al-Quds as its capital, the 

international community’s efforts to achieve “just and lasting” peace in the Middle East would be 

continuously compromised. 

ABDULLA AL KAABI ( United Arab Emirates) said that the report of the Special Committee 

clearly reflected the magnitude of Israel’s violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people. 

Despite the lack of cooperation by the Israeli Government, testimonies by witnesses and media reports 

had demonstrated the many unacceptable infringements and injustices perpetrated by Israel. The 

report indicated an increase in the number of demolitions of Palestinian structures, including homes. 

Israel was also exploiting the natural resources of the Syrian Golan, including its water resources, and 

had prevented the population from reuniting with their families while leaving thousands of mines in that 

area. The United Arab Emirates reaffirming the international community’s basic responsibilities to 

protect the Occupied Palestinian People and hoped that the General Assembly would strengthen the 

mandate of the Special Committee. 

MOHAMED KHALED KHIARI (Tunisia), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, 

said Israeli practices continued “unabated”, with provocative declarations, obstructive policies and 

settlement construction, adversely affecting Palestinian State institutions. Israeli policies jeopardized 

the viability of a two-State solution, and he urged the international community to act against their 

“flagrant breach of the norms of international law, international resolutions and the fundamental tenets of 

the peace process”. He condemned attacks on Palestinians and efforts to Judaize Jerusalem by 

altering its Islamic sites and demography. He urged the international community to support Palestinian 

State institutions, which faced a severe financial crisis, and called for a definitive decision to fully lift the 

Gaza blockade. There was reason for hope in the General Assembly resolution of 29 November 2012, 

which gave Palestine “non-Member observer State” status at the United Nations, and in resumption of 

direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine. The international community should support those 

talks, which should lead to a comprehensive final settlement. 

KELEBONE A. MAOPE (Lesotho), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, said 

his delegation was highly concerned about the high number of Palestinian prisoners, including children 

under the age of 12, who remained in Israel’s detention facilities under poor conditions. Some of the 

children in detention had been illegally abducted from their homes by Israeli law enforcement agencies 

in total disregard of the Geneva Convention. In detention were 500 prisoners who were subjected to 

abuses, including denial of family visits, solitary confinement and negligent medical treatment. The 

“occupying Power” must ensure sufficient hygiene and public health standards, as well as provision of 

food and medical care to the population under occupation, including prisoners. Further stressing that 

the conflict between Israel and Palestine must end, he urged negotiations based on respect of the 

sovereign equality and recognition of rights and legitimate fears of all parties and called on the 

international community to encourage a resolution of differences through peaceful dialogue. 



DIANGUINA DIT YAYA DOUCOURE ( Mali), associating with the Non-Aligned Movement, said 

that the report was complete and accurate in its record of Israel’s violations of Palestinian human 

rights. The seriousness of those acts had impeded worldwide efforts to establish peace in the Middle 

East for “six decades now”. Mali supported any approaches to put in place an end to the abuse of the 

detainees, settlement construction in the West Bank, the Gaza blockade, and occupation of the Syrian 

Golan. “The time has come,” he said, for Israel to uphold the Palestinians’ right to sovereignty and 

enact Security Council resolution 497 (1981), establishing the democratic and territorial rights of the 

people of the Syrian Golan. Israel’s swift lifting of the Gaza blockade giving Palestinians the ability to 

work, attain an education and achieve socio-economic development would establish trust and a 

framework for peace. The immediate task was to return Palestine to its condition that existed before 

the 1967 war, thus establishing security in the region. 

ABUZIED SHAMSELDIN (Sudan), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, said 

that the report of the Special Committee had classified all the violations of human rights and 

international law perpetrated by the Israeli authorities, among which were killings, arbitrary detentions, 

home demolitions, and settlement construction. In addition to contravening international law and 

resolutions, those violations also jeopardized the two-State solution and created adverse social and 

political conditions in the Palestinian Territory. The blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip made the 

enclave an intolerable place to live. It was time to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territory, and 

Sudan supported every step towards a comprehensive and lasting peace that would eventually lead an 

independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

REBECA HERNANDEZ TOLEDANO (Cuba), associating himself with the Non-Aligned 

Movement, said that the Special Committee’s conclusions confirmed no support by Israel for 

implementation of United Nations resolutions towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict. The 5,000 

detainees held in 22 prisons in Israel and Palestine, the 197 children arrested by the Israelis as of June, 

the 312 settler attacks on Palestinians, and the 492 Palestinians displaced with the support of the Israeli 

armed forces affirmed its efforts to control Palestine. Only an end to the occupation, the liberation of the 

impoverished people in Gaza, and the cessation of provocative Israeli military activities would support the 

international community’s efforts to launch positive negotiations. The Security Council, however, 

remained powerless because one of its members maintained its threat of veto. Israel continued to seek 

to impose its Government on the Palestinians, which confirmed its violations of international law, State 

agreements and United Nations resolutions. Cuba recommended recognition of Palestinian sovereignty 

and the return of Palestinian lands as the only way to a just and lasting peace. 

Right of Reply 

Speaking in exercise of right of reply, the observer of the State of Palestine said that the report 

of the Special Committee was neither biased nor one-sided. Its examination was clearly within the 

framework of international law and there was no distortion of truth or discrediting of Israel. The 

Committee had reported facts regarding the systematic and egregious violations of rights by Israel, 

some of which amounted to war crimes. Yet, Israel continued to justify those violations by attacking 

those who spoke out against them. 

The Israeli delegate, she added, during his statement today, had not referred to or recognized 

the root of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict even once – the occupation of Palestinian lands since 

1967 and the subjugation of the Palestinian people. No amount of “easing restrictions” would resolve 

that conflict. “Lessening the crime while still committing the crime” was flawed logic. Only ending the 

occupation would enable the Palestinian people to truly know the dignity and peace they had been 

denied for decades. Among Israel’s many “empty and offensive pretexts” was today’s statement that 

ending the occupation was a compromise. 

The international community’s position was clear and was reflected in the statements before 

the Fourth Committee and Security Council, as well as the principled support in the General 

Assembly. That was the clear answer to Israel’s caustic arguments. 



Also speaking in exercise of the right of reply, the representative of Israel said that a number of 

delegations were spreading lies and accusations, trying to trample on the democratic process of the 

Fourth Committee as they did “back home”. Their efforts would be better spent providing liberty to the 

women and minorities they oppressed in their own countries, rather than wasting the Committee’s 

valuable time. Especially remarkable was the audacity of Lebanese delegate, given the corruption and 

violence in her country. The representative of Lebanon must take a look at the refugee camps in her 

country where Palestinians were consistently discriminated against. 

Also speaking in exercise of the right of reply, the representative of Lebanon said that her 

country had never politicized the discussion or deviated from it. Since Israeli practices was the topic of 

the day, her delegation had limited itself to the reports submitted by the Secretary—General. Lebanon 

was a founding member of the United Nations and a host country to thousands of Palestinians who had 

fled because of Israeli occupation and violence. That was demonstrated by facts submitted, not only to 

this Committee, but to various other United Nations bodies. 

* *** * 

For information media • not an official record

Download PDF - ReliefWeb

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?