Resident Coordinator's remarks on the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

Your Excellency, Mr. Taha Mohamed Abdel-Qader, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Kingdom of Baharian

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Assalam Alaykom wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh, 

We are gathered today on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which has been marked annually since 1978, on 29 November, to coincide with the anniversary of the adoption, in 1947, of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 on the partition of Palestine into two states: one Jewish and one Arab one. The Jewish state was established, but the Arab state has not been established to this day.

This year, the anniversary comes during one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Palestinian people.

The past seven weeks of hostilities, in Gaza and in Israel, have taken an appalling toll that has shocked the world. Civilians in Gaza are suffering an humanitarian catastrophe.

No party to an armed conflict is above international law. International humanitarian law must be respected and upheld. International humanitarian law cannot be applied selectively.

For the past six days, the guns silence has enabled some relief to the population in Gaza and Israel and allowed the United Nations to scale up the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and send aid to some northern areas that have been largely cut off for weeks. But this aid barely registers against the huge needs of 1.7 million displaced people and the situation is getting worse by the day. The longer the pause lasts, the more aid humanitarian agencies will be able to send in and across Gaza.

We have seen captive-prisoner exchange. The United Nations, which repeats its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, is grateful for the international community diplomatic efforts to secure the release of all the hostages who must be treated humanely and allowed to receive visits from the ICRC. We hope the release of more Palestinian detainees brings some relief to their families and loved ones. The Secretary-General has reiterated that the dialogue that led to the agreement must continue, resulting in a full humanitarian ceasefire.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people provides an opportunity for the international community to refocus its attention on the fact that the Palestinian cause remains unresolved and that the Palestinian people are yet to attain their inalienable rights as defined by the General Assembly, namely, the right to self-determination, the right to national independence and sovereignty and the right of return of the refugees. The Secretary-General issues a message every year to mark the occasion, and I invite you to read Mr Antonio Guterres’s message for this year.

I also invite you to visit the photo exhibit entitled “Palestine – a Land with a People” and which will also be concurrently launched at UNHQ in New York today, commemorates the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe), a deeply traumatic series of events which took place during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war when more than half of the Palestinian people were expelled from or fled their homes and became refugees.

This exhibit showcases photographs and art depicting different episodes in the Palestinian journey before, during, and after the Nakba. It serves as a reminder that close to six million Palestinians remain refugees to this day.

The unresolved Palestinian question has had a negative regional and international repercussions, leading to immense human suffering. The United Nations will continue to avail its full resources to support international mediation efforts and play its humanitarian role until the issue is resolved through negotiations leading to the two States, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security and with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.

Thank you.