You are here: Home / Archives for 2019

Archives for 2019

9 August 2019 – Update on continued Expansion of illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

09 August 2019 by

Excellency,

In the absence of any serious measures of accountability pursuant to Security Council resolution 2334 (2016) and the countless other relevant United Nations resolutions demanding the cessation of Israel’s illegal policies and measures in Occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem, and an end to its more than half-century occupation, the occupying Power continues with its flagrant violations and methodical destruction of the two-State solution.

In our third letter in a week, we regret to inform Your Excellency that Israel remains relentless in its ferocious colonization and annexation schemes throughout Occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem.   In fact, over the past 48 hours the Israeli government has approved the building of nearly three thousand illegal settlement units in the Occupied West Bank.  And, just today, in the most recent blatant violation of international law, the Prime Minister of Israel himself flew by helicopter to lay the foundation stone for the construction of 650 new illegal units in the “Beit El” settlement located near Ramallah in the Occupied West Bank. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Identical Letters, Statements Tagged With: , ,

8 August 2019 – Expansion of illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

08 August 2019 by

Excellency,

In our second letter in less than week, we are compelled to write to Your Excellency to place on record our unequivocal condemnation of Israel’s continued building and expansion of illegal settlements in the Occupied State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem. Clearly, with its continued colonization of  confiscated and stolen Palestinian land, Israel, the occupying Power,  is sending a clear message that it is determined to continue to arrogantly and aggressively defy the will of the international community, violate international law, as well as international criminal law as articulated in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as well as  defy the resolutions of the  United Nations, including Security Council resolutions.   We regret to reiterate that continued international inaction has clearly emboldened Israel’s defiance and intransigence.

In this regard, over the past couple of days, Israel, the occupying Power, has advanced more than 2,300 settlement units in the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in continuation of its of destructive, voracious and never-ending colonization campaign.  It should be noted that this latest provocative announcement comes on the heels of last week’s declaration by the occupying Power of plans to construct an additional 6,000 settlement units throughout the Occupied West Bank.  With these latest illegal Israeli annexation schemes, the population of illegal settlers also continues to grow as does the number of violent and criminal attacks perpetrated by settlers against Palestinian civilians, which continue to be carried out under the watchful gaze of Israeli occupying forces. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Identical Letters Tagged With: ,

2 August 2019 – Ongoing illegal settlement activity in the Occupied West Bank

02 August 2019 by

Excellency,

I must once again draw your attention to Israel’s ongoing illegal and destructive settlement colonization of the Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem. Such blatant defiance by the occupying Power continues unabated despite the resounding calls for a halt to all settlement activities made yet again from the chamber of the United Nations Security Council by Members of the Council and from across the international community.

The Israeli government has brazenly announced plans to construct another 6,000 settlement units in the Occupied West Bank, to which thousands upon thousands more settlers would be transferred, in grave breach of international humanitarian law, in gross violation of countless UN resolutions, in utter disrespect of the 2004 ICJ Advisory Opinion and in violation of the Rome Statute of the ICC.  This announcement comes as further proof of the illegal intentions of the occupying Power, as repeatedly pronounced and reflected in the provocative declarations and inflammatory rhetoric of its government and military officials and extremist settler leaders, who continue to boast of plans to seize, confiscate, colonize and annex more Palestinian land. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Identical Letters Tagged With: ,

23 July 2019 – Statement by H.E. Dr. Riyad Mansour, Minister, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, before the United Nations Security Council, “The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine Question”

23 July 2019 by

Mr. President,

We thank the Peruvian Presidency for convening this important meeting and for your able leadership of the Security Council’s agenda.

We also thank Under-Secretary-General Rosemary Di Carlo for her briefing on the situation, one that regrettably worsens every day that action to ensure justice is delayed and that a political horizon for a peaceful solution remains obstructed.

Mr. President,

We have come to this chamber time after time, appealing to, calling on and imploring on the Security Council to act – to alleviate the human suffering, to salvage peace prospects and to contribute to making that peace a reality. We remain convinced that such action – in line with international law, the Council’s resolutions and its Charter responsibility for international peace and security  – is the only way to bring an end to this grave injustice.

Respect for the law and human rights and establishment of justice are the only way forward. Those who would tell us otherwise are setting us up for decades more of suffering and insecurity for all – Palestinians, Israelis and the entire region.

After more than 52 years of Israel’s illegal occupation of our land, its gross, violent denial of our people’s rights and their constant dispossession and displacement, it is past high-time to redress this situation, justly and permanently. This is a blatant situation of belligerent, colonial foreign occupation – attested to by any measure of the law and by this Council, the General Assembly, the International Court of Justice, countless regional and global organizations, academia, and the international community in nearly its entirety – and it must be brought to an end. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Security Council, Statements, Statements Tagged With: , , ,

22 July 2019 – Ethnic cleansing and home demolitions in Occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Bahir/Wadi al-Hummus

22 July 2019 by

Excellency,

Upon instructions of the Palestinian leadership, I must urgently draw your attention to the ongoing crisis situation and recent shocking developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, as Israel, the occupying Power continues its depraved colonization of the Palestinian land and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.

Today, in the Sur Bahir/Wadi al-Hummus area of Occupied East Jerusalem, yet more Palestinian families were dispossessed of their homes and forcibly displaced by Israel, the occupying Power. Of which, 17 persons, 11 of them children, have now suffered the same fate as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians before them who have been dispossessed, displaced and traumatized by the ruthlessness of this belligerent, colonial, occupying Power.

Ignoring the appeals of the United Nations and Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organizations, Israeli occupying forces today began to carry out military orders that have been issued for the demolition of at least 10 residential buildings, including around 70 apartments. In the early morning hours of today, a large contingent of Israeli soldiers entered the area and the homes of the families residing there, forcing them to leave in order to clear the way for the destruction of their homes.

The two families displaced and dispossessed today of their properties, including their furniture and life’s belongings, include 9 Palestine refugees, suffering yet another forced displacement. As the demolitions continue with military bulldozers tearing apart home after home, 350 other Palestinians fear the same fate, in addition to the thousands of other Palestinians, especially in Occupied East Jerusalem, who face pending demolition orders by Israel. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Identical Letters, Statements Tagged With: , ,

2 July 2019 – Israeli colonization and provocations in Occupied East Jerusalem

02 July 2019 by

Excellency,

I am compelled to once again draw attention to ongoing provocations, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric concerning the holy sites in Occupied East Jerusalem. In light of recent events and the heightening volatility of the situation, we again appeal for responsible action to uphold international law and the relevant Security Council, General Assembly and UNESCO resolutions and avert a dangerous destabilization, with all of its attendant consequences.

We condemn in the strongest terms all illegal policies, practices and measures being carried out by Israel, the occupying Power, in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as acts of provocation and incitement against the Palestinian people and holy sites in Occupied East Jerusalem. This includes Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which is being targeted by an endless and reckless barrage of illegal measures and provocative rhetoric and actions, including ongoing Israeli excavations, which are directly threatening the sanctity and stability of this holy site.

In this regard, we must refer to the recent “inauguration ceremony” of an underground tunnel and path – the so-called “Pilgrim Road” – towards Al-Haram Al-Sharif, beginning in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in Occupied East Jerusalem. We condemn this illegal measure, which comes following a series of other such illegal measures in Silwan, which has been heavily targeted by illegal Israeli settlement activities, including home demolitions, evictions and land confiscations across the years. Furthermore, it is deplorable that the officials of the right-wing Israeli government were accompanied in this illegal act in occupied territory by US government officials who have not only lent their support to such unlawful activities, but appear to be actively partnering with Israel, the occupying Power, in promotion and pursuit of its illegal and destructive colonization schemes, including such acts which present a threat to international peace and security. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Identical Letters, Mission Documents Tagged With: , ,

25 June 2019 – Statement by Ms. Feda Abdelhady-Nasser, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, before the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

25 June 2019 by

Mr. Secretary-General, President of the General Assembly, Commissioner-General of UNRWA,

Excellencies,

On behalf of my delegation, I express our appreciation to the Secretary-General and President of the General Assembly for convening this annual Pledging Conference, recognizing UNRWA’s crucial role in providing vital humanitarian assistance to the Palestine refugees and the urgent need to mobilize support to once again address the Agency’s funding shortfall to ensure uninterrupted implementation of its General Assembly mandate. We are grateful for their strong support.

We renew our appreciation as well to Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl for his most able and dedicated leadership of UNRWA in these extremely difficult times. We commend his active outreach and engagement with the host countries and donor countries around the world aimed at securing needed resources and support for UNRWA, as well as his principled advocacy aimed at alleviating the plight of the Palestine refugees and ensuring respect for their rights and dignity, so inspiringly represented by the testimonies of the UNRWA student parliamentarians we heard today – Hanan and Hatem – and we deeply thank them for their messages of hope. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Mission Documents, Statements Tagged With: ,

11 June 2019 – Letter on Jerusalem and Israeli Rep Statements

11 June 2019 by

Excellency,

I write to you regarding recent statements made by the Israeli Representative, in interventions at the Security Council and in an official letter on 6 June 2019, concerning the City of Jerusalem.

These statements are not only provocative and inflammatory, but directly contravene Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, the United Nations Charter and the longstanding international consensus on the question of Jerusalem in specific and question of Palestine as a whole.

With the repeated pronouncement of such statements based solely on religious edicts and distorted narratives, Israel stands in absolute contempt of the Security Council and must be held accountable. Such defiance of the Council’s decisions and authority cannot go unanswered.

We call on Security Council members for immediate redress of this matter. These are not ‘just words’; Israel’s aggressive and shameless assertions of such arguments in the international arena are matched daily by illegal actions on the ground violating the rights of the Palestinian people, entrenching the occupation, and destroying peace prospects. This offensive narrative must be rejected with robust action to protect Palestinian rights, reverse negative trends, and salvage the chances for a just peace.

This requires serious efforts to implement the relevant resolutions, in full and without exception, including accountability for any violations.  Action is equally urgent to restore the Council’s credibility and uphold the integrity of its resolutions. This requires explicit reaffirmation that resolutions are valid until implementation and cannot be negated by such narratives. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Identical Letters, Statements Tagged With: ,

3 June 2019 – Israeli provocations and raids on Al-Haram Al-Sharif

03 June 2019 by

Excellency,

As we somberly approach the 52nd year since Israel’s occupation in June 1967 of Palestinian and Arab lands, we must draw the international community’s urgent attention to the escalating tensions and deteriorating situation on the ground in Occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem, as a result of intensifying illegal Israeli policies and practices, including rising provocations, incitement and aggression by the Israeli occupying forces and extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians.

In recent days, such provocations have once again involved raids and aggression against holy sites and Palestinian worshippers in Occupied East Jerusalem, in violation of the historic status quo at Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which houses the holy Al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock Mosques. Such actions further inflaming religious sensitivities and dangerous destabilization of an already volatile and fragile situation.

Israel, the occupying Power, must be demanded to cease forthwith all such illegal and destabilizing actions and to respect its legal obligations, in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions and to respect the decades-long historic legal and religious status quo at Al-Haram Al-Sharif, including the custodianship of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan over the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

Yesterday, 2 June, witnessed raids by the Israeli occupying forces on the compound, as well as by more than one thousand extremist Israeli settlers, who marched to the compound in an aggressive manner, blatantly inciting against Palestinians, to mark what Israelis call “Jerusalem Day”, which coincides with the anniversary of Israel’s seizure and occupation of East Jerusalem in the June 1967 war. More than 45 Palestinian civilians were injured as the Israeli occupying forces violently assaulted and forcibly dispersed Muslim worshippers, detained several worshippers, and even locked the doors to the mosques preventing the faithful from entering for prayer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Identical Letters Tagged With: ,

Statement by H.E. Dr. Riyad Mansour, Minister, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, before the United Nations Security Council, Quarterly Open Debate “The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine Question”, 29 April 2019

29 April 2019 by

Mr. President,

I thank the German and French Presidencies of the Security Council for their skillful joint leadership over these past two months.

I also thank Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, for her briefing and able guidance of the Department. We also recognize the ongoing efforts of UN Special Coordinator Nikolay Mladenov and his team, as well as the vital role and support of UNRWA and the efforts of OCHA, UNICEF, UNDP and all UN Agencies on the ground, at this critical time.

Mr. President,

We meet at a moment of great uncertainty and volatility. The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, is rapidly declining, despair is rising and a peace horizon is being nullified by an occupying Power that insists on imposing its illegal agenda at any cost.

The outlook has become even grimmer after an Israeli election further entrenching the extreme right that has come to rule Israel as a racist, apartheid State under Prime Minister Netanyahu. The absolute support given to Israel by a Permanent Member of this Council has only emboldened its flouting of the law, further fueling its human rights violations against our people and colonization of our land. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Security Council, Statements Tagged With: ,