Unofficial Transcription
November 29, 2012
African Union
The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

Mr.  Chairman, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the African Union Commission, allow me at the outset to salute the presence of the Palestinian delegation, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, and to express the commission's deepest gratitude to you, Mr. Chairman, for steering the work of this important Committee on the Exercise of Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for the promotion of the just cause of the people of Palestine.
Today marks another day in the history of our collective commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.  Today, as usual, our sentiment will project a strong spirit of unity and solidarity for the Palestinian people, but the true test of our unity remains the scrupulous implementation of Security Council resolution 242, 1967 as a basis for achieving a just, viable and lasting solution.
The date of 29 November is meaningful to the Palestinian people.  On this day in 1947, the General Assembly adopted the resolution 181, which partitioned the territory known as the Mandate for Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.  The African Union believes that the road to a lasting solution is not an event but a process and has spared no efforts to remain firm and consistent on each position taken at successive African Union summits.
Accordingly, at the summit held in July last year, the African leaders among other aspects reaffirmed their full support for the peaceful resolution of the Arab/Israeli conflict in accordance with the principles of international law and all relevant United Nations resolutions to ensure establishment of an independent Palestinian state to the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle, while fervently affirming support to the two-state solution as the only viable option for peaceful coexistence between the state of Palestine and Israel.
The African Union assembly of the heads of states in its decision, ... [?] [01:26:31] December 652, also called upon member states, especially those members of the United Nations Security Council to support the Palestinian effort to obtain full membership to the UN for the state of Palestine based on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and urged all member sets which have not yet done so to recognize the state of Palestine to do so as soon as possible.
Mr. Chairman, the different decisions of the African Union summits we've referred to clearly show that from the organization of African unity in the past to the African Union today, Africa's commitment to meeting the international -- national rights of -- the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, has been and remains a political position that arises out of a natural duty of solidarity and out of the African people's faithfulness to their own history.
It is well known that the Middle East is the closest region of the world to Africa, that the League of Arab States has nine members of the AU, and that 26 members of the AU are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation alongside Arab states.  In that respect, the Palestinian issue is still inscribed on the agenda of our organization's summits, and we have always invited the president of the PLO, and subsequently the president of the Palestinian Authority, to attend.  
Similarly, resolutions supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people and urgent calls to the international community to become more engaged in the quest for a just and equitable solution have always been endorsed in the discourse of African heads of states and government.
We know that many other states and international organizations are also working in the same vein as the African Union and its member states.  We also note that the authentic international consensus that has coalesced over the years regarding the central position of the Palestinian question in the Middle East conflict and regarding the demand for the creation of an independent Palestinian state has yet to bear fruit.
Major, albeit thwarted efforts, have been made by the international community since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian process in 1991.  However, the outcome of these efforts remains very mixed despite the Madrid terms of reference which led to the Palestinian acceptance of Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and to mutual recognition between the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the state of Israel.
Other steps have also been taken.  Unfortunately, they have been imperfect or incomplete, from the Oslo accords to the 2007 agreement that for the first time formalized the recourse to a two-state solution.  In addition, the international community regularly bears witness powerlessly to events which contribute to continuing and escalating tensions.
Mr. Chairman, we are perfectly aware of the complexity of the challenges to be overcome to settle the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and to create the conditions for a fair, equitable and lasting peace in the region.  At the same time, the current situation is untenable and serves the interests of no party.  Thus, a welcome leap forward by the international community is needed and would be timely to create a momentum and to deal with the scars of war in order to bring about a decisive change that will firmly put the region on the path towards peace, encompassing all demands and all their dimensions.
This afternoon, the General Assembly will consider the status of Palestine in the United Nations.  On this very specific issue while lending their support, the African leaders in their declaration of Palestine adopted at the July summit this year underscored that the membership of the United Nations is a right to be enjoyed by all sovereign states and that the membership of the United Nations and all its programs and agency is part of the peace process.
As we speak, human suffering, violence and mistrust, which have long dominated, continue to dominate Palestinian/Israeli relations.  Our overwhelming show of solidarity today must translate into tangible results on the ground in the region at the lever of the United Nations.  The African Union remains committed and resolute in its solidarity with the people of Palestine toward the achievement of the two-state solution.  The pivotal role of the United Nations Security Council, the General Assembly and its -- this very committee -- cannot be emphasized [sic].  I thank you, Mr. Chairman.