Unofficial transcript 
Agenda item 37 “Question of Palestine”, November 29, 2012

SYRIA:  Thank you, Madam President.  Allow me to begin by conveying our congratulations to the brotherly people of Palestine.  We congratulate Palestinians on their victory today under Mahmoud Abbas.  The GA's adoption by absolute majority, which only bolsters justice and consciousness amongst human beings and highlights patience and the determination of the international community, this adoption is yet another demonstration or proof of the -- the justified nature of the Palestinian cause.  This is justice served.
It is justice which has only been called into question by those who do not uphold justice.  Madam President, my country's delegation expresses its heartfelt thanks to the Committee on the Exercise of Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and thank its chairman.  We also thank the Division of the Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat, as well as the Commission on the Special Information of Palestine under DPI of the Secretariat.  We thank them for their untiring efforts so as to halt the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people and implement UN resolutions on Palestine.  
Today, the international community reiterated its support to the Palestinian community and the Palestinian authorities.  The international community reaffirmed its commitment to a cause which is just and recognized by all so as to rise to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and here Syria supports the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people for the creation of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem -- with Jerusalem as its capital, as well as within the borders defined in 1966.  
In addition to being accorded full member status in the United Nations with a guarantee for the return of Palestinian refugees to their mother land, Palestine, as well as the payment of reparations -- fair reparations for all suffering that was endured in line with resolution 194 of the General Assembly, we also recall resolution 2073, which defines the conditions of Israel's membership in the United Nations, calling upon it to untiringly uphold the principles of the United Nations charter and affirms the right of the Palestinian people to create an independent state and highlights the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their land from which they were expelled as a cause of the Zionist policy.
We are calling for reparations for these damages suffered.  The GA noted during -- when Israel's membership was accepted in the United Nations, note was taken of the representatives of Israel before the Fourth Committee, the SPDC, their commitment to implement these resolutions and fully uphold them.  Israel's accession to the UN was contingent upon its commitment to UN resolutions on the creation of a Palestinian state and the return of refugees.  
However, unfortunately, this commitment has been deliberately and blatantly left aside in all mechanisms of settlement of the Palestinian question and settlement of all pending issues with respect to Israel.  This, because of public support of some powerful states who are well-known to all, who today voted against the resolution.  This only encourages Israel to continue to flout the international community and not apply relevant provisions of the United Nations resolutions.  
Israel continues its hostile practices and refuses peace, seeing itself as a state above the law and enjoys impunity.  Those who protect Israel have affirmed to Israeli authorities that they are above the law and that they would be protected at the UN and outside of it.  And their violations would be hidden.  
President, the Israeli occupation has turned the Palestinian question into a simple series of numbers, victims, wounded refugees.  The Israeli authorities have engaged in a war of hate against the Palestinian people in a blind manner.  They have applied an unjust colonization settlement policy against the Palestinian people which is unjustifiable and has gone passed over in silence by those who protect Israel.
More than 1,400 martyrs, a significant portion of which are children, were killed by the occupation forces of Israel during the barbarous attacks that took place in Gaza at the end of 2008.  It is surprising that this Israeli incursion and inhuman embargo imposed on the Palestinian people over several years -- and we're not talking about an embargo against Gaza only or a blockade, but one against the entire Palestinian territory.  
This blockade was not enough for the Israeli authorities, and it did not satisfy their hate.  They continued their barbarous aggressions against Gaza and this led to the death of more than 166 Palestinians, including several women and children, as you know.  
Israel has thus added a new crime to its black list against the peoples and states of the region over more than 60 years, over the course of which Arab peoples have suffered from occupation, whether it's in Palestine, the occupied Syrian Golan and or in Lebanon.  These people have suffered the worst war crimes and violations of human rights, forced displacement and other egregious crimes and thus it is the Palestinian peoples' right to live as other peoples in the world in peace and freedom and dignity.
However, this is impossible as long as the policies of Israeli aggression are continued and if Israel continues to flout Un resolutions.  This is impossible if some states continue -- that is powerful states continue to bring pressure to bear so as to hamper the enjoyment of rights by the Palestinian people and continue to support the blind and irresponsible occupation imposing their small political agenda within this international organization by sacrificing principles of morality, justice and international law.  It undermines the UN's credibility and threatens the very basis for collective work in the international arena, particularly in the area of peace -- international peace and security.
Madam President, the picture is clear today.  The Palestinian cause is a just one.  We bore witness to Israel's isolation.  Israel, through its aggressive policies and those of occupation and oppressing the Palestinian people over more than six decades -- these policies can no longer be protected by Israel's partners.  Today, these policies have failed.  
In the face of justice, the liars and perpetrators of violations against human rights, today they have failed.  All those who have worked against democracy, those who voted against the resolution, ladies and gentleman, showed or laid bare their disingenuous policy with respect to the Palestinian question.  Those who voted against the resolution have failed to the Palestinian people over long decades.  We continue to repeat and shall do so today that Israel shouldn't occupy other people's land nor attack others nor impose this injustice or oppression on the Palestinian people.  
Israel would have been unable to carry out such policies without the support of its partners who provided weapons and justified or hid the occupation and aggression.  These partners who desired to violations of human rights perpetrated by Israel have provided weapons since the 1950s.  The very same -- those very same partners, sponsors of the Israeli state, attempt to justify Israel's refusal to participate in the Helsinki Conference to turn the Middle East into a nuclear weapons-free zone.  This decision was unanimous during the nonproliferation conference in 2010.
This is the picture we are facing today.  It is increasingly clear.  Palestinians know who are their friends and who are their true enemies.  Those today, ladies and gentlemen, who voted against the resolution, were against the Palestinian Gandhi; that is President Abbas.  He is indeed the Palestinian Gandhi.  These individuals have decided to not support President Abbas's moderation.  How can we trust these states when they talk about upholding international law and international humanitarian law, as well as human rights in general and state sovereignty and the rule of law?
These states highlight these principles but are doing nothing more than simply using these expressions.  In reality what they are doing is undermining states and peoples who choose to not support their aggression or oppression of justice and equality in the United Nations.  
We hail the Palestinian people, congratulate them.  We congratulate the Palestinian authorities.  Thanks to their political endeavors, we were able to defend the Palestinian cause and the just nature of this cause.  However, there is still work to do.  True justice means Palestine being accorded full member status.  This is justice.  Today our Palestinian brothers have come halfway in attaining this right.  We congratulate them again.  Thank you.