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

IRAN/NAM:  Madam Chair, I have the honor to address the General Assembly today on behalf of the Nonaligned Movement on agenda item 37, the question of Palestine.  Given the time constraint, I present an assert of my statement on behalf of NAM and the full text of the statement is being distributed. 
This important debate coincides with the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.  It is an important occasion not only for Palestine, but also those of us who strongly believe in the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination and to free themselves from foreign occupation and oppression.
On this day, the international community reaffirms its continued and unwavering support for and solidarity with the long-suffering people of Palestine in their national struggle to achieve the independence of their state and peace and justice.  NAM pays tribute to the resilience of the Palestinian people in their pursuit of their legitimate national aspirations, which they have been for too long unjustly denied.  
Dear colleagues, the Nonaligned Movement reiterates its grave concern regarding the critical situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem as a result of Israel's prolonged military occupation and illegal policies and practices.  We condemn Israel's ongoing military rights and aggression against the Palestinian civilian population, blockade of the Gaza Strip, settlement colonization campaign involving inter alia land confiscation, construction and expansion of settlement and outposts, transfer of hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers, construction of the wall, home demolition and in position of severe movement restrictions and hundreds of check points, detention and imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians, forced displacement of Palestinian citizens, reprisal against the civilian population and all other measures of collective punishment against the Palestinian people which are the grave breeches of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law.  
Unfortunately, our meeting today comes at a time when Israel, the occupying power, has escalated its military campaign against the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip.  The Israeli attacks on Gaza that were carried out during the eight-day period in this month resulted reportedly in the killing of about 170 Palestinians, including women and children, and wounding about 1,200 others.  
The situation in the rest of occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, is also deteriorating as a result of Israeli excessive use of force aimed at intimidating and terrorizing the Palestinian civilian population.  
The Nonaligned Movement strongly condemns the recent military campaign against the Palestinian people and underlines that in addition to violating countless provisions of human rights law, such military aggression and collective punishment measures by Israel, the occupying power, are tantamount to grave breeches of international law, including international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention and relevant UN resolutions and pose a serious threat to international peace and security, as well as to regional stability.
In this regard, the Nonaligned Movement calls for accountability for the perpetration by the occupying power of war crimes in its latest military aggression against Gaza in order to end Israeli impunity and to realize justice for the victims.  
Madam Chair, distinguished colleagues, Israel, the occupying power, continues to pursue its illegal settlement activities, along with many other illegal policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.  The situation continues to be most severe in the Jordan valley where thousands of Palestinians have been displaced and thousands more are at risk of displacement due to Israel's illegal colonization, as well as in and around occupied East Jerusalem, where the occupying power continues pursuing measures aimed at the quiet transfer or depopulation of the indigenous Palestinian inhabitants and ensuring a Jewish majority in the city.  
In this regard, NAM calls for a complete end to all settlement activities, home demolition, residency revocations, exacerbations including near Al Ham Al Sharif and closure of Palestinian institutions in the city.  We condemn also the terror, violence and provocations by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and properties, including homes, agricultural lands and Muslim and Christian holy sites and caution that such actions are fueling religious sensitivities that risk further destabilization and must be brought to an immediate end by the occupying power.
NAM condemns Israel's continuing unlawful campaign of arrests, detention and forced interrogation of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including children, women and numerous elected officials who continue to be held under harsh, inhuman conditions and to be subjected to physically and mental ill treatment.  In this regard, the movement condemns inter alia Israel's use of torture and all other forms of physical and psychological mistreatment and deprivation of Palestinian prisoners, including denial of family visit, denial of access to education and adequate medical care and inhuman use of solitary confinement.  
It is the conviction of the movement as stated in the declaration on Palestine political prisoners adopted by the 16th summit by heads of state of the Nonaligned Movement in Tehran in August, 2012 that the Palestinian prisoners should be immediately released and the plight of these prisoners should be addressed by the international community, particularly the Security Council and the Human Rights Council.  
Mr. President, Madam Chair, distinguished colleagues, the Nonaligned Movement expresses its serious concern regarding the dangerous impasse in the Middle East peace process due to ongoing Israeli intransigence and illegal policies which continue to undermine the resumption of credible negotiations and to obstruct the achievement of a just, lasting, comprehensive and peaceful solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.  
The core of the Arab/Israeli conflict, such persistent Israeli behavior and its refusal to commit to the internationally-endorsed parameters for the two-state solution cast a dark shadow of doubt over Israel's professed intentions and instead underscores the belief that Israel's insistence on the negotiation path is merely for the sake of managing the crisis, entrenching its illegitimate military equation and not to actually reach any comprehensive peace settlement.  
In this regard, the Nonaligned Movement committee on Palestine has welcomed all efforts and initiatives aimed at realizing the two-state solution and justice for the Palestinian people, and it stresses the importance of the developments in this august assembly to accord observer state status to Palestine, expressing the hope that this multilateral, peaceful initiative consistent with United Nations resolutions regarding the question of Palestine, including with regard to the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the international consensus of the two-state solution, will positively contribute to salvaging the prospects for peace.
In conclusion, Madam Chair, the movement reaffirms its unwavering commitment to a just and comprehensive solution to the Arab/Israeli conflict with the question of Palestine at its core and to the immediate restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to exercise its self-determination and sovereignty in its independent state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.  
Now Madam Chair, allow me to speak in my national capacity as the ambassador and permanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which I would like to congratulate the Palestinian people and their representatives for the historic victory they achieved today in this august assembly, which truly represents the entire world.  
I would also like to present a message of solidarity with the Palestinian people sent by his Excellency Ahmadinejad, the President of Islamic Republic of Iran on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.  For more than 60 years, the question of Palestine has been the main issue for the free nations of the world.  Cruel occupation of Palestine and displacement of its nation are considered not only as the deprivation of Palestinian people from their fundamental and legitimate right, but also violation of everlasting human values and ignoring of the wisdom, logic and common sense of all humanity.  
The crisis in the region, which lasted for several decades, is the unpleasant consequence of the occupation of Palestine.  The expansionist, militaristic and inhuman policies of the occupying and fabricated Zionist regimen have resulted in continued instability and violence in the region, imposing five wars on nations of the region, killing and imprisonment of tens of thousands of people, displacement of millions of others, and the recent aggression of Gaza is but clear indications of the true nature of the uncivilized Zionists and the mission they carry.
The failure of the international community in addressing the question of Palestine is the product of their discriminatory and unilateral policies of some members of the Security Council which have resulted in the continuation of the crisis and has posed tremendous threat to the international peace and security.  
The great Iranian nation, while declaring its full solidarity with the suffering and oppressed people of Palestine reiterates its continued moral support to them.  The Islamic Republic of Iran is of the view that without paying attention to the legitimate demands of the Palestinian people, including the exercise of their right of self-determination and the elimination of all acts of aggression and occupation against them, as well as the restoration of justice and dignity rendered to them, it would be impossible to find a just solution for the crisis.
It is obvious that the best solution for the question of Palestine would be holding a free and fair election with the participation of all Palestinians, including Muslims, Christians and Jews.  In this regard, the international community, in particular the United Nations, can play a vital, effective and legal role in resolving the issue of Palestine and ending the conflict.  Undoubtedly, the era of Zionism and the occupation is over. The future belongs to the great nation of Palestine, to other free nations and to justice impacting on freedom.  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.  Thank you, Mr. Chairman.