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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:  Thank you Madam Vice President.  At the outset, on behalf of the government and people of the United Arab Emirates, I would like to congratulate Palestine today for being accorded the nonmember observer state in the United Nations.  Our cosponsoring and support of this historic resolution that we adopted today represents our firm conviction that international recognition of the Palestinian state is only an essential element of the United Nations responsibility towards the Palestinian question, which has been waiting for a solution for 65 years.  This resolution is also fully consistent with other United Nations resolutions specifying the principles of a just solution to this question, particularly resolution 181 dividing Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.
It is the resolution that consequently unleashed a series of events that radically changed the geopolitical situation in the entire Middle East region.  These events included the establishment of an Israeli state six decades ago and caused the obstruction by Israel later on of all efforts aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state due to the continued Israeli occupation and dangerous policies in the Palestinian and other Arab-occupied territories and have resulted in the suffering of the Palestinian people, on the one hand, and have impacted negatively on all efforts for international peace and security on the other.  
We consider this historical United Nations recognition on the state of Palestine an important step towards the settlement of the Palestinian question and a consolidation of the Palestinian right to self-determination.  It also represents an historical opportunity to overcome the present political crisis due to Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian lands.
We hope that this will be a first step towards the advancing of a full membership to the state of Palestine in the United Nations on equal footing with all other states, it being -- it being supported by an overwhelming majority of the member states of this august assembly.  
The United Arab Emirate strongly condemns all hostile policies and serious acts of aggression committed by Israel until this day, including the recent aggression against Gaza and deliberate targeting of unarmed civilians, including children and women.  We urge the quartet to reactivate its initiative and to further its efforts and bring pressure to bear on Israel to put an end to all its unilateral actions obstructing the negotiations.  
This should include an immediate cessation of all settler expansionist projects and all attempts to change demographic facts on the ground in preparation to the final status negotiations.  Israel should also put an end to all other provocative illegal action taken in East Jerusalem, including home demolition, land confiscation, the confiscation of water resources and property, the expulsion of Arab Palestinian inhabitants and the demographic changes that precede the final negotiations that should lead both parties to an agreement that realizes a just and comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian question based on the two-state solution and within a specific timeframe.  
The United Arab Emirates, Madam Vice President, shall continue its political support and development aid to the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas and shall also support all other efforts aimed at achieving Palestinian reconciliation to enhance security and stability in the Middle East, objectives that can only be achieved through a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Arab/Israeli conflict.  
This requires an immediate cessation of all policies of aggression by Israel against the Palestinian people and should begin with a full withdraw by Israel from all Palestinian and Arab territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, the Syrian Golan and the remaining occupied Lebanese territories, as well as the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the principles of the Madrid peace process and relevant resolutions of international legality, particularly resolutions 181, 242 and 338, as well as the two-state solution set out in the roadmap and the Arab peace initiative.  Thank you.