Unofficial transcript 
Agenda item 37 “Question of Palestine”, November 30, 2012

YEMEN:  Mr. President, my delegation wishes to thank the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.  We would like to thank the Chairman of the Committee for the efforts that he has made in order to uphold the Palestinian cause.
We wish to use this opportunity in order to express our joy at the commemoration today of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.  This is resounding proof of the legality of their struggle and the legitimate right to resist occupation, the legitimate right to establish an independent state on their national territory with East Jerusalem as its capital.  More than six decades have passed since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the General Assembly, and we regret that after all this time has gone by that the Palestinian people have been deprived of their rights as a result of the terrible escalation of Israeli violence, and as a result of the settlement expansion, and as a result of the infringement of the rights of innocent Palestinians, in addition to the killings of activists, the detainment of prisoners and ongoing attempts to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli party, which requires the United Nations to play a leading role, a stronger and more effective role without admitting the role that is played by the United Nations agencies that too must tackle Israel’s refusal to respect international resolutions and which rejects and refuses any chances at peaceful or pragmatic solution.
Mr. President, the international community has not exerted pressure on Israel, and this is the main obstacle impeding the provisions and implementation of international justice.  This undermines the role of the United Nations and the requirements of international law.  This also impedes justice, liberty and the implementation of international resolutions.
From this rostrum, we support the admission of the State of Palestine as a full-fledged member of the United Nations.  We reiterate the legality of this request and the need to guarantee the rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with international law and with United Nations resolutions.  We call upon the Security Council to respond positively to the request for admission of Palestine as a fully-fledged member of the United Nations.  We commend the Palestinian state and the Palestinian people on this historic occasion, namely, the granting of nonmember observer status to Palestine at the United Nations and the adoption of Resolution A/67/L28 by the General Assembly, and it’s the resolution entitled “Status of Palestine at the United Nations.”  This adoption coincided with the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Mr. President, the peace process has reached a stalemate as the Israeli government has continued its settlement policies expanding into Palestinian territory that are occupied and in Jerusalem.  Israel refuses to discard this policy, which violates international law, international relevant resolutions and fails to meet requirements for peace.  This stubbornness has stymied the chances of achieving peace and the possibility of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state.
We hold Israel responsible for the stalemate of these negotiations and for the settlement policy that Israel has adopted as an alternative to peace, even though the international community has clearly and unanimously expressed the illegality of these settlements and the damage that has been wrought as a result of the settlements concerning the negotiations.
Given the impact that they have had on the possibility of attaining a lasting, comprehensive peace in the Middle East, Mr. President, once again, my delegation restates that a just and comprehensive peace will only be attained through a total Israeli withdrawal from Occupied Palestinian Territory, withdrawing behind the 4 June 1967 borders.  This peace requires the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and requires the withdrawal from the Syrian Golan and from the Occupied Territories in southern Lebanon.
To that end, we call upon the United Nations and the international community to fully shoulder their responsibilities by guaranteeing the rights of the Palestinian people and by pushing Israel to refrain from the policy of state terrorism and violence, and by urging Israel to truly implement the international resolutions and regional initiatives concerning the peace process so that peace can be forged and so that we can find lasting and comprehensive solutions allowing for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.
Mr. President, there can be no talk of peace or security or stability in the region as long as Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories continues and as long as the crimes perpetrated as a result of this occupation continue against the Palestinian people, who are defending their existence, their dignity.  These crimes have severely affected Gaza as a result of Israel’s aggressions, and heinous crimes have been perpetrated against innocent civilians, against women, children and the elderly.
These acts of aggression have destroyed homes and are one of the worst faces of state terrorism.  These practices violate human rights, and we call upon the international community, as represented by the Security Council, to shoulder its responsibilities in order to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with the charter and to protect the Palestinian people by guaranteeing a lasting, comprehensive peace in the region.
This peace is more urgent now than ever before.  Indeed, an independent Palestinian state must be established, and the root causes of this conflict must be tackled.  They must be addressed by putting an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Occupied Territories.
We call upon the Palestinian leaders to set aside their differences, to close the ranks and to work together in order to promote national reconciliation within Palestine in order to help buttress security so that the aspirations of the Palestinian people may be realized, the desire of putting an end to occupation and to establishing an independent state.
Mr. President, Gaza is under siege, an illegal siege that has lasted for more than five years.  Gaza is affected by a difficult economic crisis that is further affected by the deterioration of the situation, the provision of health and social services.  More than 1.7 million Palestinians are affected.  They are suffering as a result of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  This crisis requires the United Nations to acquit itself of its responsibilities and for the international community to end this unfair blockade.
Gaza must be rebuilt without delay.  All passage points must be reopened, and the suffering of the Palestinian people and of this region must be eased.  Thank you, President.