AMANN Ferrnanent Vfissionof the [JNI.X.ED,A B Eh/flRATE$ RA [ t o t h e L l n i t e c lN a t i o n s New Yorlr LjlJl A:r"^Jl or"il,ll L/ll *:l;L*)l ilJJ oJtrJl p-Ul .s"r.J as-y-w Statement by FI.E,. Ambassador AbdulazizNasser Al-shamsi Permanent Representative of the united Arab Emirates the ljnited Nations to before The 60thSession the General of Assemblv on the Item entitled: The Question Palestine of New York, 29 November2005 Please CheckAgainstDelivery 0 3 0 5 E a s t 4 7 " ' S t r e e t , 7 ' h F l o oN e w Y o r k , N Y 1 0 0 1 c T e t( 2 1 2 \ 3 7 1 - 0 4 8o F a x( 2 1 2 \ 3 7 j - 4 g 2 3 rr 7 0 VIr. Chairman. On behalf of the delegation of the lJnited Arab Emirates, I would like to begin my statementby thanking H.E. AmbassadorPaul Padji, the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Falestinian people, and the members of the Division of the PalestinianRights and the Department public of Information for their valuable efforts to achieve justice for the palestinian cause and uncover the facts about the Israeli practices that have contributed to the complexity and the continuation of this problem to the present duy. On the occasion of the International Day of Solid arity with the Palestinian people, the uAE also wishes to reaffirm its solidarity and support to the Palestinian people in their struggle to achieve their legitimate aspiration to establishan independent state,like other peoplesin the world. Mr. Chairman, Inspite of the positive developmentsachieved since last September, which included Israel's military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the expected outcome of these developmentshas not yet been fully realized, due to the obstaclescreatedby the Israeli forces, which prevented the achievement of full independence of the Gaza sectorand its checkpoints. Obstaclesincluded intensive and illegal settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and continued daity violations againstPalestinianswhich have led to substantiallossesin the palestinian economy, health, education and tourism sectors, and increased levels of unemployment, poverty and diseases among the palestinians. These Israeli policies coupled with the occupation and continuing settlement activities in the Palestinianterritories, have impeded the efforts and opportunities of achieving a just, lasting and comprehensivepeaceful solution for ihe palestinian Question. The annual reports of the UN committees and agencies, supported by documentsand statistics,continue to reflect Israel'strue intentions and ambitions in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights. The reports confirmed the increasing numbers of Palestinians who were killed or injured as a result of continued Israeli strikes, the excessiveuse of force, the arbrlrary killings, and the detentionand displacementof thousandsof civilians in the territories administrated by the Palestinian authorities under the pretext of combating terrorism and self defense.Reports have also confirmed that the Israeli Government swept away large areas of agricultural Palestinian lands and destroyed the economic resources and propertiesof the Palestinians,where more than 4 thousandhomes were destroyed in East Jerusalem and its suburbs during the last four years. New settlements, residential units and bypass roads were also built, and thousands of acres of Palestinian lands were confiscated and tampered with for the purpose of constructingthe separationwall in the West Bank and East Jerusale-. tt i, has -1- resultedin isolating thousandsof Palestinian,annexing their villages and separating northern and southern parts of the West Bank *hi"h eventually deprived the Palestiniansfrom pursuing their natural right to reaching their homes, relatives and sacredsites,in violation of the resolutionsof the Tenth bmergency Special Session of the General Assembly, and the decision of the International Court of Justice which calls for the immediate dismantlement of the separation wall which is consideredillegal and has a destructive impact on the livelihood of the palestinian people. The separation wall also obstructs any plans of establishing a viable and independentPalestinian state and achieving a settlement based on the road map which calls for peaceful co-existencebetween the Palestinian and Israeli states in the region. Mr. Chairman The United Arab Emirates reiterates its strong condemnation of the Israeli practices, including illegitimate and illegal measurestaken in the West Bank and East Jerusalemwhich constitute a unilateral attempt to change the demographic, political and legal nature of the Palestinian territories and mark the internationat Palestinianborders before commencing the negotiationsof the final solution. These measures constitute a blatant violation to the Road Map, international and humanitarian law and the tlN resolutions and conventions including the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. The UAE is extremely concerned about the serious consequences ignoring these dangerousIsraeli policies which have led to fueling of feelings of frustration and despair among the peoples of the region, and increased violence, tension and instability there. We, therefore, ..-"*phu size the common responsibility of the international community, representedby the United Nations and its specialized agencies find a solution for the Palestiniancause.We demand to the Security Council and the Quartet in particular to first pressureIsrael to stop its hostile campaignsagainst the Palestiniansand their nationil authority, including tt measures collective punishment, stateterrorism and incitement in order to cieate of an environment suitable for reinvigorating the peace process and resuming negotiations.In this context, the United Arab Emirates calls ior the followins: 1Forcing Israel to coordinate with the Palestinian Authority regarding its fulI withdrawal from all tenitories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, to stop its illegal settlementactivities in theseterritories, and to dismantle the separationwall in accordancewith the decision of the International Court of Justiceand other relevantresolutions the United Nations. of Providing the necessary protectionto the Palestinian People,their national institutions and sacred sites, particularly Al Aqsa Mosque, against the Israeli attempts aiming at changing their religious identity. We also 2- demand for the international community to compel Israel to fulfill its commitments in accordancewith the international laws which prevent it from changing or tampering with the geographicalfeaturesand historical landmarksof Jerusalem. 3- The internationalcommunity must provide political, financial and moral support to the Palestinian Authority, which has demonstrated its determinationto fulfill its commitmentsin accordance with the Road Map and carrying out the necessary reforms in its national institutions, most importantly, the security institutions. These reforms will enable the Palestinian security institutions to fully and efficiently discharge their responsibilities which include the managementof the next legislative elections, reconstruction of destroyed sectors, improvement of humanitarian and social conditions in the Palestinian territories, and strengthening control over all Palestinian its territories. Reaffirming the fundamental principals of the Palestinian Question with regard to settlements, borders,refugeesand the position of Jerusalem as stipulatedin the international legal resolutions181, I94,242,338, l3g7 and 1515, which are consistentwith the Arab PeaceInitiative adoptedby Beirut Summit rn20A2. 4- Mr. ChalrmanIn conclusion,we believe that the Israeli response the fair demandsof the Arab to people will lead to achieving security and stability for the Israeli people and the entire region. In this regard, we look forward to strengtheningour peace efforts in order to reinvigoratethe Road Map as well as peacenegotiationsin the region in fulfillment of the commitments included in the international legal resolutions,and in accordancewith the principle of land for peace based on 1967 borders in order to bring stability and prosperityto our region, and achievecooperation and development our peoples. for Thank you Mr. Chairman -3-