Check againstdelivery STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. PAUL BADJI CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISEOF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AT THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE 29 Thursdqy, November 2007 z the Today, as in years past, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of paiestinianpeople is holding a specialmeeting to commemoratethe InternationalDay with the provisions of General of Solidarity with the palestinianPeople,in accordance Assembly resolution 32140B of 2 December 1977' I am pleasedand honouredto welcome here H.E. Mr. Srgjan Kerim, Presidentof of the GeneralAssembly; Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General the United Nations; Presidentof the Security Council H.E. Mr. Marty M. Natalegawa, Permanent of Representative the Republic of Indonesia;H.E. Ambassador Hamidon Ali, Vice Chairmanof the Special Committee to InvestigateIsraeli PracticesAffecting the Human Rights of the PalestinianPeople and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories; H.E. Mr. yasser Abed Rabbo, SecretaryGeneralof the Executive Committee of the palestine Liberation Organrzationand representativeof Palestine; and Mr. Haile for Menkerios, Assistant secretary-General Political Affairs. The inalienablerights of the Palestinianpeople, defined by the GeneralAssembly as the right to self-determination, national independenceand sovereignty, and the return of palestinerefugeesto their ancestralhomes and lands, representnot only a political issue just and lasting settlementof the Israeliand an essentialpart of a comprehensive, palestinianconflict. They also representan enduring human story, both individual and in collective, one of suffering, sacrificeand perseverance the face of adversity,which many journey of the Palestinians, finds few parallels in modern history. The courageous driven away, and ignored for so long, but nevertheless of whom have been dispossessed, standproud, hopeful, and uncompromisingin their insistencethat their legitimaterights deeply with people worldwide. On this solemn occasion,we resonates be respected, reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Palestine' of This year's observanceis particularly meaningful becauseof the convergence severalimportant anniversaries.It was 30 years ago that the GeneralAssembly called for the InternationalDay of Solidarity to be observedannually. It was 90 years ago that the British Governmentissuedthe Balfour Declarationencouragingthe creationof a Jewish 3 national home in Palestine. It was 60 years ago to this day that the United Nations GeneralAssembly adoptedresolution i 81 (ID partitioning the mandatedPalestine. It was 40 years ago that, following the 1967 war, the Palestinian land came under Israeli occupation, which has continued up until this day. It was 20 years ago that the Palestiniansas a people stood up to the occupation,and the world learneda new word - intifuda. These and other fateful eventshave defined the destiny of the Palestinianpeople exiled, or internally remain in limbo, dispersed, over the decades. The Palestinians and suffering from the occupation. Over the years,the occupation displaced,stateless, has been accompaniedby an increasinglydisproportionateand arbitrary use of military force againstthe civilian population,taking of Palestinianland for the constructionof settlementsand more recently - the separationwall, repeatedacts of collective punishmentand grave violations of internationalhumanitarianlaw. An already impoverishedand overcrowdedGaza Strip has been choking in recent "hostile months under an increasinglysuffocatingIsraeli blockade. Designateda of shortages everything, including life-saving territory" by Israel, Gaza experiences medicines. It is now faced with cutbacksof vital fuel and power supplies. Our Committee has repeatedlycondemnedall attacksagainstcivilians, both Palestinianand Israeli, including the Palestinianrocket attacksoriginating from the Gaza Strip. However, to force the 1.4 million Gazansto a life of deprivation is both illegal under internationallaw and morally unacceptable.The situationhas been further by exacerbated internal Palestiniantensions,culminating in an armed takeoverof the to Gaza Strip by Palestinianmilitias. The Committee urgesthe Palestinians unite behind PresidentMahmoud Abbas, the electedleader of the Palestinianpeople, and to respectthe Authority. legitimate institutions of the Palestinian efforts of the international The questionof Palestinehas frustratedthe peacemaking community for a very long time. On the conceptuallevel, however,the progressin the past decadeshas been nothing short of remarkable, as the inalienable national right of the to Palestinians their own sovereignStatebecamepart of an internationalconsensus.The right of return of Palestinerefugeesremains widely recognized. The Road Map has charteda courseto a final peaceful settlement. The Arab PeaceInitiative, a major element in moving the peaceprocess forward, was re-launched in Riyadh early this year. Seenagainstthis backdrop,the slow pace ofpractical progresson the road to Palestinianstatehoodlooks all the more disheartening. Concertedand vigorous action is neededto close the gap betweenrhetoric and reality. The credibility of the international community is at stake. The time for a PalestinianStateis now. There should be an end to "windows of opportunity" and promisesof a political horizon for the proverbial yearn for peace,freedom and justice now. It is in our Palestinians. The Palestinians common interestand it indeed it is our moral obligation to help the Palestinianpeople "Justice achievetheir national rights. To quote William Gladstone'sfamous wotds, delayedis justice denied". there are reasonsfor hope. Our Committee is Despite the many setbacks, encouragedby the latestdiplomatic efforts aimed at revitalizing the peaceprocess. In this connection,we are hopeful that the Annapolis conferencewill generatethe much-needed resulting in a two-State momentum and lead to effective permanentstatusnegotiations, solution. It is also important that the membersof the Quartetand their regional partners assistthe parties by engagingthemselvesin this crucial endeavour. of Today's observance the InternationalDay of Solidarity offers us an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to work tirelessly to advancethe causeof a just and lasting peacein the Middle East. I would like to acknowledgethe ongoing efforts of the Quartet, and of the entire internationalcommunity. As the United the League of Arab States, the Nations body entrustedto work on the questionof Palestine, Committee feels an especiallyheavy senseof responsibility for the implementationof its important mandate. 5 I should like to expressour Committee'sprofound gratitudeto Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, for his personal involvement in the efforts towards finding an equitable solution to the questionof Palestine,an issuewhich he put very high on his agenda. I should also like to pay a well-deservedtribute to H.E. Mr. Srgjan Kerirn, Presidentof the GeneralAssembly, for his able stewardshipof the work of the General Assembly, and to H.E. Mr. Marty M. Natalegawa, Presidentof the Security Council, of who is also the PermanentRepresentative a country,Indonesia,which has been a tireless champion of the inalienablerights of the Palestinianpeople. On you behalf, I would also like to acknowledgethe dedicatedwork of the United Nations agenciesand programmes,who work tirelesslyto provide the Palestinianpeople with vital assistance.Theseagenciesoften become,especiallyin the caseof the Gaza Strip, the only available lifeline to the outsideworld. Our specialthanks also go out to our valued partners- civil society organizations. Always a sourceof dynamism, always challengingthe statusquo, thesevolunteershave played a crucial advocacyrole by promoting policy changein their own societiesand to filled critical gaps by providing much-neededassistance the Palestinianpeople. and symbolism, but lacking in reasons The year 2007 has been rich in anniversaries to celebrate,much like the modern Palestinianhistory itself. Over the years,new words have entered the international vocabulary, such as Al-Nakba (catastrophe)and intifada, which conjure up imagesof loss and confrontation. Let us all hope that in the years ahead Arabic words signifying rebirth and hope will enter worldwide circulation as well. Thank you. + * <