PERMANENT OBSERVER MISSION OF PALESTINE TO THE UNITED NATIONS
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MessaQeoc H,E. Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Executive Committee o" the Palestine L^iberotion Orsanirution, President o," the Palestinian Nstionol Authorit\,, to@ ited Nutions Comrytittee the Exercise of the Inalienable Riehts of the pqtisttnnn p*nle in on observanceof the 6tn Year of the Dispossession the Palestinian Peip o" 2008: Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Ladiesand Gentlemen, It is an honor for me, on behalfof the Palestinian peopleand their leadership address to this solemnoccasion markingthe passage the 60th of yearsinceAl-Nakba- the catastrophe befellthe that Palestinian people in 1948,wherebythe majority of Palestinians were forcibly eipelled or fled in fear from their homesand villagesas war ragedaroundthem,uprooted, disposiessed displaced, and becoming refugees and a stateless peoplewhosetragedy continues this day. to As we havereflected this past yearon othersolemnoccasions, includingthe 40thyear of the occupationby Israel of the Palestinian Territory, including EastJerusalem, other Arab territories and since 1967,the Palestinian peopleonce againreflecton their pastandtheir present with deepsorrow as they continueto strugglefor the realization their inalienable of humanrights,includingtheir right to self-determination right to return. They remember and decades enduringoppression, and of loss misery and look with uncertainty towards the future, as their national rights and aspirationsfor freedomandpeaceremainunfulfilled. Yet, the Palestinian people,in remembering long yearsof struggle, the alsoreflectupontheir steadfastness resilience a peopleover the decades.Despitewavesof crisis and upheaval, and as the Palestinianpeople have never given up on their legitimate and inalienablerights. They have remainedsteadfast their struggleto achieve justice and to live free,in peaceand security, their in in homeland. They have remained committed, under the leadershipof their sole, iegitimate representative the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) - to their goal of establishing their independent Stateof Palestine, with EastJerusalem its capital,in the PaGstinian as Territory that has remained underIsraeliforeignmilitary occupation since1967. Over the generations, Palestinian the people and their leadership have kept the name of Palestine alive; the Palestinian strugglefor nationalliberationremainsatlhe forefrontof issues on the regional and internationalagendasand the just causeof Palestinecontinuesto receive wide international support. This solidarityhas been vital for our people'sresilienceover the yearsof dispossession oppression, and and for this supportwe reiterateour deepest gratitude,and reiterate alsothe needat this criticaltime for the international community redou-ble commitment to its towards the realizationby ttfe Palestinian people of their inalienable rights and the achievement a just, of lastingand comprehensive peace, which will allow the peoples our regionto enjoy the freedom, of prosperityand securityto which all peoplesareentitled.

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Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, LadiesandGentlemen, After the passage so manydecades, Palestinian of the peopletragicallyremaina stateless and oppressed people. The injusticeinflicted on the Palestinian people in the lg48 Al-Nakba not only entailedthe lossand destruction their homes, of properties, villagesand heritage, alsothe lossof but their homeland a calamitous in war, whosereverberations continue be felt today. to More than half of the Palestinian peoplelive in exile as refugees, dispersed throughout the Diaspora, with millions still in refugee camps,deniedtheir inalienable right to returnto their homes to live at peacewith their neighbors; while the remainder the Palestinian of people,also including millions of refugees, live under Israel'soccupation the OccupiedPalestinian in Tenitory, includin! EastJerusalem, forcedto endure constant the violationof their humanrightsand mountinghardship! and loss. Eachpassingyearhaswitnessed deepening this injustice,the continued the of timpling;f the humandignity of the Palestinian people,the further shredding the fabric of their society of ind the compounding this tragicconflict. of The Palestine refugees now threegenerations familiesnumberingmore than 4.5 million of people - continueto await fulfillment of their right to return, a right to which all refugees and displacedpersonsaround the world are entitled;to await just cornlensationfor their lossesand suffering;and to await justice; while at the sametime they continueto endureserioushardships, including poverty, repeated displacement, instabilityand conflict. Sixty years later, the palestine refugee question the largest is and longest-standing refugee question the world. in The plight of the Palestine refugees due directlyto Israel'sintransigence its disrespect is and for international law and U.N. resolutions, particularlydeneral Assemblyresolution194 (III) of 1I December1948. If Israelhad chosen abideby international and comply with United to law Nations resolutions' it is obligated do by the Charter, tragedyof the Palestine as to the refugees would have long ago beenjustly resolvedand the international communitywould not continueto fur. the many humanitarian political challenges and arisingfrom this ongoingcrisis. Yet, Israelcontinues deny to the Palestinerefugeesthe right to retum to their ancestralhomeland even while actively implementing "law of return" permittingthe immigrationof any Jewishpersonfrom a anywhere in the world - and continues denyresponsibility their plight ani suffering. to for In this regard,I mustreferto the indispensable that the United NationsRelief and role Works Agency for Palestine Refugees the Near East(LINRWA) hasplayed in alleviatingthe sufferingof in the Palestine refugees.The Agency has beenprovidingessential assistance theiefugeesand has to also helped preservetheir rights and protect ihem in iimes of conflict, serving as a fonstant and stabilizing presence the lives of the refugees, in youngand old. We reiterate ouisinceregratitude to UNRWA's Commissioner-General staff for their tirelessefforts on behalf of and the palestine refugees. We also reiterateour deepappreciation the supportof the international for community, includingin particularthe hostgovernments Jordan, of Lebanonand Syriaandthe donorcommunity, for the refugees and UNRWA's efforts to assistthem. This supportreflectsboth the international humanitariancommitment to the welfare of the Palestinei.nrg..r as well as the political commitment the ultimate just resolution theirplight. to of Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Ladiesand Gentlemen, Regrettably, despitenumerousinternational initiativesand countlessU.N. resolutions, the Palestinian peoplecontinueto be deniedtheir nationalrights because Israel'sflagrant of disrespect

for international law. Even while purporting to pursue peace, Israel has acted with impunity, carrying out repressive policies againstthe Palestinian people and committing systematic human rights violations and war crimes againstthem by killing, injuring, imprisonlng,displacingand collectively punishing Palestinian civilians; destroyingtheir properties,lnstitutions,infrastructure and lands;and inflicting on them vast losses and humanitarian suffering. As time and the evolution of the situationon the groundhas shownus, all of this has been done by Israel with the intent to perpetuateits unlawful occupationof the Palestinianland - now the longest occupation in contemporary history - in orderto defacto annexasmuch of that land aspossible. This desire for expansionism been at the core of Israel's illegal policies againstthe has Palestinianpeople. Not only did Israel, in violation of the inadmissibili* oi the acquisitionof territoryby force,seizemoreland in 1948thanwas allottedto it by GeneralAssemblyr6olution l g l (II) of 29 November 1947,which partitioned historicPalestine and led to Israel'sesiablishment, but it has continuedto pursueillegal policiesdirectly aimed at acquiringand de facto annexinglarge areas the Palestinian of land it hasoccupied since1967. Before the eyes of the international communityand in contravention international of law, U.N. resolutions and the International Court of JusticeAdvisory Opinion, Israel has beencarrying out a massive colonization campaign the Occupied in Palestinian Territory,includingEastJerusalem-. The occupyingPoweris doing so via the illegal construction expansion settlernents of the and of and Wall, which is intricately linked to the settlements and intendedto entrenchand protect them, and variousother unlawful measures. Settlement colonization has beenespecially intensein and around OccupiedEast Jerusalem, which is the heart of the PalestinianTerritory, and Israel is actively pursuingadditionalpoliciesto further obstructPalestinian access the ciiy and physically,.u., it to from the rest of the Territory. Hundredsof thousands Israeli settlershave been illegally transferred settlements of to and settlement"outposts" in the Occupied PalestinianTerritory, in g.uv" breach of the 4,h Geneva Conventionand Additional Protocol l. Moreover, for the direci pu.pore of this illegal colonial campaignIsrael has neverceased confiscation Palestinian its of land and destruction oipalestinian homes and properties, which, in addition to the imposition of a permit regime and hundredsof checkpoints intended completely to restrictPalestinian movement, have resulf,d in the displacement of more civilians, the separation and walling-in of Palestinian cities and towns, the destruction of entirecommunities socio-economic and devastation. All such illegal Israeli practicesare altering the demographic composition,character and natureof the OccupiedPalestinian Territory, including East Jeruialem,and distroying its contiguity, integrity and unity, gravelyundermining prospects achievingthe fwo-Statesolutionon the the for basis of SecurityCouncil resolutions242 (1967), 338 (l973), uttd l3g7 (2002), the Arab peace Initiative and the QuartetRoad Map. It is this unlawful colonizationcampaignihat constitutes the core obstruction the achievement a just and lastingpeacesettlemenf to of and the achievement of Palestinian nationalrights in their independent Stateof Palestine, living side by side with Israel in peace and security the basis the pre-1967 on of borders. These illegal Israeli actions must be rejected and condernned,and the international community must undertake real measures bring about a completeand immediatecessation to of illegal Israelipractices, includingall settlement activities, the Occupied in Palestihian Territory. It is the collectiveduty of the international community,includingthe SecurityCouncil,to upholdthe law and implement relevant the U.N. resolutions to act urgentlyto cornpll Israelto abidie all of its and by

legal obligationsand truly pursue peace. This will be the only meansof salvaging peaceprocess the and the two-Statesolutionto the Israeli-palestinian conflict, Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, LadiesandGentlemen, On this occasionof remembrance the 60thyear of Al-Nakba and the steadfastness the of of Palestinianpeople for the realizationof their rights and freedom, I call upon the international communityto intensiff its efforts at all levelsto address theseseriousissues that are preventing us from advancing peaceprocess the towardsthe achievement its statedgoals- an end to the Israeli of occupationof the PalestinianTerritory, including East Jerusalem, unJ the establishment the of independent State of Palestine;a just and agr.ed solution to the Palestinerefugeequestion in accordance with resolution194 (IID; and the establishment a just, lasting,unjro*prehensive of peacein the region. After sixty long years,during which both peoples have lived in conflict, no effort shouldbe sparedto bring an end to this tragedyand the sufferingand losson both sides. Continuation of the current situationis untenableand unacceptable, there can never be peaceor security and in the Middle East as long as the questionof Palestine, the core of the Arab-Israeliconflict, remains unresolved.Only a just settlement based international and U.N. resolutions bring an end on law can to this conflict and bring the peaceand stabilitywe are all searching for. The palestinian feople and their leadership remaincommitted the peace to process achieve to tf,eir legitimatenationairightsand aspirations, and we urge all concerned parties,includingthe Quartet,to sele the momentto promote the process renewed Annapolis, well as the oppottunitycreatedby the Arab peaceInitiative, at as to supportthe partiesto advance negotiations towardstheachievement a final peacesettlement. of Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, LadiesandGentlemen, The Palestinian causeis a just causethat resonates deeply with all those who believe in justice,peaceand freedomfor all peoples.International support, inctuOing political,moral,financial and humanitariansupport,has beenvital for the Palestinian people over ihe decades that they have struggledto end the occupationand to realizetheir rights and it remainsessential for maintaining their hope in the face of so much adversity. I thus ."p..s the immense gratitudeof the palestinian people and their leadershipfor the support and soliiarity extendedto them by the international community,includingat the U.N., over the years. In this regard, give. we specialrecognition the U.N. - which hasa perrnanent to responsibility towardsthe question Palestine of until it is justly resolved all its aspects, in includingthe question of the Palestine refugees- for its assistance the Palestinian 1o people, including, inter alia, through Lr-NRWAand many other U.N. Agencies. We also express our appreciation the efforts of this for Committeeon the Exerciseof the Inalienable peopleand the Division for Rightsof the Palestinian Palestinian Rights and other U.N. bodiesthat have worked to draw attentionto the plight of the Palestinian peopleand to promotethe realization their inalienablerights and ap.u."drl of lettlement of the question Palestine. of our belief in the pu{poses principlesoTtheU.N. and in international and law is firm, and we will continue seekinternational to supp^ort achievea peacefulsefflement, to with the hopethat one day soonwe shallgatherhereto celebrut" inclusionofirre ttr. freeand independent Palestine amongthe tamily of nations.