November 4, 2008
Unofficial Transcript of EYEontheUN
Statement of the Palestinian Observer at the Third Committee on the Durban Review Conference


Nadya Rasheed, Palestinian Observer

My delegation is speaking under Agenda Item 62 on the Elimination of Racism and Racial discrimination. Racism represents the darkest side of humanity, which we as a family of nations have committed to eliminate. This rejected attitude and the discrimination resulting from it, sows nothing but fear and hate, thus pulling people and cultures apart and setting the stage for violence and suffering. But racism does not only manifest its cruelty through direct violence, instead history shows us many examples of racism that translates into decades of violence and suffering, no more so then the past hundred years of Palestinian history, starting with the promise ninety one years ago that plunged Palestinians into disposition and humiliation, an outrageous undertaking pledging the Palestinian peoples’ land to  another without their consultation or consent. On the contrary it was with utter disdain for Palestinians as a people with rights, a sentiment that only racism and discrimination could have translated into this journey of pain, where the Palestinian peoples’ basic rights were stomped on, shoved aside and indefinitely questioned since this promise materialized in 1948 with the forcible expulsion of more than eight hundred thousand Palestinians form their historic homeland. This was only the beginning of the tragedy. From 1948 on Palestinian people were further subjected to racist attitude, to the denial of these refugees’ very identity. They were pushed to the fringes of life and dignity, without as much as an identification card.  Sixty years on these refugees now number in the millions, constituting the majority of the Palestinian nation. Yet they remain deprived of their simplest expectation which is the recognition of their historical tragedy that befell them and the generations born with destitute refugee status. Additionally their inherent human right to return to their homes that they were forcefully expelled from, has and continues to also be denied. Mr. Chairman, Palestinians constitute 20 percent of the population inside Israel yet they live on the periphery of institutional politics and society, forced through a serious of discriminatory laws to live their life as third class citizens, and institutional racism, Mr. Chairman, produces fertile grounds for the explosion of outright hostility and violence that can and does threaten the foundations of any society. This institutional racism spurred violence like the type of attacks perpetrated by a group of Israelis in the past three weeks in [inaudible] Tiberius, Tel-Aviv and other cities against Palestinian-Israeli citizens solely because of their ethnicity. Scores of innocent and defenseless people were injured and their property destroyed as a result. It is important to note that this a country where discrimination is enshrined into laws, like Israel’s so called return and nationality law which is a prime example of laws driven by a mentality in which discrimination on the basis of religion and race is inherent, not accidental. It grants the right of immigration and citizenship to any person of the Jewish faith born anywhere in the world, as well as their children, grandchildren and spouses. Meanwhile Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum speak shamelessly about what they say is a demographic threat posed by the indigenous non-Jewish Palestinian population. Mr. Chairman, Palestinian Israelis are not alone in confronting this racism and discrimination. Allow me here to remind of the diagnosis offered by this previous Special Rapporteur on the Situation of  Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including east Jerusalem, Professor John Dugard in which he stated, and I quote, ‘The international community speaking for the United Nations has identified three regimes as inimical to human rights, colonialism, apartheid and foreign occupation. Numerous resolutions of the General Assembly of the UN testified to this. Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem contains elements of all three of these regimes which is what makes the occupied Palestinian territory of special concern to the international community” end quote. Indeed Israel’s forty-one year old occupation  has been transformed into an illegitimate institution system of colonization,  racial discrimination and apartheid. This is evident in the practices and laws enforced by Israel over the past four decades which has oppressed the Palestinian people, stripped them of their rights, and segregated them into underprivileged population centers by willful design. Mr. Chairman, Israel the occupying power stands in breach of the International Covenant of the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination of 1996, as well as the International  Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the crime of Apartheid of 1973 which criminalizes actions taken by one group quote “for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them” end quote. This is most evident in Israel’s persistent rejection of the application of relevant conventions as well as International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, to its laws and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem. Mr. Chairman, nearly three million Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are confined to their cities, towns and refugee camps. Their basic rights to freedom of movement and travel are denied in order to facilitate the movement of about 450,000 Jewish Israeli settlers, whose very presence in occupied land is illegal. They are provided with the sophisticated network of exclusively Israeli roads, part of the illegal settlement infrastructure system that the occupying forces have installed in the occupied territory, taking up forty percent of the west banks territory and providing a clear example of Israel’s colonial practices. Moreover Israel continues to manifest it’s unwavering colonial and racist attitude towards Palestinians by continuing to construct the illegal separation wall in the occupied Palestinian territory, despite the clear ruling of the ICJ in its Advisory Opinion of 2004  that this wall and its regime designed to engulf the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal and must be dismantled. This wall translated the Israeli governments racist ideology of separation and exclusivity and deems impossible the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, thus re-enforcing the racist practice that security and  prosperity for one nation must be achieved with the exploitation, subjugation and suppression of another. Mr. Chairman, this mangled system of racism, colonialism and foreign occupation has subjugated the Palestinian people for far too long, shackling their dream of a dignified future and systematically undermining their inalienable right to self-determination. Lifting this darkness requires courage from the international community and an unwavering commitment to eradicating this scar in human history by upholding the principles and ideals enshrined in the relevant international conventions and laws, which may I remind are the corner stone of the international legal system. This is why securing the freedom for the Palestinian people, for the exercise of their inalienable right to self-determination must be at the forefront of international priorities and proactive actions, for in this freedom lies the key to healing the deep wounds of decades of racist ideology practiced through oppression and unspeakable transgressions. Thank you Mr. Chairman.