Explanation of Vote (EOV) by Mauritania before the General Assembly 64th Session

Vote on Report of Fact Finding Mission on Gaza Conflict

New York( 

5 November 2009

MAURITANIAN REPRESENTATIVE:  On behalf of God, Mr. President, allow me first of all to th
ank you for organizing this extremely important meeting in such a swift way on the request of the Arab States Group and the Non-Align Movement to study the war and the report on it of the 27th of January [sic] 2008 and the 18th of January of 2009.  
Mr. President, the report on the independent international fact-finding mission that was drawn up based on the Human Rights Council resolution is our topic today.  And this report amounts to more than 450 pages.  It looks at the impact of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and that took place over a three-week period.  The international community must organize an inquiry into the suffering of the Palestinian people over the past sixty years.  The report has shown some conclusions and some facts that have demonstrated the terrible nature of these acts.  There were more than 1,400 people who died in a three-week period.  
The act of aggression took place at eleven o’clock in the morning.  This shows that it was a deliberate attack and it targets children who were going to school because children have to go school.  
The Israeli army killed Palestinian civilians.  There is proof that shows that the UN agencies were also the victims of this act of aggression.  And the report showed the terrible impact of the unfair embargo on the Gaza Strip that is still in place to date.  That has a negative impact on different categories of people, be these elderly people, men or women or children.  
The report shows that at the end of June last year – so that is six months after the end of the war – we can see that there are catastrophic consequences that are still there and we can see that through the destruction of buildings and industries, of wells, of schools, hospitals, etc.  And factories that were producing food were destroyed as well.  And international assistance is not reaching civilians.  This is extremely important because winter is going to start and so the suffering is going to but continue.  
Since the UN was set up, Mr. President, laws have been adopted and resolutions were adopted to promote international humanitarian law.  Unfortunately, we are facing several difficulties.  We need more political resolve.  The last Israeli war against Gaza caused a great deal of destruction and this shows the climate of legal impunity and the lack of responsibility taken.  Mr. President, the suffering of the Palestinian people is something that we’ve seen over the past sixty years – over the past sixty years, the Palestinian are suffering.  And they’re suffering from this injustice and from this unfair treatment.  So for this reason, we must bring an end to this suffering.
The State of Israel that is the occupying power must accept the Arab Peace Initiative that is based on the principle of a land for peace and to have an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital which peacefully coexists with the Israeli state.  And the State of Israel must withdraw from all occupied Arab land as well as the ... [?] [00:35:21] Golan Heights, as well.  
And the report is extremely comprehensive and objective.  It is honest and it gives new hope for implementing these recommendations.  We would call upon all UN bodies, and in particular the Security Council, to take necessary measures to implement these recommendations and promote justice in order to promote further responsibility and to punish the perpetrators of these crimes.
Finally, my delegation would call upon the General Assembly to adopt the Draft Resolution A/64/L.11 and my delegation supports this draft resolution that will help us to promote peace and will consolidate the United Nations.  It will promote international justice so that these crimes will not be repeated in the future.  These crimes must be punished.  
Thank you very much.