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About the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People

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Source: Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP)
23 January 2013

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Statement to the Security Council by H.E. Mr. Abdou Salam Diallo,
Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People,
on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question

(United Nations Headquarters, New York, 23 January 2013)

I am pleased to see Pakistan, one of the founding members of our Committee, at the helm this month. Your country, elected to the Council numerous times, commands great respect for its contributions to the work of the Council and to peacekeeping. As recently as October, our Committee and Member States warned the Council of the dangers of inaction in the face of the worsening Gaza standoff. The November conflagration cost many lives, mostly Palestinian, and inflicted heavy damage on Gaza still recovering from the previous war. Our Committee strongly condemned the Israeli assault and the rocket fire. While applauding Egypt, the Secretary-General, and other world leaders' shuttle diplomacy, we were alarmed by the delayed reaction of the Council. The Council should now take immediate steps to solidify the ceasefire, guarantee the protection of civilians, and the full lifting of the Israeli blockade, in accordance with resolution 1860 (2009). It created a new reality which has the potential to inject a new dynamism into the peace process and stimulate compliance with international law. The Committee will devote significant efforts at its conferences and meetings in 2013 to analyzing its practical ramifications in the legal, political, and socioeconomic realms. Developments on the ground are a cause for deep concern. We condemn the punitive seizure by Israel of the revenues of the State of Palestine, destabilizing its institutions, and call for their immediate release. All financial claims should be resolved through negotiations. We thank the donors who stepped up emergency assistance, and call on the rest to fulfil their outstanding pledges at the earliest. Our Seminar on Assistance in Rome on 27-28 February, to which all of you are invited, will focus on new challenges and opportunities, post-resolution 67/19. Our Committee is encouraged by the firm worldwide diplomatic rejection of new Israeli settlement plans, particularly in E-1. These plans must be stopped in their tracks. We thank all the Council Members who raised their voices in the "15 minus 1" format. However action by the Council remains blocked. Our Committee will continue to remind States of their responsibility, as reaffirmed by the International Court of Justice, not to contribute to Israeli violations, and to ensure Israeli compliance with the 4th Geneva Convention. We will continue to advocate for Palestinian unity and a resumption of the peace process on the internationally accepted basis. Now is the time for all partners, such as the European Union, the Arab League, a revitalized Quartet, and this Council to work hand in hand on bold initiatives to turn 2013 into a year of peace. You can count on our Committee's full support in this endeavour.
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