UAE reaffirms support to Palestinian for self-determination

The United Arab Emirates has reaffirm its solidarity with the Palestinian people and support for their just quest to achieve legitimate aspiration to self-determination, like other people in the world. "On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the Government and people of the United Arab Emirates reaffirm their solidarity with the Palestinian people and their support for their just quest to achieve their legitimate aspiration to self-determination, like other people in the world", Ahmed Al-Jarman, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, said this before the 66th Session of the General Assembly on items entitled: "The Question of Palestine, The Situation in the Middle East". Despite the political importance given by the international community in 1947 to UN resolution 181, which resulted in changing the map and the future of the Middle East and creating the State of Israel, the independence of Palestine under this resolution has not yet been realized due to the continued occupation and the groundless political obstacles placed by Israel to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian State to this day, he added. The UAE, which has always supported all regional and international endeavors made so far, including those made by the Quartet, with the aim of achieving a permanent settlement for the Palestinian issue through peace negotiations, expresses its deep concern at the continued breakdown in these negotiations which have reached a stalemate due to the repeated breaches of the Israeli government of the simplest legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the principles of peace accords, Al-Jarman said. The UAE representative called upon the international community to exert firm pressure on Israel to compel it to immediately stop all its violations, including its serious unilateral policies practiced in the Palestinian territories, particularly its illegitimate settlement campaign, which has been accelerated in the Palestinian territories with the aim of changing facts on the ground before the outcome of the final status negotiations. He also called for strengthening the important role of the United Nations, especially the Security Council, and its primary responsibility for implementing its mandate in this regard, by holding Israel accountable for its illegal actions, and determining the extent to which Israel complies with relevant international resolutions, including the Fourth Geneva Convention. "We also affirm our support for the Palestinian request to gain international recognition of the State of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations. Al-Jarman said. He expressed his country''s grave concern at the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza Strip, where the inhumane siege imposed on Gaza since 2006 has denied its people from having access to international humanitarian assistance. Al- Jarman said: "The United Arab Emirates affirms that a just and lasting settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East cannot be achieved without obligating Israel to end all its aggressive policies against countries and people of the region. This includes Israel''s full withdrawal from all Palestinian and Arab territories occupied since 1967". (QNA) M A R/LY