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Statement "Question of Palestine"
Mr. President, The General Assembly at its 55th session is considering the item entitled "Question of Palestine" against the backdrop of the new millennium. It comes at a time when the international community is reflecting on the rapidly changing global landscape as well as rededicating itself to the vision of the United Nations Charter and to the strengthening of the Organization. Indeed, since the very inception of the United Nations, mankind has shown no greater yearning than for unfettered freedom, impartial justice and sustained development. It is these objectives that will guarantee humankind the continued prosperity and advancement in the twenty-first century. Achievement of these noble goals is equally relevant to the Palestinian people. For the implementation of the Millennium Summit Declaration should be carried out not only in regard to the important economic and social issues that seize our attention but also the unresolved problem of the question of self-determination of a whole nation and its people living under colonial subjugation. More than half a century of injustice demands that the international community and the United Nations exert its concerted efforts to support the Palestinian people in their valiant struggle so that those long-cherished hopes will be realized and Palestine can take its rightful place as a sovereign member state in the United Nations. We had anticipated that this meeting would have been one of great satisfaction if the events originally scheduled had taken place as planned. In this regard, the provisions of the Sharm El-Sheikh Memorandum had stipulated the conclusion of a final peace agreement by 15 September 2000. Over the past year, that momentum was lost despite the discussions on permanent status negotiations at the Bollings Air Force Base near Washington in March-April 2000, the Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David, in Maryland in July 2000 and the meetings held during the United Nations Millennium Summit in New York in September 2000, all of which failed to yield agreement, particularly on the question of Jerusalem. In addressing this tenuous situation, the Palestinian leaders took a courageous decision to postpone the declaration of the establishment of a Palestinian state in September 2000 until the conclusion of a final peace agreement. Indeed this laudable step reaffirms once again their unswerving commitment to peace. Israel, on its part however has yet to fully demonstrate its sincerity to the peace process. Past peace accords entered in good faith by the Palestinians have been subjected to procrastination, unilateral delay tactics and minimal methods of implementation that have often brought the peace process to the brink of disintegration. To the Palestinian population at large, their anger over the slow pace of the peace negotiations is justifiable as it has produced more rhetoric than positively change the situation on the ground. The peace process today stands at a critical crossroad. From the high level of optimism generated in Madrid in 1991, the path traveled by the concerned parties has been challenging and marked with major obstacles while despair continues to shadow the region over expansion of settlements and other untenable Israeli policies. Over the past year since the signing of the 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum, a considerable period of time has elapsed with few accomplishments to show for. Thus, at an important juncture when the concerned parties were dealing with critical permanent status negotiations, the provocative visit by Mr. Ariel Sharon to Al-Haram Al-Sharif on 28th September 2000 was profoundly disturbing in its consequences. For amidst the frustration and bitterness of a people who felt betrayed by a peace that seemed to offer few concessions and no improvement in their daily lives, the visit triggered an onslaught of violence in the occupied territories reminiscent of past years and which continues until this very day. Weeks of excessive deadly force by Israel have led to scores of casualties mostly among innocent Palestinian civilians. Indonesia deplores the tragic loss of life, in particular the deaths of many children. It can not be denied that this deteriorating situation is the direct outcome of untenable policies of Israel’s occupation and its utter failure to respect its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention and relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council. In this regard, it is pertinent to note that the Security Council adopted resolution 1322 (2000) calling for an immediate cessation of the violence. Furthermore, the 10th Emergency Special Session was resumed in accordance with the "uniting for peace" formula to consider the dangerous situation on the ground due to the lethal force exerted by Israel against the unarmed Palestinian people. Given the grave and massive violations of human rights of the Palestinian people by Israel, the Economic and Social Council has endorsed the decisions of the Commission on Human Rights, including inter alia the need to establish on an urgent basis a human rights inquiry commission to gather information with the aim of preventing future abuses and to request the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the Representative of the Secretary-General on displaced persons as well as other concerned personalities to carry out immediate missions to the occupied Palestinian lands and to report their findings to the General Assembly. In this regard, we have noted the recent visit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the region to witness first hand the human rights abuses taking place and to facilitate the mechanisms of the ECOSOC to implement the said resolution. Mr. President, Despite the important efforts made at Sharm El-Sheikh and Paris to stem the explosive violence and revive the peace process, the situation remains highly volatile. While we regret the attack on the Israeli civilian bus, there can be no legal justification for the Government of Israel to retaliate with such disproportionate use of military force on Palestinian territory. At this juncture of tension, it is essential that a UN observer force be dispatched expeditiously to restore stability to the region. In addition to this ongoing strife, the severe economic and social consequences inflicted on the Palestinian people are a source of increasing concern. This is largely due to the re-imposition of the Israeli closure policy where over three million Palestinians are isolated from the rest of the world. Draconian measures regarding external and internal closures are having a devastating effect on the nascent Palestinian economy. The international community should therefore call upon Israel to cease its military aggression against the Palestinian people and end the economic siege of the occupied territories. Cognizant of the undeniable fact that there can be no alternative to striking out for real and genuine peace, the historical opportunity before us should not be wasted. The arduous years of struggle and sacrifice of the Palestinian people demand prompt actions on the part of the international community for them to move towards a new century of peace, freedom and prosperity. Indonesia on its part, reiterates the imperative need of reaching a comprehensive settlement to this intractable conflict based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) and fulfilling the prerequisite conditions, namely: the full withdrawal of Israel over all occupied Arab lands; respect for the right of all states in the region to live within secure and internationally recognized boundaries; and the unfettered exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, especially their right to self-determination. Finally, Mr. President, it is beyond doubt that the United Nations has a permanent and historic responsibility towards the question of Palestine. Ever since its partition, this item has preoccupied the Organization especially the injustices perpetrated against the Palestinian people. At this crucial hour, the international community should exert every effort to reaffirm its solidarity and support with the Palestinian people as they strive for peace and justice. Thank you, Mr. President.
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