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Excerpts on Palestine from Speeches Delivered at UN General Assembly

NEW YORK, October 1, 2014 (WAFA) – As the UN General Assembly’s 69th session continues with the general debate for the sixth day, leaders from across the world stressed that solving the Palestinian issue will certainly advance peace to the region.

 

Following are quotes by some of the world leaders addressing the UN General Assembly on the Palestinian issue:

 

- Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yousef Bin Al-Alawi Bin Abdulla, Sultanate of Oman 

 

'The Middle East is going through a difficult phase as it grapples with several crises in the lack of international consensus. We think that the general situation in the Middle East requires a unified position to solve these crises, the most immediate of which is the Palestinian question, which, without doubt, lies at the center of conflicts in the region. We have noticed that while the Palestinians have shown willingness to enter into a genuine partnership in peace with Israel based on the concept of two states living side by side in peace, Israel has not shown any responsible cooperation as it continues to resort to military force as a tool to achieve its security.

 

Security and stability cannot be achieved through the use of excessive force and the insistence to inflict heavy loss of lives, injuries and destruction on the largest possible scale. The path to achieving security and stability that underpins economic and social recovery can only be realized through partnership in peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. We believe there is a chance now to achieve this objective following the ceasefire agreement reached between the two sides. We stress the importance that the two sides stick to this agreement and avoid any violations under any justifications or pretexts. In this respect, we call upon the Palestinians and the Israelis to resume negotiations in order to reach a just and comprehensive settlement that would provide peace and security for Israel and responds to the hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people.'

 

-Attorney General, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Wilfred Elrington – Belize

 

'We are seriously concerned by the indiscriminate death and the destruction recently meted out to innocent Palestinian civilians, especially helpless women and children in Gaza. We reiterate our support for the co-existence of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine in peace and security in their respective pre-1967 international borders as recognized by the International community.'

 

-Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Maxine Pamela Ometa McClean – Barbados

 

'Barbados has long supported a negotiated two-state solution to the question of Palestine, the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and to live in peace and security in a Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders. Barbados' position is that the State of Israel has a right to exist and the people of Israel have a right to live in security and to do so with the full and undisputed recognition of the rest of the world. The Palestinians are also entitled to enjoy the fruits of prosperity within their own sovereign state. This year's unprecedented escalation of the crises in Palestine revealed, yet again, the urgent need to reach a durable, negotiated solution, and we call on all parties to rededicate themselves to achieving this aim.'

 

-Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Santos López - Republic of Nicaragua

 

'We must put an immediate end to the illegal occupation by Israel of Palestinian land, and not allow Israel to once again continue its aggression and brutal attacks on Palestinian men, Women and children. The Security Council should once and for all fulfill their obligations and demand that Israel end these policies and practices to make way for the sovereign and independent State of Palestine, based on its pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and so that both States, Palestine and Israel can coexist in peace. Nicaragua reiterates its absolute and unconditional solidarity with the state of Palestine in their fight for their freedom and their inalienable rights.'

 

-Former President and Special Envoy of the President Mohamed Waheed Republic of Maldives

 

'At times, violence and bloodshed, conflict and upheaval that we witness daily, seem unbearable. In July this year, we watched with grief, the horrendous attack on Gaza, another, in a countless cycle of aggression and brutality. Our hearts bleed for the countless children who lost their lives, mothers who lost their children, the nation, the State of Palestine, that lost countless citizens. After the global outcry, and the outpouring of condemnation, when the guns stopped firing, and the bombs stopped dropping, the world seems to have moved on to the next crisis. The news cycles have found their next headline. Yet, we remind you here again: the siege is not over. The blockade has not ended. Gaza has been destroyed. Development set back several years. Palestinians are still being denied their right to a sovereign nation of their own: to their own lands: to the fruits of their labour. Those children are being denied a right to determine their own destiny. Are you willing to let this continue? We must do more, to help realise the dream of peace in the Middle East, and a two-state solution. We must resume peace-talks, with a clear goal and an endpoint in mind.'

 

-Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and Political Integration Leonardo Arizaga-  Euador

 

 'On July 17th 2014, the government of Ecuador powerfully condemned the Israeli military incursion to Palestinian territory and demanded an immediate cease of the operations of the Israeli army and its indiscriminate attacks against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. My country made a call to the (international) community to assume its responsibility to stop the indiscriminate attacks in order to save innocent lives and preserve international peace and security (…) As a show of support for the Palestinian cause, Ecuador decided to open a diplomatic representation to that country, which is fully working, at the same time that few days we sent humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.'

 

-Permanent Representative Jean-Francis Régis Zinsou – Benin

 

'In this regard, it is urgent to find a negotiated solution to the situation in the Middle East which has lasted too long already. Maintaining the status quo is untenable in all respects. One cannot postpone any longer the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state, as a full member of the United Nations and living in harmony with Israel. Such recognition will certainly create the momentum that will lower tensions in the Middle East and will create the conditions for a just and lasting settlement of conflicts and other complex problems that plague this region.'

 

-Permanent Representative Milan Jaya Nyamrajsingh Meetarbhan - Republic of Mauritius

 

'We urge the international community to spare no effort in resolving the plight of the people of Palestine. Mauritius support the two -State solution to the conflict. The people of the State of Palestine has suffered for two long from the grave injustice done to them and must be allowed to live in dignity and peace within recognized borders. '

 

-Permanent Representative José Antonio Dos Santos – Paraguay

 

'Once again, we call upon Israel and Palestine to set the basis for a social, political and economic construction that would enable both peoples to coexist peacefully and harmoniously. Today more than ever we must give the strongest push to the process of negotiation between the parties, that would allow for a lasting peace, in order for Israel and Palestine to coexist side by side, with safe borders, in peace. '

 

-Minister for Foreign Affairs Jorge Alberto Silva Borges - Cabo Verde

 

'Cabo Verde sees urgency in finding a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and understands that there is no justification for the death of thousands of innocent people, the unwarranted suffering of an entire population, and the desolation and destruction of infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. We therefore urge the Parties to begin negotiations that may lead to lasting peace and that allow both States, Israel and Palestine, to live side by side in security.'

 

M.N./T.R.

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