Embassy of the State of Palestine

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, to the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in New York on 25 November:

This annual Solidarity Day is an opportunity to reflect on the critical situation faced by the Palestinian people and to consider our collective contributions and responsibilities as Governments, international or civil society organizations, towards Israeli-Palestinian peace. I appreciate the efforts of the Committee [on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People] to keep the international community’s attention and focus on the question of Palestine.

Gaza is becoming uninhabitable as humanitarian conditions deteriorate rapidly following Egypt's destruction of smuggling tunnels and Israel's renewed ban on the import of construction materials, the United Nations and aid agencies have said.

A year after the end of the eight-day war between Gaza and Israel last November, the UN said the situation in the tiny coastal strip was worse than before the conflict. "Initial hopes for a significant improvement on the ground have not been realised," said James Rawley, the UN's humanitarian co-ordinator for the Palestinian territories.

The Fourth Committee concluded on November 14 its work for the sixty eight session with the approval of 8 draft resolutions on the occupied Palestine.

Among the approved drafts were four draft resolutions concerning the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and four on the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People.

The State of Palestine cast its vote for the first time at the United Nations on Monday 18 November. In doing so, Palestine took its rightful position in advancing the cause of justice and accountability by voting to elect a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The vote was cast in accordance with the Statute of the International Tribunal, which allows Observer States to participate in the election of judges to the tribunal.

Right of Reply by Ms. Feda Abdelhady-Nasser, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, before the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (4th Committee),

Mr. Chair,

I apologize for requesting the floor once again, however, I am compelled to reply to the statement made by the representative of Israel in today’s debate.

As we stated at the outset of this debate, the report of the Special Committee is neither biased, nor one-sided. The Special Committee’s examination of the situation is clearly in the framework of international and relevant United Nations resolutions.

The Secretary-General deplores the announcements today of further Israeli settlement plans in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Settlement activity is contrary to international law and constitutes an obstacle to peace. Any measures that prejudge final status issues will not be recognised by the international community.

Referring to the latest Israeli settlement announcement PLO Executive Committee Member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, declared:

“Israel is willfully and flagrantly violating international law and the requirements for peace in its latest escalation of settlements expansion. This includes a total of 3,700 new units at Ramat Shlomo settlement (Jerusalem District), 296 in Beit El settlement (Ramallah District), 162 in Yakir settlement (Qalqilya District), 95 units in Shilo settlement (Nablus District) and 31 units in Al Mog settlement (Jericho and the Jordan Valley District). The announcements also include a parking lot for settlers’ use in Silwan and a national park nearby the Mount Scopus – Wadi El Joz area, both in Occupied East Jerusalem.”

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and
Vice President of the Commission, issued the following statement today:
"After Wednesday's announcements by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of the
Interior about renewed plans for Israeli settlements, I would like to recall that, on 27
September, the Middle East Quartet called on all parties to refrain from actions that
undermine trust or prejudge final status issues.

30 October 2013 – An independent United Nations human rights expert today warned that financial institutions and real estate companies involved with housing settlements in occupied Palestinian territory – which are considered illegal under international law – may be held criminally accountable.

Addressing journalists at UN Headquarters, the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Richard Falk, reiterated that the settlements are unlawful according to the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Human Rights Watch has called on the Israeli military to stop harassing Addammeer, an advocacy group for Palestinian prisoners. The NGO has complained about the military targeting the group and imposing restrictions on it without evidence.

Addameer’s main functions are to provide legal aid to prisoners held by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, conduct research and empower prisoners and their lawyers with knowledge in international law. But the organization is being routinely prosecuted for its stance without much substantiation of claims, HRW reported.